Wayne State University’s Jewish campus community is supported by the Hillel of Metro Detroit and the Chabad on Campus department of the Chabad of Greater Downtown Detroit.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In October 2023, a Jewish student was harassed and physically assaulted while painting an Israeli flag on a free speech rock, underscoring ongoing tensions on campus. The following month, Wayne State University's Hillel received an antisemitic email from a known offender.

Additionally, in November 2023, the Student Senate passed a BDS resolution urging the university to divest from various companies, including ones in Israel. Six student senators who had voted against the resolution wrote an open letter arguing that the resolution was outside the scope of the Senate’s operations and warning against the exclusionary impacts of BDS.

In April 2024, the Student Senate passed a resolution calling for Wayne State’s Police Department to break ties with the Israeli government, due to the department having received anti-terrorism and cultural sensitivity training in Israel.

In June 2024, police intervened to clear an anti-Israel encampment on campus, following safety and operational concerns.

In October 2024, one individual called a visibly Jewish man, "Yahud" and another asked, "Israel or Palestine?" on campus. That same month, stickers were placed on campus that read ’Zionism is terrorism not Judaism.’

University Policies and Responsive Action

In April 2022, the University published its Commitment to Education on Antisemitism which promised numerous educational offerings and announced that the University would be participating in Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative.

Since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, the Wayne State police have stationed an officer outside the campus Hillel during all operational hours, absorbing the overtime costs. In addition, the university has installed police cameras in and around Hillel and has implemented other security measures, all paid for by the university.

Following the encampment incident in 2024, President Espy circulated daily emails regarding the security measures and actions taken to maintain a safe environment for all students. The encampment was cleared in a coordinated effort involving campus police.

In response to the growing need for education and intervention in bias-related situations, the University hosted a seminar in November 2024 titled “Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitic Harassment,” facilitated by Right to Be. This seminar is part of a larger initiative to provide intervention training aimed at combating antisemitic, anti-Asian, and Islamophobic harassment.

ADL Michigan honored the University Hillel, Chabad and Dr. Howard Lupovitch from the Cohn-Haddow Center at its Walk Against Hate in Fall 2024.