Scholarly Conference to Explore Antisemitism

Posted on Feb. 9, 2016

The Carolina Center for Jewish Studies will host a three-day scholarly conference this spring to explore the historical and present-day resurgence of antisemitism in many parts of the world — including North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Reconsidering Antisemitism: Past and Present” will be presented April 10-12 at the William and Ida Friday Conference Center, featuring more than 15 leading scholars from throughout the U.S., France, Germany and Israel. The event will consist of two evening lectures and a series of in-depth panel discussions.

Stuart Eizenstat ’64, who has held senior U.S. government positions in three presidential administrations, will give the opening talk on April 10. James Carroll, author of 11 novels and eight works of nonfiction, will present the keynote lecture on April 11.

Panel discussions will focus on the origins of anti-Judaism, the struggle over the memory of the Holocaust, medieval to modern antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East, and conceptions of Jews in Europe and America. Highlights include a roundtable with journalists who cover antisemitism and a poster session featuring research by Carolina undergraduate students.

“This conference won’t solve the problem of antisemitism, but it is our belief that improved understanding and open discussion are the means to addressing the problem,” said Ruth von Bernuth, the center’s director. “Students will gain an understanding that goes far beyond what can be attained during classroom instruction. Community members will have the opportunity to stop and really consider what is going on in the world today. And members of the media and other professionals will gain insight into topics that can be difficult to address without any sense of history or scale.”

The conference schedule, updated event information and online registration can be found at jewishstudies.unc.edu. The conference is free and open to the public; due to limited seating, advance registration is required for the panel sessions.

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