Jewish student attacked from behind, spat on at University of Michigan

A Jewish university student was brutally attacked in Michigan amid a nationwide failure of university administrators to address antisemitism.

A 19-year-old University of Michigan (UM) student was attacked from behind by a group of men after saying he was Jewish, the Washington Examiner reported Sunday.

The victim said he was pushed to the ground, kicked and spat on. 

According to the Ann Arbor police report, the student did not require hospitalization. 

“We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crime detectives,” the department said on social media. “It is very early in the investigation and have limited information on the suspects.” 

The university also released a statement Monday denouncing antisemitism and the weekend assault. 

“We strongly condemn and denounce this act of violence and all antisemitic acts,” said UM President Santa Ono. “Antisemitism is in direct conflict with the university’s deeply held values of safety, respect and inclusion and has no place within our community.” 

Problems at the university, however, predate Hamas’ October 7 attack.  

In January 2023, anti-Israel protesters chanted slogans like, “Long live the Intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”  

“We’re outraged by the chants calling for a violent intifada and demanding ‘Zionists have got to go’ by SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine] at @UMich,” tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). “This is a direct call to violence and the university must investigate this as a possible violation of Jewish students’ rights.”  

ADL is a civil advocacy group that opposes antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.  

In March 2024, ADL again criticized UM for its inaction.  

When an anti-Israel protest interrupted an academic convocation and threatening posts were made on social media, ADL wrote, “These episodes are just the latest in a string of unanswered incidents of antisemitism on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. 

“At a time when antisemitism is snowballing on campus, colleges and universities have an obligation to protect Jewish students from intimidation, harassment, and violence,” Greenblatt continued. “The University of Michigan has failed to do so.”  

And the problem isn’t just in Michigan.  

Universities such as Harvard, UCLA, Columbia and NYU are dealing with increased levels of anti-Jewish hatred, and critics like ADL say they are being too tolerant with the offenders. 

As one Washington Post columnist observed, “There is no shortage of appalling moral cowardice or intellectual confusion about antisemitism and Israel on college campuses.”