{"id":139650,"date":"2023-12-29T00:12:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T05:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=139650"},"modified":"2023-12-28T21:22:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T02:22:41","slug":"u-michigan-creates-new-research-institute-to-combat-antisemitism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/u-michigan-creates-new-research-institute-to-combat-antisemitism\/","title":{"rendered":"U. Michigan creates new research institute to combat antisemitism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Action comes after Oct. 7 Hamas attack, antisemitism spike on college campuses<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the wake of startling antisemitic displays on college campuses nationwide, the University of Michigan is establishing the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to combat such behavior and promote religious diversity.<\/p>\n

The institute, which the university announced earlier this month, will explore \u201cwhy antisemitism is so prevalent in this country \u2013 and has been, not just in this country, but across the world … for 6,000 years,\u201d former U.S. Ambassador Ronald Weiser, who sits on the UM Board of Regents, told The College Fix<\/em> in a phone interview last week.<\/p>\n

Focused on education and research, the institute will be located on the Ann Arbor campus and will leverage UM \u201cresearch and scholarship around global antisemitism and divisiveness,\u201d according to a Dec. 7 announcement<\/a> from the university. UM spokesman Kim Broekhuizen declined to comment on the project but directed The Fix<\/em> to the announcement.<\/p>\n

The institute is \u201cpart of a university-wide effort to combat antisemitism and support religious diversity and inclusion on campus,\u201d according to the statement.<\/p>\n

Weiser, a UM alumnus and a leading supporter of the project, said he hopes the forthcoming research will uncover why the \u201cconflict in Israel and Palestine brought out more overtly\u201d the antisemitism on college campuses in recent months.<\/p>\n

The institute\u2019s namesake, Raoul Wallenberg (pictured<\/em>), was a Swedish diplomat who saved approximately 100,000 people from the Nazis during the Holocaust, according to the university website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This humanitarian feat was accomplished at the \u201crisk of his own life,\u201d Weiser said.<\/p>\n

He also noted that Wallenberg graduated from the University of Michigan, another factor in the institute’s naming.<\/p>\n

According to an article<\/a> in The Detroit News<\/em>, \u201chalf of the funding\u201d for the institute \u201cis coming from private donors, led by UM Trustee Ron Weiser.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what motivated his involvement, Weiser told The Fix<\/em>, \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the upheaval on the college campuses, and I think much of it is based upon misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if pro-Palestinian protests at UM were a factor in the institute\u2019s founding, Weiser said he believes the demonstrations \u201cbrought to the surface, probably, antisemitism that existed; but it became much more overt because of those protests.\u201d<\/p>\n

During one protest in November, pro-Palestinian students entered a UM administrative building and refused to leave, FOX 2 Detroit<\/em> reported<\/a>. Many in the crowd chanted \u201cFrom the river to the sea\u201d and \u201cFree Palestine,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Weiser said he thinks education is vital to the solution.<\/p>\n

He said he, his fellow regents, and University President Santa Ono \u201cagreed that having education about these issues was going to greatly enhance the ability of our Jewish population on the campus to be able to live there effectively and have better relationships\u201d with other students.<\/p>\n

To highlight the power of education, Weiser referred to a Dec. 5 op-ed written by Ron Hassner, a professor of political science at the University of California Berkeley, about college students\u2019 understanding of the Israel-Hamas conflict.<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal<\/em> piece<\/a>, \u201cFrom Which River to Which Sea,\u201d highlighted the findings of a recent poll of 250 students from \u201ca variety of backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if they support \u201cFrom the river to the sea,\u201d which many Jews consider to be a genocidal chant calling for the eradication of Israel and its inhabitants, 33% of students supported it \u201centhusiastically,\u201d while 53% supported it \u201cto a lesser extent,\u201d the poll found.<\/p>\n

Yet, when asked to name the river and sea in question, only 47% of those in favor of the slogan could do so, according to the poll.<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 opinions radically shifted after they were shown a map of the region. According to an article<\/a> by The Fix<\/em>, this visual allowed them to understand that \u201ca Palestinian state would stretch from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, leaving no room for Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, nearly 68 percent altered their original perspective and opposed the slogan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the same thing that you see in Mr. Hassner\u2019s op-ed happens\u201d at the University of Michigan as a result of the new institute, he told The Fix<\/em>. \u201cThat\u2019s what universities are for … to teach people how to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think kids especially, the future leaders of our country, have to at least know the facts before they start acting out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Those who neglect facts and favor misinformation are not \u201cthe kinds of people that are going to be the leaders of the country, I hope, in the future,\u201d Weiser said.<\/p>\n

The Fix<\/em> also contacted the UM student-led organizations Palestinian Empowerment Foundation, J Street U, Students Allied for Freedom & Equality, the Arab-Jewish Alliance, Chabad House, and Michigan Hillel twice in the past two weeks but did not receive any responses.<\/p>\n

MORE: From arson to death threats: The 10 worst acts of campus antisemitism in 2023<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

IMAGE: University of Michigan<\/p>\n

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