If you were to describe the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan in the most capturing, descriptive words, which would you pick? I?ve actually heard people say, ?Liberal and accepting. You can be any color or shape and have any personality in Ann Arbor. Everything goes.? Unfortunately this fantasy island amidst the great state of Michigan does not really exist, and I will tell you why.
On the evening of Sunday, July 7th, I was walking up Church Street towards the scene of the concluding shows of the summer event known as ?Top of the Park.? I was talking on my cellular phone with my mother, when, out of a speeding car, came a yell. All I heard was ?? Jew.? Yes, I am a Jew and apparently I had done something wrong. As a religious person, and an observant Jew, I wear a yarmulke on my head, on campus and off. It is part of my wardrobe, if you will, that helps me to identify with my religion and remind me that there is always someone up there. The individuals in the car happened to notice it and decided to comment.
At that point, I was thinking to myself, ?Okay, this can?t be good.? I was alone and there were three anti-Semitic people clearly trying to start trouble with me. Stupidly, I carried on with my casual conversation on the phone with my mother, something I rarely get to do, being an out of state student. About a minute later, I realized that these crazed people, whom I thought were students, had turned around in the middle of the South University - Church Street intersection and were now following me up the road in their car. I then immediately thought of how to best to get off the phone with my mother. If she had known what was going on, she would have had a nervous breakdown.
She?s a foreign woman, born and raised in the so-called moderate country of Egypt, and, as you can imagine, she would be quite overprotective and nervous about her children. You see, all of her family?s belongings were stripped from them and their land confiscated for being Jewish. Even that relatively civil government of Egypt was anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Jews, even ones that worked in the government, were not treated well in Egypt. In my mother?s mind, however, I was always safe and out of danger in this Eden of Ann Arbor.
Wrong.
This last incident is already the third I have encountered of an ethnic slur or anti-Semitic remark made to me alone. I had never actually been assaulted or pursued, though, usually it has just been some Arab student that is taking the situation in the Middle East out on me. This time, I neither had an idea what the kids wanted nor what they were going to do to me, if anything. They just continued yelling out curses and asking me if I wanted to fight. I wasn?t raised to be a fighter, I didn?t even think that the situation would turn physical. I couldn?t think of anything convincing enough for my mom not to question, so I simply hung up and turned off my phone. Poor woman, the last thing I wanted to do was scare her.
As I continued walking, and subconsciously assessed the predicament I was in, a 20 oz. soda bottle came flying out of the racing car and hit me square in the lower back. As they drove by, they also yelled out, ?You stupid mother f---ing Jew, F--- you!? Sadly, I was almost used to hearing this come out of an ignorant mouth. No interest in my political views, no interest in what my customs or beliefs are, no opening for conversation - simply a blatantly hateful remark directed to somebody because of their religion.
There happened to be another person walking right behind me that witnessed the bottle hit me. As every Good Samaritan would, and as we all imagine he would, he stopped to make sure everything was okay, right? No. After all, what can the average citizen do? I was so surprised that he didn?t flinch or pause or at least see if he could help with anything. I thought to myself for just an instant, how do people walk around with so aloofly self-absorbed? If no one gets involved, who will help? That?s exactly what that type of response, or lack of response was, the neglect of a bystander to look outside his own two shoes for the ?better? of someone else. He was just the first.
While making sure to keep walking, I kept my cool and did not reply to any provocations the attackers made. Their car was came to be sitting across Church Street, directly across from the Department of Public Safety office, blocking all traffic. Again, I noticed a line of cars, waiting for this apparently normal event to pass and continue on their merry way. My assailants openly and loudly continued to remind me that I was Jewish - which I forgot to thank them for - until the driver and passenger seat occupant got out of the car with open palms ready to come after me. A third passenger sat in the back seat watching the entire thing.
This is the first and hopefully the only time I have ever feared for my life. Were they armed? Were they going to injure me? I had no idea. It all happened relatively quickly, so I still had my cell phone in hand. These juveniles, residents of Ann Arbor, driving around in Dad?s car, thought I was calling the cops. Thanks to them, that?s exactly what I did. As I called, I quickly glanced at the Michigan license plate of the car and committed it to memory, TQA 306. Scared out of their minds, as they should have been, they stopped coming at me and returned to the car. They sped away towards Washtenaw Avenue, with blaring music and horrible attitudes.
