University of Michigan student assaulted by group after saying he was Jewish

A Jewish student at the University of Michigan (UoM) was assaulted in an alleged antisemitic incident on Sunday, according the UoM Hillel in a post on Facebook, the ADL and the University on Monday morning.

The student reported to the Ann Arbor police that a group of people had assaulted him after he had told them he was Jewish. 

The 19-year-old male student was allegedly thrown to the ground, kicked, and spat on, according to a WhatsApp broadcast on a local group.

The Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD) said in a statement that they were actively investigating a “bias-motivated assault that occurred on 9/15/24 at approximately 12:45 a.m in Hill Street and S. Forest.”

“The 19-year-old male victim reported he was walking when a group of males behind him asked if he was Jewish. When the victim said yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him. The suspects fled on foot.”

The victim was mildly wounded and did not need to go to hospital, the statement continued. He reported the incident to the AAPD.

AAPD Police Chief Andre C. Anderson said he had spoken to the UoM police (UMPD) and that there “is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation” in the city. 

“Our department stands against antisemitism,” he stated.

Rabbi Davey Rosen, the director of UoM Hillel, said that, in addition to the AAPD and UMPD, “through Hillel’s partnership with Jewish Community Security Inc, we are in regular communication with state and federal law enforcement.”

He added that Police Chief Anderson had called him following the incident to assure him “that the AAPD stands against antisemitism and an investigation is underway.”

President of UoM Santa Ono said the “safety of our campus community is our highest priority” and said the university stands “firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior.”

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Jonathan Greenblatt, said he was “horrified to learn of an alleged antisemitic assault on a Jewish @UMich student” in an X/Twitter post.

“We are grateful @A2Police  are investigating this as a hate crime.”

Greenblatt added that ADL will give $5000 to anyone providing information that could lead to an arrest or conviction of the suspects.

“There is no place for antisemitism or bigotry on our streets or on our campuses,” he added.

Jewish students make up around 14% of the student body at Michigan, numbering around 6,500, of which 5,000 are undergrads and 1,500 are graduate students, according to the UoM Hillel’s website. 

Previous incidents, investigations at UoM

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has previously investigated UoM for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finding Michigan failed to comply with Title VI in its handling of antisemitic incidents.

Of the 75 complaints of harassment investigated by the OCR, many of which include incidents of targeting Jewish students, few were handled by the university. 

OCR found “no evidence” that the university complied with Title VI requirements to investigate whether campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war created a “hostile environment” for students, faculty, and staff.

In one incident, the university rejected a Jewish student’s request for conflict resolution after the student said a graduate student instructor had harassed them on social media in October 2023. The university told the student that social media “is largely going to be protected as free speech,” according to the Office of Civil Rights report.