This article was produced as part of JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around the world to report on issues that affect their lives.
At a time of rising tension between Jews and Muslims over the war in Gaza, students at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan found a peaceful way to coexist: one pastry at a time.
In November 2023, the school’s Jewish Student Union partnered with the Muslim Student Association to hold a bake sale. The combined clubs sold baked goods to students outside the cafeteria, donating the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders. In total, they raised around $800 for the nonprofit.
“People weren’t sure if they wanted to talk about [the events of Oct. 7], but it was definitely something we all felt,” said senior Marina Silvergleit, the co-founder and co-president of the newly restarted JSU. “There was a group sense that we had to do something. Quite a few teachers commented to the JSU and the MSA that they were very moved by the joint effort, and that it was a beacon of hope to them.”
The collaboration came at a time of rising antisemitism in the U.S., as well as within the district, when tensions between Ann Arbor’s Muslim and Jewish communities were high. Last January, the Ann Arbor Public Schools board passed a resolution supporting a ceasefire in Gaza after a divisive vote. On the University of Michigan campus, just minutes away from Pioneer High School, protests on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have become the norm, with two simultaneous demonstrations held on the anniversary of Oct. 7.
Helping bring both sides together was a gratifying early accomplishment for the new Jewish Student Union, which has more than 20 members across grade levels. It’s not the first time Pioneer, the largest high school in the city, has had a JSU. The previous one fell off when classes went remote during the pandemic. In early 2023, a handful of energized students, including Silvergleit, stepped up and brought the club back to life. The club provides a safe community to Jewish students at the school, and forges connections with the wider student body.
“There was no centered place for Jewish students at Pioneer to meet and discuss things that may impact us as a group, and so I decided to create a space for that,” said Silvergleit. “Mostly, it’s a social time for people who are Jewish to talk about anything, just knowing that it’s through that shared lens.”
Jenna Saeed, co-president of the Muslim Student Association, said that collaborations like the November 2023 bake sale help to demonstrate that members of the Jewish community and Muslim community are standing together. “I think having bake sales where we’re coming together for the common good shows people that we’re all in the same community, we all want what’s best for the local community and the global community,” Saeed, a senior, said. “We’re all people, at the end of the day.”
Senior Arsalan Alavi, who co-leads the club with Saeed, sees the collaboration as a form of healing conversation. “With events like this we can open up that exchange of dialogue to get to know each other and really get a clear understanding of who everyone is instead of these preconceived notions that you might see in forms of media.”
Both clubs say they hope to combine forces again for more joint fundraisers in the future.
“Even in times of division, such polarizing times, we can find common ground, build bridges of understanding, and support one common cause,” Alavi said.
The JSU also provided a space for Jewish students post Oct. 7, like Evyatar Eliav, 18, a graduated member of the JSU who is now a freshman in college. “It helped to have a place where other people also had a stronger connection to what was going on, especially with people who had family/friends in Israel, just checking in and making sure they were okay is important,” said Eliav.
Having spaces for Jewish students to connect with one another is becoming increasingly important. More than 70% of Jewish high schoolers say that they have experienced antisemitic harassment or discrimination since Oct. 7, according to a study by BBYO.
That is part of what is so important about Jewish spaces in schools, Eliav said. He describes the JSU at Pioneer as “a place to celebrate Judaism in school with your peers, which is hard to do if you don’t go to Jewish camps in the summer or aren’t a super active member at synagogue or in the community.”
Pioneer’s Jewish Student Union is unaffiliated with NCSY, the Modern Orthodox organization that facilitates Jewish Student Unions at schools around the country, although it provides a similar service.
“People want to come together and have a community in a space where that’s not necessarily a given,” said Devora Simon, the director of NCSY’s Jewish Student Union program. Prior to Oct 7, she would receive 1-2 requests each month from students interested in starting Jewish Student Union clubs of their own. However, this past year, she’s been fielding 3-5 requests per week—sometimes even more.
“They’re not reaching out to start a club to combat antisemitism, they’re reaching out because, because of the antisemitism, there’s a lot more emphasis on gathering as a community and creating those spaces,” said Simon. NCSY as a whole has seen around a 30% increase in student involvement since Oct 7, she said.
Having a non-denominational, low-commitment space within school gives Jewish students affinity, organizers said. This translates into higher scores on their social, emotional and spiritual well-being, compared to those who are not, according to a 2019 study by the Jewish Education Project.
Club sponsor Melissa Bender sees the students benefiting from the solidarity the club provides, especially in the aftermath of Oct. 7. The club supports students, the science teacher said, by helping them to know “that they’re not alone.”
Silvergleit hopes the club will continue to thrive for years to come, representing the Jewish student body through celebrations of Jewish holidays, fundraisers and more. She emphasizes the importance of growing community and being united against the antisemitism going on in the world today. “As students, we see a path to a better future. We want a better future,” she said.
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