On the phone, I informed the AAPD of the assault and about thirty minutes later an officer showed up. She whipped out her notepad and I described the incident to her. Refusing to run the plate, she said she would ?get back to me if she heard anything.? Thanks for the help. I was frustrated and appalled that this kind of thing could happen, especially on a University campus that preaches diversity and acceptance.
There will never be any sort of lasting peace anywhere if there is no religious tolerance between the faiths. I don?t want to preach any morals or messages here; I simply want to inform the public of current, unacceptable events that occur daily within our own communities. This, however, would not be enough on my part or on yours. To know something happens and not to do anything about it is almost to say that you agree with it. If silence is agreement than the entire community, not just Jews, should be yelling their throats hoarse.
Recently, a Jew in Toronto celebrating his 49th birthday was stabbed to death outside a pizza parlor. The last words out of his murderer?s mouth, before driving the knife into the victim?s lower back was, ?He?s a rabbi.? This is yet another example, obviously with a more extreme result, of the type of anti-Semitism that goes on in North America, especially among young people. The war of anti-Semitism is not only abroad, it is very apparent here at home in the US, too. This war needs to be fought not only as a way to combat terrorism, but simply because it is unjust and unfair for someone to go through such awful and frightening incidents.
As a group of people, we need to be more vigilant than ever and keep in close touch at all times with our local and wider communities. We must work earnestly and diligently to apprehend, prosecute, and hopefully punish the perpetrators. The way must never be made easy for such sick criminals to threaten or attack anyone because of their religion, ethnicity, or disabilities.
More importantly, we must educate ourselves with the facts and relevant issues surrounding the Middle East to ensure that this never happens again. As an Egyptian Jew I have done that, and come up with some answers for myself. Have you? I am pleased to say that action was taken, after much effort to prosecute, and the two individuals that approached me are being charged with Ethnic Intimidation.
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Daniel Aghion is a student at the University of Michigan.
On the evening of Sunday, July 7th, I was walking up Church Street towards the scene of the concluding shows of the summer event known as ?Top of the Park.? I was talking on my cellular phone with my mother, when, out of a speeding car, came a yell. All I heard was ?? Jew.? Yes, I am a Jew and apparently I had done something wrong. As a religious person, and an observant Jew, I wear a yarmulke on my head, on campus and off. It is part of my wardrobe, if you will, that helps me to identify with my religion and remind me that there is always someone up there. The individuals in the car happened to notice it and decided to comment.
At that point, I was thinking to myself, ?Okay, this can?t be good.? I was alone and there were three anti-Semitic people clearly trying to start trouble with me. Stupidly, I carried on with my casual conversation on the phone with my mother, something I rarely get to do, being an out of state student. About a minute later, I realized that these crazed people, whom I thought were students, had turned around in the middle of the South University - Church Street intersection and were now following me up the road in their car. I then immediately thought of how to best to get off the phone with my mother. If she had known what was going on, she would have had a nervous breakdown.
She?s a foreign woman, born and raised in the so-called moderate country of Egypt, and, as you can imagine, she would be quite overprotective and nervous about her children. You see, all of her family?s belongings were stripped from them and their land confiscated for being Jewish. Even that relatively civil government of Egypt was anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Jews, even ones that worked in the government, were not treated well in Egypt. In my mother?s mind, however, I was always safe and out of danger in this Eden of Ann Arbor.
Wrong.
This last incident is already the third I have encountered of an ethnic slur or anti-Semitic remark made to me alone. I had never actually been assaulted or pursued, though, usually it has just been some Arab student that is taking the situation in the Middle East out on me. This time, I neither had an idea what the kids wanted nor what they were going to do to me, if anything. They just continued yelling out curses and asking me if I wanted to fight. I wasn?t raised to be a fighter, I didn?t even think that the situation would turn physical. I couldn?t think of anything convincing enough for my mom not to question, so I simply hung up and turned off my phone. Poor woman, the last thing I wanted to do was scare her.
