As leaders of the Hillel community, we are deeply disappointed and surprised to see the leadership of Central Student Government (CSG) issue a one-sided statement on the complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict, furthering divisiveness among students. Many students are extremely hurt by this statement and its inflammatory language that put the blame entirely on Israel. This one-sided statement was released while rockets were being launched into Israel, with no consideration of how Jewish students with a connection to Israel may be feeling. We are disheartened that Jewish students were not considered when writing and releasing this statement and that it ignored the deep connection felt between Jewish students and Israel. As a result, this statement ultimately made many Jewish students feel unseen and unrepresented by CSG.
As an organization, we aim to bring diverse voices forward to be heard and considered. CSG’s statement criticized organizations like ours, student groups we support, ideas we value, and programs that we offer our community and others, without any experience or communication with us. We welcome dialogue with the leadership of CSG to explain what we do and who we are, and share directly with them the impact of their words on Jewish students.
We aim to work towards greater understanding and communication between CSG and our Hillel, in hopes of all students on campus feeling less alienated and more included in the University of Michigan community.
We also want to thank all of the students who have reached out to us with your concerns. We are here for you. If you are seeking a space to discuss how you are feeling about this statement or the present situation in Israel, we encourage you to join iLEAD’s dialogue event.
Today, our hearts remain in the East as we follow the news of escalating violence with great concern and pray for peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
– The 2021 Hillel Undergraduate Governing Board