Ongoing efforts by pro-Palestinian activists demanding the University of Michigan divest from Israel not only failed — but in fact the public institution has spent more in Israel over the last year and a half.
The Detroit News reported on the trend Monday, citing comments President Santa Ono told the Anti-Defamation League earlier this month in which he touted UM’s longstanding relationships with Israeli universities and co-funding of 60 projects with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Weizmann Institute of Science.
“My response, and the board’s response, to this whole to divest, or cut those relationships, was to actually invest even more,” Ono reportedly said. “[G]reat things have come out of these relationships and more things will come in the future.”
The News also reported Ono took credit for derailing student-led referendums for divestment and called the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement “antisemitic,” adding:
Ono’s remarks came after pro-Palestinian activists at UM and universities across the country disrupted ceremonies, staged protests and set up encampments to pressure universities to divest from Israel in the past 18 months. They followed Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that led to 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of about 250 individuals. An Israeli counterattack on Gaza left tens of thousands of people dead and an estimated $18.5 billion in infrastructure damage before a ceasefire was reached in January. …
The UM president’s comments also were made one week before the U.S. Department of Education said the Ann Arbor university is among 60 higher education institutions warned of “potential enforcement actions” if Jewish students are not protected on campus.
Ono’s thoughts made many in the Jewish community hopeful.
“President Ono speaking at the ADL Never is Now conference continued to demonstrate his desire to have a campus that is welcoming to Jewish students and for all students,” said Rabbi Davey Rosen, CEO of Michigan Hillel, which serves UM’s Jewish students. “For months now, since last summer, he has publicly acknowledged the problems of antisemitism on campus and demonstrates his commitment to make change.”
Ono’s comments sparked both praise and condemnation from observers. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, wrote in a letter to Ono on March 10 that his stance appeared to violated the school’s relatively new institutional neutrality policy, the News reported.
“Does this speech-suppressing policy only apply to people who speak out against genocide? Will you be holding other university leaders to a different standard than you hold yourself,” the letter stated.
However, the News reported that UM Regent Sarah Hubbard “attended the conference and said Ono’s decision to speak about how UM is addressing antisemitism ‘says a lot about his interest in supporting Jewish students on our campus and is a place where they feel comfortable, as should everyone who is on our campus.'”
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: People hoist Israeli flags; Steve Sanchez Photos, Shutterstock
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