Antisemitism and Allyship: Assessing the Present, Imagining the Future

Antisemitism and Allyship: Assessing the Present, Imagining the Future

Monday and Tuesday, April 8 and 9
In Person at JTS 
3080 Broadway (at 122nd Street) 
New York City  

At this two-day convening, join us as scholars, religious leaders, and artists come together to discuss the timely topic of antisemitism and how best to respond to its threat. Given the choices for responding to antisemitism, we will explore the strategies that have proven most effective for combatting this hatred with a focus on allyship. Themes to be discussed include what does and doesn’t count as antisemitism, relations between Jews and non-Jews in historical context, the potential for allyship among religious faiths and communities (including interreligious dialogue as a key form of communication and connectivity), and the college campus as a site of division and potential alliance. In addition, we will feature artistic and literary responses to antisemitism as another means of creating a more tolerant society.

All sessions will be recorded.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

MONDAY, APRIL 8

9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Breakfast

9:45 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Welcome

HISTORY OF ANTISEMITISM

10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Case Studies in the History of Antisemitism

• Dr. Tamara Neuman (moderator), Director of Convenings, JTS
• Dr. Benjamin Gampel, JTS Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History
• Dr. Rebecca Kobrin, Russell and Bettina Knapp Associate Professor of American Jewish History at Columbia University
• Dr. Avinoam Patt, Inaugural Director of the Center for the Study of Antisemitism and Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies at NYU
• Dr. David Fishman, JTS Professor of Jewish History

11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch

12:45 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Rare Materials Presentation from the JTS Library

• Dr. David Kraemer, JTS Joseph and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics

RELIGION, FOR GOOD AND FOR BAD

1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Allyship is a Two-Way Street

• Rabbi Burt Visotzky (moderator), Nathan and Janet Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies Emeritus, JTS
• Rev. Dr. Dennis McManus, Professor of Dogmatics and Director of Spiritual Life, St. Patrick’s Seminary and University
• Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Associate Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS
• Rev. Dr. Lisa Jenkins Brown, Senior Pastor, St. Matthew’s Baptist Church
• Dr. Hussein Rashid, Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life, Harvard University

3:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Snack Break and Optional Eclipse Viewing

3:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
Religious Roots of Antisemitism

• Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, (moderator), Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, JTS
• Dr. Mary Boys, Skinner & McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology, Union Theological Seminary
• Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Holocaust, Genocide & Interfaith Education Center, Manhattan College

5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Dinner

7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Antisemitism and Free Speech on Campus: The Bernard G. Segal Memorial Lecture in Law and Ethics

• Dr. Sigal Ben-Porath, MRMJJ Presidential Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania
• David Schizer, J.D., Dean Emeritus and Harvey R. Miller Professor of Law & Economics at Columbia Law School

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

8:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Breakfast

9:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
Welcome

THE AMERICAN CONTEXT

9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Examining American Campuses

• Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky, Dean of Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies and Blanche and Romie Shapiro Professor of Bible, JTS
• Dr. Marat Grinberg, Professor of Russian and Humanities, Reed College
• Rabbi Yonah Hain, Campus Rabbi, Columbia / Barnard Hillel
• Dr. Shaul Kelner, Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt University

11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
The Impact of Antisemitism on American Jews

• Rabbi Gordon Tucker (chair), JTS Vice Chancellor or Religious Life and Engagement
• Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, JTS
• Dr. Pamela Nadell, Patrick Clenenden Chair in Women’s and Gender History and Director of Jewish Studies, American University

1:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Lunch

2:00 p.m. -2:45 p.m.
Student Roundtable: Antisemitism and Allyship

• Current List College students (Natan Rosenbaum, Eden Yadegar, Talia Levin and Daniel Caplan) will be in conversation with Claire Miller, JTS Rabbinical School student.

3:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Summation Address

• Ted Deutch, AJC Chief Executive Officer and Edward and Sandra Meyer Office of the CEO and former Congressman

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Snack Break

REPRESENTING AND RESPONDING TO FORMS OF ANTISEMITISM: CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND ALLYSHIP

4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Theatrical reading/conversation: The Gospel According to Chaim — Di psure loyt khaim

• Mikhl Yashinsky, Yiddish playwright
• Dr. Nahma Sandrow, translator, libbretist, and independent scholar

5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
Poetry reading and conversation

• Gzegorz Kwiatkowski, Polish Poet
• Professor Peter Constantine, Professor of Translation Studies, University of Connecticut

All sessions will be recorded and available afterwards.

Generous support for this convening provided by the Thomson Excellence Fund, Susanna Lachs Adler and Dean Adler, Mimi and Barry Alperin, Matt Furman and Judith Hecker, Michael and Rachel Judlowe, Alan Levine and Alison Newman, Lopatin Family Foundation, Len Wasserman and Abigail Moore. (As of April 3, 2024)

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