Michigan. The student government at the University of Michigan has impeached its President, Alifa Chowdhury and Vice President, Elias Atkinson after they were found guilty of dereliction of duty. The pair sought to shut down student government spending until the university agreed to anti-Israel divestment goals. The university declined to do so, and student groups were angered by the budget freeze. As the impeachment manager of the hearings Liam Reaser concluded: “Simply put, I think that the Court today sent a strong message that actions have consequences. It’s a real disappointment that the former President and Vice President thought it was appropriate to run for a position they had no intention of actually doing the work for.”

(Supporters of Chowdhury speak during a tense student government meeting. Source: Bridgette Bol, The Michigan Daily)

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MIT. A new faculty-led program to bring Israeli researchers to the Massachusetts Institute for Technology to collaborate, to train and to conduct research is now blooming, and even spreading to other universities that are also seeking to build deeper connections through academic work. The program is called Kalaniyot, named after a flower found along the Israel-Gaza border. As Or Hen, associate director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science at MIT, who co-founded MIT-Kalaniyot, explained, the program has been enthusiastically received in Israel, and added that “People have told us that, during a time of so much negativity, seeing such a top-tier academic program emerge feels like a breath of fresh air.”

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UCLA. An anti-Israel march at the University of California, Los Angeles violated the school’s Time, Place and Manner rules, according to the university’s police department. The march last weekend ended up at the UCLA Medical Plaza after blocking traffic at a street intersection, where the police cleared the protest from a stairwell. The organizing group, the Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement, posted on Instagram that "Billions of dollars flow freely from the pockets of Americans to the Zionist war machine. Make no mistake: we will teach them the true value of our lives."

(Source: Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement | Instagram)

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Hunter. Professor Leah Garrett, director of Hunter College’s Jewish Studies Center, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Hunter has not supported Jewish faculty and students sufficiently in the face of antisemitism on campus which has created what she terms a “hostile work environment.” In the lawsuit, Garrett lists a number of alarming incidents emerging from anti-Israel protests, and she alleges that the school did not take meaningful action. As she explained: “I was horrified and distraught to see that immediately after October 7, there was a pervasive and constant series of antisemitic incidents that my students, my faculty, and I had to endure.”

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Swarthmore. After a series of anti-Israel protests at Swarthmore College, 25 students face disciplinary action for alleged violation of school policies. A point of contention for several students in this group is that they are charged with “assault, endangerment or infliction of physical harm” after their use of a bullhorn that the school says happened “in extremely close proximity” to college staff and led to hearing damage and the need for medical treatment. As the students argue over whether the volume of their shouting into a bullhorn was dangerous, the school says it has gotten supporting medical evidence about the level of harm.

Deplaning and Training. Israel is currently welcoming dozens of pro-Israel college students from 30 schools in North America through an initiative to provide these activists with insights and tools to counter antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric on campus. As Romie Avivi Stuhl, a University of Oregon student on the trip observed, “for the past year, I’ve been fighting antisemitism on my campus and advocating for the release of hostages held in Gaza.” The sponsoring groups are Hasbara Fellowships and IsraelAmbassadors.com.

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Through A Different Lens. “Not having to worry about being blocked from the library or hearing “From the River to the Sea” echo across campus minutes before taking a final exam has made every day since graduation feel a little bit lighter,” observes recent college grad Emily Samuels. In addition to noticing this relief, she also notices that some of her fellow grads, who had been so outspokenly anti-Israel online while at school, seem to have toned down and moved on now that they’re no longer inside what she calls the “echo chamber of university life.” Samuels vows that she will not waver from speaking up in Jewish advocacy as she enters new stages of her life.

A Light Moment Each Night. Israeli Actress and influencer Noa Tishby and her high-profile friends are shining a light on the need to focus on unity, strength and resilience this Hanukkah. Each night she welcomes another star to join her, including Van Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis, Mayim Bialik, Cindy Crawford and Iliza Shlesinger. Jones, a CNN commentator who had never before taken part in a Hanukkah celebration, discussed commonalities between the Black and Jewish struggles through history, and he praised Jewish perseverance. He called for progress, saying: “There’s not enough darkness in the whole universe to black out the light from a single candle.”

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A Saar Point. The Israeli government has announced a $150 million boost in pro-Israel advocacy work. The new investment comes at the insistence of Gideon Saar and his New Hope party as they agreed to rejoin Israel’s governing coalition. While Saar has not yet provided details on where the budget will go, his initial statement calls for a focus on American college campuses. As Saar vowed, “I am determined to make a change. Every shekel devoted to this cause is an investment, not an expense, and will strengthen Israel and its standing in the world.”

• Students — how to take action, deal with antisemitism, and organize your community.
• Alumni — how to organize a sign-on letter, answer a fundraising request, or write a letter to a university president.
• Parents — write a letter about commencement, organize a dial day, or get help selecting a college for your student.
• Faculty and Staff — support for impacted faculty and staff, and guidance on how to discuss what constitutes antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and how to provide help to students and colleagues.
• Glossary of Commonly Used Antisemitic Phrases Heard at Protests.
• Campus Antisemitism Report Card — see the grade a college earned in this first-ever report card.
• Report an Antisemitic Incident.
• Are you a student or know one who needs legal help? Contact our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), run by ADL, Hillel, the Brandeis Center, and Gibson Dunn. Hundreds of incidents have been reported. You are not alone!

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