One of the most divisive and toxic issues on college and university campuses today, focusing on Israel and Palestine, will bring author Kenneth S. Stern to the Amram Scholar Series on Sunday, March 21 at 5 pm via Zoom. Drawing from his book, The Conflict Over the Conflict, Stern discusses how this bitter debate – framed by charges of racism, terrorism, and colonialism – compromises academic freedom.

Some pro-Palestinian students call supporters of Israel’s right to exist racist and disrupt their events. Some pro-Israel students label pro-Palestine students terrorists, and the Jews among them traitors. Lawsuits are filed. Legislation is proposed. Faculty members are blacklisted and receive death threats, and the entire academic enterprise is threatened. How did we get here, and what can be done?

The director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, Stern spent 25 years as the American Jewish Committee’s expert on antisemitism and was the lead drafter of the landmark “Working Definition of Antisemitism.” An attorney and award-winning author, he has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States and testified before Congress.

Rather than shield students from complex ideas and problems, Stern says, they must be taught to wrestle with them, to think critically, and engage in constructive conversation. When our identity is fiercely connected to an issue of perceived social injustice, our ability to think rationally is inhibited. As we look forward with hope to a post-COVID return to campus life, it is essential to build skills to probe the Israel/Palestine conflict with mutual respect, despite diverse opinion.

This program will take place via Zoom. A link is provided upon RSVP.

RSVP Here

Click here to purchase this book through WHC’s Mitzvah Mall

Kenneth S. Stern comes to the Amram Scholar Series in participation with the Jewish Book Council.

About the Author:

Ken­neth S. Stern is the direc­tor of the Bard Cen­ter for the Study of Hate and an attor­ney and award-win­ning author. For twen­ty-five years, he was the Amer­i­can Jew­ish Com­mit­tee’s expert on anti­semitism, and he was also the lead drafter of the ​“Work­ing Def­i­n­i­tion of Anti­semitism.” He has argued before the Supreme Court of the Unit­ed States and tes­ti­fied before Con­gress, and he is a fre­quent guest on tele­vi­sion and radio. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wash­ing­ton Post, USA Today, and The For­ward.