ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is often celebrated as a hub of academic excellence but now it is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
It’s recently come to light that U of M hosted a lecture by a Jewish studies professor from San Francisco State University in November that devolved into chaos. Instead of fostering intellectual discourse, the event became a platform for about 10 protesters to heckle and intimidate the speaker with accusations of being a “Zionist.”
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According to the Jewish News of Northern California, professor Marc Dollinger, a tenured professor of Jewish studies, was there to give a lecture on American Jews and the Black Power movement of the 1960s based on the 2018 book he wrote titled, “Black Power, Jewish Politics.”
Civil rights talk derailed by misplaced Zionist protests.
The masked protestors, oddly enough, told Dollinger that he couldn’t “hide” because Zionism is a crime. Dollinger told Jewish News, “It’s kind of strange for them to yell about Zionism when my talk is about civil rights. It’s one thing if they were coming to debate the thesis of my book. But they weren’t. They were saying because you consider Zionism part of your Jewish identity, you should not be on the University of Michigan campus…That’s antisemitism.”
The incident highlights a troubling pattern of hostility toward Jewish people – and Jewish voices on campus.
Antisemitism on the U of M campus since 2023 attack on Israel.
At U of M, antisemitism has drawn significant attention this year, starting with a spring protest where students set up a tent encampment demanding an “intifada” and calling for the university to sever ties with Israel – a demonstration that became one of the nation’s longest, ending in arrests when dismantled.
Tensions escalated in September when a 19-year-old Jewish student was reportedly attacked near campus after being asked about his faith. In June, University Regent Mark Bernstein publicly condemned what he described as a “dangerous, deeply rooted culture of antisemitism” during a university meeting, highlighting the pervasive issue on campus.
Also in June, the U.S. Department of Education reported that the University of Michigan inadequately addressed 75 bias complaints – many involving anti-Jewish and anti-Arab bigotry – filed between August 2022 and February 2024.
Radical groups take credit for U of M disruption.
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A left-wing communist organization, the League of Revolutionary Students Washtenaw, and the anti- Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, claimed responsibility for disrupting Marc Dollinger’s recent talk at U of M. The groups posted a fiery statement on Instagram explaining their reasons for the
disruption, titled “Why We Disrupted Marc Dollinger’s Talk.” They said his “attempt to co-opt solidarity with the Black liberation struggle is not welcome on our campus” and called him a “progressive Zionist.”
The post included a photo of Dollinger with his eyes aggressively scribbled out, emphasizing their confrontational stance. Campus police were alerted to the situation, but the protesters had dispersed by the time they arrived.
The University’s response.
The Public Affairs Dept. of U of M issued a statement about the incident saying, “Shouting down speakers for any reason is unacceptable at the University of Michigan. It violates our academic mission and our commitment to free speech and diversity of thought. Doing so in a way that, in this case, targeted a person because of their Jewish identity is particularly abhorrent and will not be tolerated.”
The statement continued, “The university condemns all forms of discrimination, racism and bias in the strongest possible terms. The actions of the individuals who interrupted this event are a clear instance of antisemitism. The university is working to identify the perpetrators so they can be held accountable.”
