Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/900775
8 November 16 • 2017 jn views I come from a family of big University of Michigan fans. My parents, both alumni, started tak- ing my sister and me to football games in Ann Arbor as toddlers. I have fond memories of pre- game lunches at Drake's and one particularly cold game day when my parents forgot to have us wear gloves. Growing up in an affluent Detroit-area suburb with a large Jewish community, my family belonged to a Conservative synagogue, but we were not observant at home nor were we actively involved in Jewish causes. However, I always felt a strong Jewish identity, which I developed further with a for- mative teen trip to Israel one summer. By the time I applied to colleges, the maize-and-blue blood had been cours- ing through my veins for too long to seriously consider attending any other school. As my dad put it, as I had the grades to get into such an excellent in-state school, it was hard to justify going elsewhere. On campus, my relationship with the Jewish community remained the same — connected, though not deeply involved. I had Jewish friends and joined a historically Jewish sorority, but I didn't feel compelled to partici- pate in Jewish life on campus; we had one another, and many of us had our own connection to Israel. In many ways, we took that all for granted. Everything changed during my junior year, in 1991, when the United States went to war with Iraq. There were anti-war rallies on campus, as well as students who supported the U.S. involvement in the Middle East. I was not politically active as a student, but I tried to make sense of the issues. When Iraq began to launch Scud missiles into Israel, I felt sad, helpless and scared. This beautiful homeland I had experienced a few years before was under attack. I watched TV foot- age of the missiles hitting Tel Aviv at night and civilians donning gas masks in shelters. Among them were fellow University of Michigan students study- ing abroad. War suddenly felt much closer to home, and my Jewish identity felt like something I needed to protect. Years later, after I received my mas- ter's in health services administration and business administration at the University of Michigan, my husband and I started our family in Chicago. Like my parents, we joined a syna- gogue and sent our three children to Jewish preschool. We took our first family trip to Israel, and I was so grateful to enjoy with my children Israel's beautiful land, food, history and people and, most of all, to feel a strong bond to this special place. As my and my family's relationship to Judaism and Israel grew stronger, I made my first significant investment in Israel bonds and started purchasing bonds as gifts for relatives' and friends' life cycle events. I also became a volun- teer lay leader for Israel Bonds and now serve as the chair of the Chicago Women's Division. Supporting Israel through Israel bonds is different than writing a check to support a nonprofit. Israel bonds are an investment for the security of Israel, as well as for my own financial portfolio. Since I've become more involved with Israel Bonds, anti-Israel activ- ism and anti-Semitism on college campuses have been on the rise. Two recent studies, one by researchers at Tel Aviv University and the other by the AMCHA Initiative, which tracks and works to oppose anti-Semitism on campus, both reported a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents last year, compared to the previous year. Reports of vandalism on and around Michigan's campus in 2017 have included incidences of spray- painted swastikas and phrases such as "Jews Die," as well as anti-Semitic imagery near the West Hall Arch and the C.C. Little building. These are places I walked by throughout my seven years on campus, without ever a feeling, let alone a fear, of such a threat to my Jewish identity. Clearly, today's college students live in a very different environment than I did. We cannot take support for Israel or the Jewish community for granted, as perhaps I or my parents did when I was in college. I've asked myself, how can I make a difference so students today, and soon, my own children, can rest assured that their university is doing everything it can to welcome and celebrate the Jewish community? The answer: I can buy Israel bonds. And in this case, I bought bonds and donated them to the University of Michigan. By purchasing Israel bonds for the University of Michigan, I am fulfilling my commitment to support my alma mater. This year, I made donations to each of the three U-M schools I gradu- ated from in the form of Israel bonds. I am proud to bolster the investment coffers of the university and invest in the State of Israel at the same time. Moreover, I am supporting the cre- ation of a connection between the University of Michigan and Israel. • Tracy Goode Loewenthal is a volunteer chair of Israel Bonds Chicago Women's Division. She earned a BA from the University of Michigan in 1992 and an MBA/MHSA in 1996. Tracy Goode Loewenthal guest column My Bond With U-M And Israel AIR DUCT CLEANING! BREATHE CLEAN AIR Schedule online at OriginalHagopian.com 1-800-HAGOPIAN (42 4 - 6742) SPECIAL OFFER! $ 100 OFF AIR DUCT CLEANING Must mention coupon when scheduling service. Some restrictions apply. EXPIRES 11/30/17 Hagopian's state-of-the-art Cyclone Vacuum System fi lters out contaminants so your family can breathe cleaner air – feel the Hagopian FKėGRGNEGĀ The Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit Jerry Herman is a legendary composer/ lyricist of the American musical theatre and one of Broadway's most beloved icons. From "Hello Dolly" and "Mame" to "Mack and Mabel" and "La Cage aux Follies," Herman's songs have lit up Broadway with toe-tapping, soul-stirring musical showstoppers. Now he's sharing his legacy with a new generation of music lovers. STARRING: Tony Award-winner Debbie Gravitte, Klea Blackhurst, Jason Graae, Scott Coulter and John Boswell. Presented in partnership with the ASCAP Foundation and Spot-On Entertainment. Saturday, December 9 | 8 p.m. Tickets: $39-$68