Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: Why the Confusion and Why it Matters

The Center for Jewish Studies is pleased to present this event in collaboration with the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the College of Liberal Arts.

Registration: https://events.tc.umn.edu/jewish-studies/event/19891-anti-zionism-and-antisemitism-why-the-confusion

Is anti-Zionism always antisemitism? Is it never antisemitism? What, actually, is “Zionism?” What if the anti-Zionists are themselves Jewish, does that matter? Do some powerful people seek to silence legitimate criticism of Israel by using the false charge of antisemitism? How is it possible to support the legitimate rights and needs of the Palestinian people in a context where some groups insist that all demonstrations of support for the Palestinian cause are ipso facto antisemitic? What are the responsibilities of universities to protect their students from hateful speech and treatment while simultaneously defending their core mission of supporting free inquiry and free expression? These are the sorts of difficult questions currently roiling higher education that this lecture and Q&A session will explore.

Eric Alterman is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism. He was the “The Liberal Media” columnist for The Nation, for 25 years and is now a columnist for The American Prospect. and the author of twelve books, including most recently We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel (2022). He has been a columnist for The Guardian, The Forward, Moment, MSNBC and Rolling Stone, and a contributor to The New Yorker and The Atlantic. Alterman is a former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the World Policy Institute and served on the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. He has been a media fellow at the Hoover Institute and a fellow of the Schusterman Foundation and the Society of American Historians. Alterman is also a winner of the George Orwell Prize, the Stephen Crane Literary Award and the Mirror Award for media criticism (twice). He graduated from Cornell (BA), Yale (MA) and Stanford (Ph.D).

This event is free and open to the public. Beverages will be provided, however, lunch will not be provided.

Bag Policy will be enforced.

Registration Instructions
Parking reservations will be available for this event at the East River Road Garage. To reserve a parking spot, please add your request to the comment/special instructions box when registering. We will follow up with instructions.
*Parking reservations are not available for students, faculty, or staff.