Jewish Fraternity Shut Down At University of Michigan
Sigma Alpha Mu, the historically Jewish fraternity known as Sammy, is shutting down its University of Michigan chapter in the aftermath of an incident that resulted in criminal charges against its president.
The Ann Arbor chapter’s president, Joshua Kaplan, and Zachary Levin, both 19, are facing misdemeanor charges for allowing drug and alcohol use by minors at a weekend party in January at a Michigan ski area. The wilding at Treetops Resort left 45 hotel rooms trashed and $430,000 worth of damage and legal fees, according to CBS Detroit. A third fraternity member was charged with a felony, malicious destruction of a building, according to the report.
Sigma Alpha Mu’s international board voted last week to shut down the chapter, and the University of Michigan called the students’ behavior “reprehensible.” A lawyer for Kaplan and Levin told CBS that his clients were involved only in planning the weekend, not committing the vandalism themselves. The students have been ordered to pay restitution to the hotel and the city in which it is located, Gaylord.
Otsego County prosecutor Michael Rola said more charges are likely, according to the report.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!