University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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I Middle East Conflict by chris albanese People congregate by the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem, jews came from all over the world to place notes in the wailing wall, many of which prayed for those affected by the violence that engulfed the nation in July, 2006. Photo courtesy Matt Koletsky features 79 1 1

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One of Hezbollah ' s headquarters sits atop a hill on the Lebanon side of the Israeli-Lebanese border. The northern border had been quiet for a long time before violence erupted again in July, 2006. J. Kalmus photo In the summer of 2006, a war broke out between Israel and Lebanon. An organization called Hezbollah, which controlled a fair number of seats in the Lebanese parliament, kidnapped two and killed several other Israeli soldiers. The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was in charge of the operation, and demanded an exchange of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel for the soldiers. Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister of I this as an act of war, not exclusively perpetrated by Hezbollah but by Lebanon itself, and demanded the unconditional return of the soldiers. The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fouad Siniora, denied knowledge of the kidnapping operation and did not condone it. What followed was a month-long war, during which both countries were devastated; schools, roads, apartments, and municipalities were destroyed in air attacks. The war ended in a cea c in August. At times, Lebanon was labeled a terrorist state, because it harbored organizations like Hamas, a group widely recognized as a terrorist organization, which controlled a majority of Palestine ' s parliamentary seats as of January 2006, and Hezbollah, respectively. Junior business major Fouad Hassan, who was also the president and founder of The Palestinian Students Association Hassan disagreed with the labels, saying, by way of example, I ' d never call Israel ' a terrorist state. ' But what is terrorism? Going into a country that ' s not your own and terrorizing its people? Others felt that Israel ' s actions in the war were defensive in nature, and that American support of Israel was necessary. Junior psychology major Andrew Bronstein offered, I believe in a nation ' s right to defend itself. It ' s really important that the United States supports Israel, because they ' re natural allies, by virtue of their commitment to democi Some students felt that many on campus did not fully grasp the conflict between the two countries. On what felt to many like an increasingly apathetic campus, it seemed like something as significant as a war during which thousands of hum; beings were killed and injured and more than a million were displaced, could go virtually unnoticed. However, student groups such as American Movement for Israel made the issues known and held many events to inform others of the situation and the history of the conflict. ! 78 middle east conflict

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Mott ' s Groundbreaking Health system leader Dr. Robert Kelch speaks at the groundbreaking. In her speech, University President, Mary Sue Coleman said, There is no more profound vocation at the University of Michigan than that of improving the health of children and women. S. Jerome photo mott ' s groundbreaking by zach gasior An important part of the University community was the hospital system. Perhaps the most important part of this system was the C.S. ' Ion Children ' s Hospital and Women ' s Hospital. The hospital, built in 1969, was essential to the community, but as the years went by, time began to take its toll on the building. In 2006, after standing proud for 37 years, it was time for a face-lift. I have greater affection for this place than just about anywhere, and as a Detroit native... I know how much building a new state- of-the-art children ' s hospital and women ' s hospital facility means to our community, said Dr. Robert Kelch. On October 6 th , 2006, the University Health System broke ground on the new Mott Children ' s and Women ' s Hospital facility. Upon completion, the facility would be 1.1 million square feet, and cost $523 million. Among those present for the groundbreaking were University President Mary Sue Coleman, Health System leader Dr. Robert Kelch, C.S. Mott Foundation President William White, Regents David Brandon and Laurie Carr, and other prominent figures from the community. There was a wide range of child t activities to keep everyone involved, including kite performances and a special art project. Each of the major players in the University and the Health System spoke to let everyone present know how important this event was to both the University, and children everywhere in need of help. There were countless donors for this project. Ernest and Kelly Sorini donated seven million dollars to create the Sorini Family Children ' s Medicine Center. Two million dollars was donated from the Brandon family to s r the Nick and Chris Brandon Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The University Health System itself set a goal to raise $75 million and had accumulated $50 million by the time of the groundbreaking. Along with these rooms within the facility, the new hospital would also include a nine-story clinic tower and a twelve-story inpatient tower. These two parts of the facility would house specialty services for newborns, children, and pregnant women that were not offered anywhere else in the state of Michigan. So many of our patients tell us that we give them hope. But without them, we would not be here today. They give us purpose, said Patricia Warner, Chief Administrative Officer of the hospital.