Dear University of Michigan Central Student Government,

As Jewish students at the University of Michigan, along with our allies, we are writing to express deep concern about Resolution 15-051, The Divest for Humanity Act. This resolution calls on the University to cut financial ties with companies connected to Israel. While this resolution claims to focus on humanitarian values, its consequences will foster a harmful environment for Jewish students on campus. 

This resolution, antisemitic in both its design and impact, will result in the isolation and marginalization of Jewish students and will deepen divisions across campus– undermining the university’s core values of inclusion, equity, diversity, and respect.

Our Experience on Campus

Being a Jewish student at the University of Michigan today means constantly being reminded that we are a small minority. What should be a place of academic excellence and inclusion has, for many of us, become an environment where expressing our Jewish identity can feel risky or unwelcome.

On an average day, walking through the Diag, we see antisemitic messages chalked on the pavement or written on posters. While phrases like “Globalize the Intifada” may seem like political slogans to some, to many Jewish students, these are chilling reminders of the violence that plagues Jews around the world. 

Just weeks ago, someone was caught on camera kicking the door of the Jewish Resource Center while shouting antisemitic slurs. This follows a pattern of past incidents targeting Jewish students on campus, which included the painting of multiple swastikas at Michigan Hillel. Discrimination also extends into our classrooms, spaces that should foster open dialogue and mutual respect. In one case, a professor offered extra credit for attending a pro-Palestine protest, forcing students to choose between their academic standing and their personal beliefs. In another, a GSI justified the atrocities of October 7th, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. These moments leave Jewish students feeling isolated, intimidated, and silenced.

This resolution targets Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, therefore inherently targeting Jews. This overlooks the fact that, for Jews, Israel is not merely a political entity, but a core part of our history, beliefs, and identity. 

If passed, the consequences of this resolution will be felt immediately by Jewish students on campus. It will further legitimize the growing hostility we already experience. 

The cumulative effect is clear: we will be further targeted, feel more unwelcome, and unsafe. Rather than feeling embraced by a university that promises inclusion, respect, and diversity, this resolution will make us feel like outsiders on our own campus.

Our Call to Action

This resolution silences us and excludes us. It disregards our identity and connection to Israel. The University of Michigan should be a place where all students are welcome, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or background. The University’s values of respect, inclusion, and diversity must extend to the Jewish community as well. 

The mission of the Central Student Government is to represent all students. We are asking you to keep this promise. Stand up for Jewish Students. Be our voice.

We urge the Central Student Government to reject Resolution 15-051. Instead, let’s focus on what truly matters– preserving a Michigan where every student belongs and can thrive.  

You are our elected voices on this campus. We call on you to use that voice to represent those who no longer feel heard.