The University of Michigan (U-M) and New York University (NYU) are launching new institutes focused on the research and prevention of antisemitism.
The news comes amid years of in-creased incidents of antisemitism and a large spike in reports since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, as reported by ADL (formerly the Anti-Defamation League).
U-M is establishing the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, named for the Swedish humanitarian and businessman who saved thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust while serving as Sweden’s special envoy in German-occupied Budapest. Wallenberg issued protective passports and sheltered Jews in 1944. He graduated from U-M with a degree in architecture in 1935.
The institute will be housed in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, with collaboration extending throughout the university.
Plans for the project were revealed in early December at a Board of Regents meeting. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is working on complementary efforts to enhance religious inclusion and interfaith engagement across campus.
NYU is establishing the NYU Center for the Study of Antisemitism with support from a seven-figure donation. The center is expected to open in the fall of 2024, with a focus on cross-disciplinary research on historical and modern forms of antisemitism and its links to anti- Zionism and other forms of hate, discrimination, and extremism.
The center will house programs and training to educate against antisemitism and other forms of prejudice. An inaugural faculty advisory panel has been selected.
“This gift comes at just the right time.— at a moment that cries out for new study, new insights, and new solutions to combatting this age-old hatred,” said NYU President Linda Mills in a statement. “I look forward to applying the center’s findings on our campus and to sharing them with other colleges, universities, and communities.”
