The University of Michigan’s student government voted 16-13 to pass a resolution accusing Israel of genocide and calling on the regents to probe whether the school is invested in companies connected to the Israeli government that are “antithetical to the core missions of the University of Michigan.”
Rabbi Davey Rosen, CEO of Michigan Hillel, told JNS that he is “deeply disappointed” in the student body’s vote. (JNS sought comment from the university.)
“The students who spoke against the resolution were courageous and inspiring,” Rosen said. “We want every Jewish student to know that Michigan Hillel is here for them.”
Meyer Cusnir, a junior at Michigan and part of the student government, told JNS that he and other pro-Israel students made the case that efforts to divest from Israel tend to lead to spikes in Jew-hatred on campus.
He said that the issue is personal to him and fellow students, who came to Michigan as freshmen just before Oct. 7. “We’ve seen how nothing has changed since Oct. 7, even through a ceasefire where everything’s supposedly getting calmer in the region,” he said. “It’s not getting calmer on college campuses.”
Cusnir told JNS that it was a double standard that members of the student government voted via anonymous ballot for their protection, given that the issue at hand caused Jewish students to fear for their safety.
“It’s very hypocritical that you voted for it when now your name will not be attached, but a Jewish student who wears a Magen David on campus is going to be attacked because of it,” he said.
Another junior at the school, Addison Stone, events coordinator for the campus Students Supporting Israel chapter, told JNS that the resolution was “performative activism,” given opposition to divestment from the school administration and regents.
At the beginning of the school year, she thought the campus climate was improving for Jewish students.
“Then legislation like this comes up in student government just when you think stuff might be getting better, and it starts everything all over again,” Stone said. “It sparks an antisemitic trend disguised as anti-Zionism.”
Eric Veal Jr., the student body president, vetoed the resolution on Nov. 21, stating that it has caused “profound divisiveness” among the campus.
“I cannot, in good conscience, take an action that knowingly invites a threat to the academic stability and personal safety of members of our community,” he said.
