Antisemitism on Campus Series: Michael Lurie ‘21

By Marley Fischer ‘26
Alumnus Michael Lurie ‘21 is a sophomore at the University of Maryland. Lurie remains proud of and connected to his Jewish roots while navigating through a rise of antisemitism in college. 

While Lurie never personally experienced antisemitism at Maryland, he does know of events that have occurred at the university. Swastikas were drawn on buildings and fliers that criticized Zionism were passed out on campus which suggested that Jews control the world. Lurie, however, believes that Maryland handled these incidents extremely well and he is glad to be a part of a system that takes antisemitism seriously.
The anti-Zionism movement has even been peaceful at Maryland, according to Lurie. During the university’s Yom HaAtzmaut celebration, “there were students there [supporting] Justice for Palestine,” but were protesting strictly about Israel, not Jews themselves. “It was actually very respectful and very peaceful,” Lurie said.
    Lurie is heavily involved with the conservative movement on campus through Hillel and Chabad, having run and attended many Jewish life and Jewish union events.
When asked if he is ever afraid of people not accepting his Jewish values, Lurie responded, “not on campus, on campus I feel that it is a very accepting place and that is because we have such a large Jewish community.”
Going to a college with a large Jewish population was a critical factor in Lurie's college decision process, as it made the school a more comfortable place for him. However, beyond the campus grounds, Lurie feels more frightened about being accepted as a Jew.
“I put my Jewsh star necklace under my shirt for a reason… I am not always comfortable,” he explained.
Still, Lurie asserts that even though he sometimes feels uneasy about Jewish acceptance, he is not scared to share his belief. “I am not afraid to tell my professor that I cannot come to class because of a chag, and I am not afraid to tell a non-Jewish classmate about my practice,” he said.
    Transitioning from the small Golda Och community to a diverse college was challenging for Lurie, but the skills he learned from GOA helped him navigate through that period of change. It was very important for Lurie to find his own Jewish community like the one he had at Golda Och. “It is normal for me to be really close with classmates and really close with instructors,” he said.
While finding tight-knit relationships like ones at GOA was difficult at a college with thousands of students, Lurie was able to find his Jewish community quickly after having been surrounded by one his whole life. “I have always had a close group of friends, so approaching people was a lot easier,” he added.
Lurie has found a Jewish community at Maryland he feels comfortable with, and although hate crimes are an occasional fact of life at the University, he believes it is important to embrace every aspect of our identity.