The Raoul Wallenberg Institute at U-M will begin its annual moderated discussions series, the Samantha Woll Dialogues, with two events in September.

The first event, “Should Universities Adopt a Definition of Antisemitism?” is at 4 p.m. Sept. 9 in Rackham Amphitheater.

Following opening remarks from President Domenico Grasso, Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, and Kenneth Stern, director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, will join moderator Jeffrey Veidlinger, director of the Wallenberg Institute. 

The discussion will center around the implications of adopting formal definitions of antisemitism in academic settings and the differences between various definitions.

The second event, “Is Tolerance Enough?” is at 4 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Pendleton Room at the Michigan Union. Andrew Murphy, chair of U-M’s Department of Political Science and political science professor, and Amir Hussain, professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, will discuss the challenges of religious tolerance and interfaith engagement and explore ways of fostering deeper understanding, inclusion, and mutual respect within our pluralistic society. 

“The Samantha Woll Dialogues are genuine conversations between individuals with expertise in the field, demonstrating that disagreement doesn’t have to be divisive. The events aim to model productive and inclusive dialog for the audience,” Veidlinger said. “Our goal is not to debate winners or losers but to engage in meaningful exchanges that deepen insight and build community.”

The 2025-26 Samantha Woll Dialogues series will feature eight events primarily at the Rackham Amphitheater and the Michigan Union. All events are open to the public. The final event on April 14, “Is There a Path Forward? Two Views from the Gaza Border,” will conclude the series with a deeply personal dialogue between two individuals directly affected by the war in Gaza. 

The discussion will feature Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of a freed Israeli hostage and a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Kamal Almashharawi, a lawyer who spent months attempting to escape Gaza with his family. The discussion is at 4 p.m. in the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union. 

The Wallenberg Institute launched the dialog series in January 2025 to foster understanding and challenge assumptions, thoughtfully pairing speakers who bring different viewpoints from around the world and across fields of expertise and experience. The in-depth roundtable discussions invite scholars and practitioners to engage in productive, informative, and inclusive dialog about pressing religious and ethnic issues. 

The series has been newly named in memory of Jewish community leader and bridge-builder Samantha Woll, who embodied the Wallenberg Institute’s goal to show how people can come together across religious and cultural differences and engage in peaceful, respectful and meaningful dialogue. 

As founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit and the president of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit, Woll’s legacy in the Detroit metropolitan area extends beyond her faith, reflecting her values of tolerance, compassion, and humility.