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Huntington Woods home of University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker targeted by vandals [1]
['Frank Witsil']
Date: 2024-12-10
Huntington Woods home of University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker targeted by vandals
Under the cover of darkness, vandals targeted University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker’s Huntington Woods home, spraying antisemitic graffiti on his car and smashing his front window with a jar of urine.
Acker called the incident a cowardly act of terrorism.
"I will not let fear win," he posted Monday on Instagram, along with a photo. "I call upon members of the Michigan community to publicly repudiate this vile antisemitic intimidation, and to offer full support to law enforcement to root out these bigots."
Protests and debates about American foreign policy and what public institutions, like U-M, should do with the money it invests have roiled the university after the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, and took hostages — and Israel retaliated.
The Huntington Woods incident, however, comes at a precarious time in Middle East peace talks and events.
News outlets report a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas that could end the war there and free the remaining hostages is advancing, and in Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah have called a truce.
Moreover, this weekend, American intelligence was caught off-guard when rebels toppled the Syrian government with ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia and his prime minister handed power.
Jordan, who is Jewish, said Monday's incident occurred in the "very early hours" of the morning while he, his wife, and three daughters were sleeping. They were awakened by the noise of broken glass, which frightened his eldest child.
The words "Divest and Free Palestine" were painted on the SUV.
Acker said it was the third time he had been targeted using "Klan-like tactics," a reference to the secretive Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, a far-right hate group that has threatened, harmed, and killed African Americans, Jews, and Catholics.
By one count, about 65% of the Huntington Woods identifies as Jewish. Local police, who are investigating, confirmed the incident in the Detroit suburb, noting that officers responded to calls to the house at about 2 a.m.
Television news reports said the jar that crashed through the window was full of urine, and a neighbor’s security video had recorded two people in hoodies who were slinking around the area.
U-M also issued a statement Monday, condemning "these criminal acts in the strongest possible terms," calling the graffiti "a clear act of antisemitic intimidation" and the actions "abhorrent."
The university also said that the incident was "unacceptable and will not be tolerated" and called upon "our community to come together in solidarity and to firmly reject all forms of bigotry and violence."
In early June, vandals spray-painted obscenities and anti-Israel graffiti across the entrance to the Goodman Acker law firm in Southfield, using wording that leaders of the firm said was antisemitic targeting Acker, the firm's senior partner.
Red and black paint covered the firm’s sign with phrases that included "Free Palestine," "Divest now," "F*** You Acker" and "UM Kills." The vandals also left red handprints on the doors.
The law firm's co-founder, Barry Goodman, termed the graffiti a “clear attempt to intimidate" Jews and supporters of Israel, saying pro-Palestinian protesters were welcome to peacefully stand on the sidewalk in front of the firm's offices "but not this."
Condemnations of that incident went as high as the governor's office, with Gretchen Whitmer asking Michiganders to "remain united in calling out hatred of any kind" and to "continue working together" for peace.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or
[email protected].
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[1] Url:
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2024/12/10/university-of-michigan-regent-jordan-acker-vandalized-huntington-woods/76885141007/
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