Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are on the rise. Why has liberalism failed to confront these evil? Join Professor Ruth Wisse for a 4-part series on the liberal betrayal of the Jews.
In Israel, America, and around the world, Jews face threats to their physical existence in ways they haven’t for decades. What is the cause of this rise in anti-Jewish politics? And why are so many liberals—people who normally fight any form of hate—indifferent to it, or worse, actively supporting it? In this special four-part lecture series, Dr. Ruth Wisse will explore how it is that Western liberalism has failed the Jews.
By signing up for this series, you’ll learn about:
- How and why anti-Semitism has exploded in so many liberal societies.
- The role of Israel in the mind of the Western liberal, and why it is the lynchpin for so much anti-Semitic hatred.
- The dark side of Holocaust education, which in the West has been so universalized that in some places it is almost unrecognizable.
- A new way for Jews to conceive of their role and goals in Western political life
This lecture series was originally sponsored by by Zach Fasman and Andrea Udoff.
1.Can Liberals Confront Anti-Semitism?
For centuries, Jews have put their faith in liberal ideas of progress, toleration, and secular democracy. But what if this liberal faith has failed? Ruth Wisse will diagnose the state of Jewish politics in the modern age.
2. The Dark Side of Holocaust Education
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and educational programs like “Facing History” were intended to act as a deterrent against anti-Jewish aggression: “Never Again.” Was this a realistic expectation? Was retelling the Nazi annihilation of one-third of the Jewish people expected to inspire confidence in the Jews or in Judaism? With anti-Semitism on the rise—and with Jewish identity and commitment among many Diaspora Jews in decline—we need to ask whether the emphasis on Holocaust education bears any responsibility. And with so much Holocaust education now focused on treating every form of national pride or particularism as the seed of hatred—all in the name of liberal pluralism—we need to ask: Has Holocaust education been turned against the Jews?
3. Equality and Excellence: Can They Coexist?
When Asian students sued Harvard University over an admissions policy that discriminated against them, many compared this to the anti-Jewish quotas of the 1920s and 1930s. Not quite. Whereas the earlier bigotry against Jews (and others) was driven by prejudice against certain minorities, the present bias is the result of affirmative action that tries to benefit the allegedly disadvantaged. Whatever the intentions, the result is a new form of discrimination against high-achieving sub-cultures and a corresponding devaluing of human excellence as a civilizational standard and ideal. Jews are often treated as the new emblems of “white privilege,” and successful Jews often feel guilty about the very success in America that their own liberal children now take all too easily for granted.
4. The Meaning of Jewish Exceptionalism
The ultimate judge of Jewish exceptionalism—and of the enduring value of Jewish civilization—is the Divine Source that inspired it. But for Jewish civilization to continue—and to flourish—every generation has to reinforce Jewish ideas and Jewish values in its own language, rituals, schools, and books. The imperative for Jewish cultural self-confidence is only more powerful when the Jewish people is denigrated by its adversaries and unjustly targeted for blame. Having come to play an outsized role in the international arena, Jews should embrace their exceptional role in human history and courageously accept what this requires of them. The actions of American Jews and Jewish Israelis matter beyond their borders. The world seems to get this, for better and for worse. So should the Jews themselves.