Jewish Students at University of Michigan, Shaken by Series of Attacks, Form Makeshift Security Service

In the wake of several violent attacks, members of the Jewish community at the University of Michigan are upping the ante and forming a makeshift security service to escort Jewish students across campus.“It’s honestly sad that we’re at this point where we have students who feel unsafe walking around on campus and we have to take these measures,” a master’s student and Ann Arbor native, Leo Gabaron, tells the Detroit Free Press. “But we just want the Jewish community to know that there are people here for you, we’re all here for you, and there’s no reason for students to not feel safe.”The Ann Arbor Jewish community was rocked last week when a 19-year-old Jewish student walking near campus was reportedly attacked by a group of men who asked him if he was Jewish.In a school-wide email, the university president, Santa Ono, condemned the attack, stating that “Antisemitism is in direct conflict with the university’s deeply held values of safety, respect, and inclusion, and has no place within our community.” The victim suffered minor injuries and the incident is currently being investigated as “ethnic intimidation.”The school was thrust into further turmoil after two more attacks involving Jewish students were reported over the weekend. The first altercation took place on Friday morning when a Jewish student was punched outside the home of members of a Jewish fraternity in an attack that landed him in the hospital with a concussion, a black eye, and five stitches. The second attack occurred the next day when a group returned to the scene and threw glass bottles at the house.Now, Mr. Gabaron and other students are organizing what they call a “Shmira,” a title commonly used by Jewish watch groups, which, when translated from Hebrew, means “watching” or “guarding.” The group, he told the Detroit Free press, is meant to help Jewish students feel safe and will be nonviolent. Mr. Gabaron has already met with university representatives and police to discuss the service and is hoping to rally together some 50-100 people to help escort Jewish students across campus.Further, the head of the Campus Hillel Center, Rabbi Davey Rosen, has been working with the university president to address the rise in antisemitism on campus. “He gets it deeply and all the more so in this moment, since there has been an attack, it can’t continue,” Rabbi Rosen told Fox 2 Detroit. “And they are taking it as seriously as someone can take it.”Jewish students on campus, he said, are “scared and concerned.” Rabbi Rosen has been helping students take precautions such as organizing “walking buddies” and offering Uber codes. Hillel is also putting together a self defense class program in response to interest from students. “We make sure the students know the university itself has a lot of resources,” Rabbi Rosen said.According to a statement from the university’s Jewish Resource Center, Michigan Hillel had confirmed with the local police that the initial attack was not related to the students identity.However, the victim of the first attack has suggested that the incident could have been driven by antisemitism. During an interview with 7 New Detroit, the victim, who asked not to be named, said he was trying to protect his female friends after a “group of four guys” started “harassing them.” When asked if the attack was motivated by antisemitism, the University of Michigan sophomore said, “I believe this one was. I can’t be definitive of that, but we are a known Jewish group, and they know that. It’s commonly known.”The University of Michigan has historically boasted a strong Jewish community. Including graduate and undergraduate students, about 6,500 Jewish students are enrolled at the school, making up roughly 14 percent of the student body.The police are still investigating the motive for both incidents. Meanwhile, university police have reportedly taken measures to increase patrols and deploy additional security services on campus.

Jewish Students at University of Michigan, Shaken by Series of Attacks, Form Makeshift Security Service

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