PART ONE: Jewish student Michelle Aylyarov talks campus life post-Oct. 7, anti-semitism and finding middle ground amid divide – The Cauldron
In an interview with The Cauldron on Feb. 23, Michelle Aylyarov, biology major and secretary of Hillel at Cleveland State University, discussed Jewish student life amid the war unfolding in Israel and Palestine following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Comprising 2% of undergraduate enrollment according to Hillel International, the Jewish student community at CSU has felt a declining sense of security as anti-semitism skyrockets nationally and tensions rise regarding the war, according to Aylyarov.
“I think because this is one of those hot topics in the media, it brings a lot of fear to a lot of Jewish students because antisemitism has been on the rise for years.”
With Israel and Palestine hitting headlines on every level, even locally, Aylyarov attributes the circulation of “misinformation” as a leading factor in the rampant antisemitism that is making Jewish students around the world feel unsafe. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports record-high anti-semitism in 2022, as well as a 338% increase of antisemitism in the weeks following Oct. 7.
“Because a lot of our generation has just started learning things about the Middle East since Oct. 7, I think that that also muddies the waters a lot. Whereas, you know, there has been a clear history, and now, since the war has begun, the amount of misinformation that has come out has started to create more antisemitism.”
The ADL describes anti-semitism as “the marginalization and oppression of people who are Jewish, based on the belief in stereotypes, myths and disinformation about Jewish people, Judaism and Israel,” making certain distinctions between anti-Jewish hatred and criticism of Israel.
Since she was little, Aylyarov has understood the anti-Jewish hatred deeply entrenched in society. Hamas’ massacre on Oct. 7, however, hit the community with a harsh jolt, she shared.
“Since childhood, for all Jewish people, our families always say to us, ‘people will always hate the Jews.’ And you go, ‘no, no, I’m American, that’s not the case.’ Oct. 7 happens and you’re like, ‘oh, it’s true.’ You really feel like the world is against you over something that you have no control over. I have no control over the Israeli government. I live in America. I live here. My religion and my culture somehow gives people this idea that they understand me and that they understand what my mission is and what my goal is in life.”
Aylyarov, born to Tajikistani parents, described her own experience on Oct. 7, which “absolutely frightened” her:
“I woke up that morning, I looked at my phone and I was like, ‘what is happening?’ It’s normal for us to see rocket attacks in Israel—there’s apps that we have, and they let us know how many rockets are being sent into Israel, where they’re being sent from, it happens a lot. So when I woke up that morning and I opened my phone, and I saw what I saw– the videos coming out that were being posted on Telegram of what Hamas had done—it was genuinely the most frightening thing I’d ever seen.”
Having family in the surrounding area, Aylyarov and her dad immediately tried to call them.
“My family lives in Sderot, which is the city right next to Gaza. So my first thing was, ‘holy moly, I need to call them.’ So we call them. My dad and I are freaking out because literally anything could happen, you know? My family, they’re hiding in their bomb shelter. Because she lives in Sderot, [the bomb shelter] is her bedroom; from when the sirens go off, you have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter in that area…Her bedroom is their bomb shelter, lights are off, doors are locked, whispering. And we’re like, ‘What’s going on? Where’s the military?’ And they go, ‘Well, they’re here, because there’s terrorists in people’s homes and they don’t know if they have hostages in the homes.’”
Not only frightened, Aylyarov felt a physical reaction to the news.
“There’s like this cold sweat that hits you…This is genuinely the last thing I thought was gonna happen.”
Israel and Palestine: When did it begin?
Supporters of the Palestinian cause assert that Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack was not the beginning of violence in the region, specifically focusing on a problematic history of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Aylyarov looks at it differently.
“I think that this war did start on Oct. 7,” she said. “I don’t think that this conflict started on Oct. 7, and I think that’s a very important distinction.”
Hearing terms such as “resistance” and “freedom fighters” being used to describe Hamas, professes Aylyarov, hurts. She sees Hamas as a threat to both Israel and Palestine that does not have “any hopes for peace.”
That aside, she acknowledges the Palestinians’ right to resist.
“[Hamas is] classified as a terrorist organization by the United States government, by governments all across the world. And I think that that group having political power in the region over such a densely populated area of majority children is such a huge problem…Do I believe that [the Palestinians] have a right to resist? Of course I believe they do. I think everybody has that right, but I don’t think that [Hamas] is one that should represent the Palestinian cause.”
In the absence of Hamas, Aylarov believes in and supports the possibility of a two-state solution.
“The minute that [Hamas] is no longer in charge of the region, [we] can…work towards a two-state solution where everyone can hopefully live in peace and safety.”
CSU response to Oct. 7
In an open letter to the campus community sent on Oct. 13, days after Hamas’ attack, the University aligned itself with a joint statement by the United States and allied countries. The joint statement condemned Hamas and showed support for the “legitimate aspirations” of the Palestinian people.
Aylyarov calls the letter unbiased and comprehensive.
“I did feel it was a comprehensive statement. I absolutely did. I think because it came out right after Oct. 7, where 1,400 Jews were slaughtered, 234 people were taken hostage, I think it was absolutely a fine statement.”
However, she also says it didn’t touch her or make a difference, while adding that making a statement that satisfies everyone is a challenge.
“At the end of the day, that letter didn’t make a difference,” she said. “It didn’t change the outcome of the war. It didn’t change anything. It didn’t even make people feel less in danger. You still feel like you’re unsafe because right after Oct. 7 happened, you see parades happening, and you go, ‘Oh, I’m not safe.’ People are celebrating the deaths of my people and calling it a resistance.”
She shares a similar sentiment for the resolution passed by the CSU Student Government Association in November, which called for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid and release of hostages, among other conditions for university administration.
Aylyarov questions SGA’s choice to “insert themselves” into the war in such a way:
“If we come together as a community, we can all really do amazing things for each other. Calling for a ceasefire, though, doesn’t make a difference. I’m sure it feels great for students to hear it. And I’m sure that’s probably the reason why it was said.”
Ultimately, Aylyarov does not focus significant energy on what others have to say about Israel and Palestine.
“Something that I’ve noticed a lot from the Palestinian groups on campus is that it seems to be very important to make comments on things or to hear what these people’s opinions are on this. In my opinion, just me as a Jewish person, I don’t care. I don’t really care about what anybody else has to say, what this organization has to say. I don’t care what Starbucks has to say about the war. It doesn’t matter. Because [at the] end of the day, can we all have a little bit of humility…and have a little bit more humanity? People are dying in Gaza. There are hostages being held in Gaza. Israelis were attacked in their homes. This is a war that nobody wants. Let’s work towards building a community with one another.”
While Aylyarov understands the disappointment felt by Palestinians in response to CSU’s statement, she grapples with whether or not the University should release a follow-up statement in support of Palestinian students in light of the death toll in Gaza, which has since surpassed 30,000. This figure has been reported by AP News, New York Times, NPR, Al Jazeera and other news outlets.
As she emphasizes, this is a more nuanced conversation than that.
“I am…going to say that…what happens between Israel and Palestine is not a one-sided thing. I’m sure it’s easy to find lots of things that the Israeli government has done to Palestinians. It’s also very, very easy to find out what Palestinians have done to Israelis,” said Aylyarov. “There are websites out there that only track terrorist attacks that happen from the West Bank into Israel, you know? So to be like, ‘Okay, this is a one-sided thing.’ It’s not, it’s absolutely not. But at the same time, none of us are wrong to feel like that, you know? Because overall, we both feel victimized by different things.”
This is part one of The Cauldron’s conversation with Aylyarov. Part two will be available Monday, April 22.