Confronting Antisemitism on the Left
Facing a Challenge Within
A Progressive Scholars’ and Activists’ Conference on Anti-Semitism & The Left
Wyndham Newark Airport in Elizabeth NJ
Sat. March 25 – Mon. March 27, 2006
This event will:
- Bring together diverse activists from many parts of the Left who are concerned about anti-Semitism.
- Develop effective and responsible strategies for challenging anti-Semitism within our organizations and our political theories.
- Learn from one another about the history of anti-Semitism, about traditional stereotypes against Jews, and how we see those bigotries living within our psyches and in our current activist beliefs.
- Explore how national and international institutions, such as schools, government, the medical system, etc., reinforce anti-Semitism and Christian hegemony.
- Validate that non-Jewish allies’ concern about anti-Semitism is an essential Progressive issue.
- Develop the concept of coalition politics to include Jews among other oppressed peoples, counteracting the divide and conquer strategy that benefits larger forces of control.
- Examine our ideas about oppressed groups who are in conflict with one another, in order to show concern for the oppression of both.
- Strengthen the Left by learning to work with organizations primarily concerned with anti-Semitism.
Co-sponsored by Catalyst to Coalition, Berkeley CA and the National Coalition Building Institute, Washington, DC
For more information visit facingachallenge.com.
My guess is they’ll discuss and evaluate these issues for days…and then blame Israel.
I wholeheartedly agree that this area needs discussion. I may be a gentile, but I find it very irritating attending a peace rally only to be inundated by pro-Palestinian propaganda (knowing full well that they aren’t engaged in peaceful resistance). That being said, I do have a pet-peeve with the ADL. I do not think that the history of Nazi Germany should be off-limits. If we do not learn from history, are we not doomed to repeat it? I think we must constantly remind people of how the Nazis were allowed to get power. We know that, despite the terrible conditions post-WWI and the best efforts of the Nazis, the German people continued to re-elect a liberal social democratic majority up until the very end. However, when the fear-mongering and fervent nationalism were allowed to get out of control, people were convinced to give up their liberty for security. Checks and balances were thrown out and the authoritarians seized power. There are some very valid comparisons with current events which shouldn’t be suppressed from open discussion.