|
Greetings!
We’re excited to invite you to an upcoming talk by Dr. Asher Kirchner.
In recent years, federal and provincial governments, universities and other institutions have been punishing individuals and groups that speak out against Israeli aggression and anti-Palestinian racism, claiming that such speech is antisemitic, and makes Jewish Canadians feel unsafe. The Bondi beach attack in Australia shows that violent hatred of Jews is a real danger. But can criticism of Israel ever cross the line into Jew-hatred? What exactly is antisemitism, and how can be combatted? Dr. Kirchner will argue that antisemitism is best understood as a form of racism (albeit with certain distinct features), akin to all other forms of racism, xenophobia, and LGBT-phobia, and commonly co-occurring with those other forms. It is effectively combatted by building solidarity between Jews and other marginalized groups and our allies. Punishing pro-Palestinian speech, on the other hand, actually feeds antisemitism, and endangers civil liberties for all of us
| 