As I continued walking, and subconsciously assessed the predicament I was in, a 20 oz. soda bottle came flying out of the racing car and hit me square in the lower back. As they drove by, they also yelled out, ?You stupid mother f---ing Jew, F--- you!? Sadly, I was almost used to hearing this come out of an ignorant mouth. No interest in my political views, no interest in what my customs or beliefs are, no opening for conversation - simply a blatantly hateful remark directed to somebody because of their religion.
There happened to be another person walking right behind me that witnessed the bottle hit me. As every Good Samaritan would, and as we all imagine he would, he stopped to make sure everything was okay, right? No. After all, what can the average citizen do? I was so surprised that he didn?t flinch or pause or at least see if he could help with anything. I thought to myself for just an instant, how do people walk around with so aloofly self-absorbed? If no one gets involved, who will help? That?s exactly what that type of response, or lack of response was, the neglect of a bystander to look outside his own two shoes for the ?better? of someone else. He was just the first.
While making sure to keep walking, I kept my cool and did not reply to any provocations the attackers made. Their car was came to be sitting across Church Street, directly across from the Department of Public Safety office, blocking all traffic. Again, I noticed a line of cars, waiting for this apparently normal event to pass and continue on their merry way. My assailants openly and loudly continued to remind me that I was Jewish - which I forgot to thank them for - until the driver and passenger seat occupant got out of the car with open palms ready to come after me. A third passenger sat in the back seat watching the entire thing.
This is the first and hopefully the only time I have ever feared for my life. Were they armed? Were they going to injure me? I had no idea. It all happened relatively quickly, so I still had my cell phone in hand. These juveniles, residents of Ann Arbor, driving around in Dad?s car, thought I was calling the cops. Thanks to them, that?s exactly what I did. As I called, I quickly glanced at the Michigan license plate of the car and committed it to memory, TQA 306. Scared out of their minds, as they should have been, they stopped coming at me and returned to the car. They sped away towards Washtenaw Avenue, with blaring music and horrible attitudes.
On the phone, I informed the AAPD of the assault and about thirty minutes later an officer showed up. She whipped out her notepad and I described the incident to her. Refusing to run the plate, she said she would ?get back to me if she heard anything.? Thanks for the help. I was frustrated and appalled that this kind of thing could happen, especially on a University campus that preaches diversity and acceptance.
There will never be any sort of lasting peace anywhere if there is no religious tolerance between the faiths. I don?t want to preach any morals or messages here; I simply want to inform the public of current, unacceptable events that occur daily within our own communities. This, however, would not be enough on my part or on yours. To know something happens and not to do anything about it is almost to say that you agree with it. If silence is agreement than the entire community, not just Jews, should be yelling their throats hoarse.
Recently, a Jew in Toronto celebrating his 49th birthday was stabbed to death outside a pizza parlor. The last words out of his murderer?s mouth, before driving the knife into the victim?s lower back was, ?He?s a rabbi.? This is yet another example, obviously with a more extreme result, of the type of anti-Semitism that goes on in North America, especially among young people. The war of anti-Semitism is not only abroad, it is very apparent here at home in the US, too. This war needs to be fought not only as a way to combat terrorism, but simply because it is unjust and unfair for someone to go through such awful and frightening incidents.
As a group of people, we need to be more vigilant than ever and keep in close touch at all times with our local and wider communities. We must work earnestly and diligently to apprehend, prosecute, and hopefully punish the perpetrators. The way must never be made easy for such sick criminals to threaten or attack anyone because of their religion, ethnicity, or disabilities.
More importantly, we must educate ourselves with the facts and relevant issues surrounding the Middle East to ensure that this never happens again. As an Egyptian Jew I have done that, and come up with some answers for myself. Have you? I am pleased to say that action was taken, after much effort to prosecute, and the two individuals that approached me are being charged with Ethnic Intimidation.
--------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Aghion is a student at the University of Michigan.