Event
The term antisemitism invokes actions, arouses passions, and enflames debate. On April 7, 2024, the Jewish Studies Program of the University of Pennsylvania will host a scholarly symposium on the history, meanings, and responses to antisemitism in the past and present. Scholars will convene to discuss the ways in which the term itself has been and continues to be matter of powerful political contest, will explore the relationship between antizionism and antisemitism, and will consider Jewish responses to such challenges as agents of history in their own right.
Organized by the Jewish Studies Program in the School of Arts & Sciences. Co-sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, Penn Carey Law School, the Department of History, and the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.
Registration is required: Register here
Symposium Schedule
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Michael A. Fitts Auditorium, Penn Carey Law School
3501 Sansom Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104
10:00 AM Greetings
Joshua Teplitsky (University of Pennsylvania)
10:30 AM–12:00 PM Panel I: Defining the Terms
This panel tackles the central question: what is antisemitism? How has this question been answered in the past, and how should it be answered? What are the challenges with producing a definition, and what are the pitfalls of providing inaccurate definitions? The stakes include diagnoses of what antisemitism is and how one addresses it.
Chair: Rebecca Kobrin (Columbia University)
David Engel (New York University)
Jonathan Judaken (Washington University in St. Louis)
12:00–1:15 PM Lunch
1:15–2:45 PM Panel II: Historical Comparisons
The history of antisemitism and hatred of Jews is regrettably long. Yet, each moment is distinct in the forms, causes, and contexts. how can we make historical connections in a rigorous, careful and illuminating fashion? What similarities or differences might historians draw between the past and our present moment?
Chair: Lisa Leff (American University in Washington DC)
Sara Lipton (Stony Brook University)
David Feldman (Birkbeck University of London)
Karma Ben Johanan (Hebrew University in Jerusalem)
2:45–3:15 PM Coffee Break
3:15–4:45 PM Panel III: Antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israelism
Arguably the chief debate in the current political moment is: is anti Zionism antisemitism, when is anti Zionism antisemitism, and how does one differentiate between valid criticism of Israel and antisemitism? When are accusations of antisemitism used to silence valid criticism of Israel? And when might hostility to Israel and Israelis be something entirely new? Leading experts will address and contextualize these highly contested and fraught questions.
Chair: Benjamin Nathans (University of Pennsylvania)
Shaul Magid (Dartmouth)
Jonathan Karp (Binghamton University)