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University of Michigan President Professor Santa Ono announced that, in response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus and calls to divest from Israel, the university has instead increased its investments in Israeli institutions.
Since Hamas’ October 7 terror attack, the University of Michigan has become one of the epicenters of anti-Israel protests in the U.S., fueled in part by the state’s large Arab and Muslim student population. Over the past year, the campus has seen numerous, sometimes violent, demonstrations demanding that the university sever ties with Israeli institutions. On the one-year anniversary of the massacre, anti-Israel graffiti was sprayed on the homes of senior university officials, including President Ono and Provost Dr. Laurie McCauley.
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupt the University of Michigan graduation ceremony
(Photo: Yaron Zefadia)
In a separate incident, the car of the wife of Jewish trustee Jordan Acker — who oversees the university’s investment portfolio — was vandalized, and foul-smelling liquid was poured inside their home.
According to Ono, these personal attacks against him and other university leaders only strengthened their resolve to deepen ties with Israeli academic institutions. “The real problem on our campus is antisemitism,” Ono said. “We are committed to creating an environment where every student can study without fear of persecution.”
The University of Michigan, one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the U.S., and currently home to Israeli-American basketball player Danny Wolf, has long-standing partnerships with Israeli academic institutions. Over the years, it has funded 60 joint projects with the Technion and Weizmann Institute. The university’s Board of Regents has consistently rejected calls to boycott Israel or divest from it, stating that the management of its $17.9 billion endowment is guided by financial, not political, considerations.
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Graffiti sprayed on car of the wife of Jewish trustee Jordan Acker
(Photo: From social media)
“My response, and that of my leadership team, to calls to boycott Israel and cut investments was not to pull back — but to strengthen our collaboration and invest even more,” Ono declared at the Anti-Defamation League “Never is Now” conference earlier this month. “We’ve increased our funding, and the benefits from those relationships are already apparent — and will continue to grow. Great things have come from these partnerships, and even greater things are ahead. I see BDS as antisemitism, plain and simple. It is a movement aimed at severing international academic connections, not promoting peace. We are here to ensure our core mission — education and research — continues without disruption.”
The university’s decision to increase its investments in Israel comes amid a wave of protests on campus, including allegations of harassment and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students. The U.S. Department of Education has placed the University of Michigan among 60 higher education institutions under review for “potential enforcement actions” if antisemitism on campus is not addressed.
Ono was among the first university presidents to call in police to dismantle protest encampments on campus, citing safety concerns over potential fires. Following the police raid, which resulted in the arrest of 11 students, Ono became a primary target of ongoing demonstrations, with protesters claiming he used “safety” as a pretext to suppress free speech.
Ono’s actions have drawn strong support from Michigan’s Jewish community. “President Ono’s leadership proves his commitment to the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students on campus,” said Rabbi Davey Rosen, executive director of Michigan Hillel. Rabbi Asher Lopatin, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ann Arbor, also praised Ono: “Every university in the world should do this — foster collaboration between researchers from different countries to tackle global challenges like cancer and climate change.”
As expected, not everyone supports Ono’s stance. Progressive U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American from Detroit, sent Ono an angry letter accusing him of pushing a political agenda and participating in what she called an “extremist” organization that spreads “racist disinformation.” Tlaib questioned how Ono’s actions align with the university’s new policy of institutional neutrality on political matters.
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U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American from Detroit
(Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP)
Pro-Palestinian student groups on campus have also criticized Ono, accusing him of “silencing voices opposed to the Israeli occupation.” Professor Lila Kawar, vice president of the university’s faculty union, said Michigan has a “dark history” of censorship dating back to the McCarthy era. “President Ono’s troubling remarks show a lack of sensitivity to historical precedent and are leading us in the wrong direction,” she said.
The campus chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace went so far as to accuse Ono of antisemitism. “The university is silencing Jewish students who do not align with its narrative — that’s antisemitic,” the group said in a statement. “Perpetuating the idea that the Jewish community is monolithic is also antisemitic. The White House and university leadership are exploiting Jewish identity and weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to maintain American imperialism.”