The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy
Newsletter
Volume 6 No. 1
8 August 2014

 

LECTURES OF INTEREST

American Sociological Association (ASA) Annual Meeting
Saturday, August 16, 2014 @ 6:30pm
“Breaking a Post Modern Academic Taboo: The Urgency of Developing Contemporary Interdisciplinary Antisemitism Studies”
Location: Union Square 21, 4th Floor, Hilton Union Square, 333 O’Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Lead Discussant:         Dr. Charles Asher Small, ISGAP Director
Session Abstract:        This session provides an informal opportunity for particiapants to engage in discussion in regard to research and teaching on contemporary forms of antisemitism, with special attention to social policy implications.

 

ISGAP IN THE NEWS

Turkish Leader Doubles Down on Blaming Israel for Anti-Semitism (The Daily Beast) Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Israeli actions in Gaza ‘surpassed what Hitler did to them.’ Now he’s digging in deeper in a letter sent on his behalf to his biggest boosters in Congress. Click here to read this article by Eli Lake.

 

REPORTS 

The Kerry-Qatar Ceasefire Document: What it Says About American Strategy in the Middle East (Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies) Last week’s failed ceasefire proposal by John Kerry highlights the clash between the Obama administration’s approach to the Middle East, and the strategy preferred by Israel and other American allies in the region. Alas, US policy fails to distinguish between pragmatism and moderation, while evincing reduced support for its regional allies in favor of a less interventionist approach. This suggests an inability to discern between situations which require a conciliatory approach and those which require assertiveness. Click here to read this article by Dr. Jonathan Rynhold.

US-Qatar Alliance: Under Strain? (Foundation for Defense of Democracies) Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf petropower, is known to exert outsized influence in the Middle East. But between the war in Syria and the most recent conflict in Gaza, it may have pushed Washington too far.  Click here to read this article by David Andrew Weinberg.

Student Workers at the University of California Support Palestine: UAW 2865 Joint Council Prepares for Membership Vote on BDS (UC Student Workers Union) Click here to read this article by the UC Student Workers Union.

 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

ACADEMIA

The Muslim Right and the Anglo-American Left: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name (Tablet) An excerpt from ‘Double Bind’ questions the logic of ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ Click here to read this article by Meredith Tax.

NORTH AMERICA

What Was He Thinking? (Mosaic Magazine) By seeking reconciliation with Iran, Washington alienates its allies and contributes to ever greater mayhem in the Middle East. Click here to read this article by Michael Doran.

The Harper Doctrine: Why Canada’s prime minister supports Israel (Ottawa Citizen) On April 25, 2003, Stephen Harper appeared at a gathering of conservatives in Toronto brought together by the Civitas group. He was leader of the Canadian Alliance party, a thankless job with little likelihood he could knock the governing Liberals from their perch. But Harper’s speech that day, later reprinted in an essay, was remarkably prescient. For anyone who cared to notice, it revealed how he would one day turn Canadian foreign policy on its head and, perhaps most notably, make this country the world’s most fervent ally of Israel. Click here to read this article by Mark Kennedy.

MIDDLE EAST

Why Hamas is Still Holding Out (Israel National News) There are six differences between Israel and Hamas that have a role to play in addition to the bravery and initiative of the IDF. Click here to read this article by Dr. Mordechai Kedar.

Is Journalism Dead? (The Times of Israel) in the current war, international media coverage makes it appear to viewers as if every morning Israelis wake up and ask ourselves – how many Palestinian children shall we kill today? Click here to read this article by Izzy Lemberg.

EUROPE

Exodus: Why Europe’s Jews Are Fleeing Once Again (Newsweek)  The mob howled for vengeance, the missiles raining down on the synagogue walls as the worshippers huddled inside. It was a scene from Europe in the 1930s – except this was eastern Paris on the evening of July 13th, 2014. Click here to read this article by Adam LeBor.

Are the ‘sins’ of Israel visited on Europe’s Jews? (The Times of Israel) While maybe not at 1930s Germany levels, Europe is infected with an anti-Semitism that should be fled from since there is no cure, says leading scholar. Click her to read  this article by Amanda Borschel-Dan.

George Galloway declares Bradford ‘an Israel-free zone’ and warns away ‘Israeli tourists’ (The Independent) George Galloway claims to have “declared Bradford an Israel-free zone”, saying that he wants the city to reject all Israeli goods, services, academics – and even tourists. Click here to read this article by Adam Withnall.

ROMANIA

 Lampshade made of Holocaust victim’s skin sold for $26,800 (The Times of Israel) An unidentified individual from Targu Jiu, Romania, located 145 miles northwest of Bucharest, advertised the item and set the price, the Antena 1 news channel reported. Click here to read this article by the JTA.