About Amherst Past Events

Bret Stephens, opinion columnist for The New York Times and senior contributor to NBC News, will be in conversation with Lawrence Douglas, the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought and LJST department chair. A noted commentator on foreign policy and domestic, domestic politics and cultural issues, Stephens serves as an opinion columnist at The New York Times, where he also engages in a celebrated weekly published conversation on current affairs with his colleague Gail Collins. He is the founding editor-in-chief of Sapir, a quarterly dedicated to exploring issues of Jewish concern, and he has previously worked as foreign-affairs columnist for The Wall Street Journal and as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. He is the author of America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder (2014). Among his many prizes and distinctions are the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor and three honorary doctorates.

Civil rights strategist Eric K. Ward spoke on why antisemitism forms the theoretical core of white nationalism. In his work, Ward argues that we must come to terms with the centrality of antisemitism to white nationalist ideology so that we can identify the fuel that White nationalist ideology uses to power its anti-Black racism, contempt of people of color and xenophobia.

What are the origins of the escalation of the current conflict between Hamas and Israel? What does each side want? And what might this mean for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider Middle East? The College is working on inviting preeminent speakers who focus on issues surrounding the Middle East, with varying perspectives and identities, to speak to our questions. The first is Ora Szekely, a Middle East scholar, researcher, lecturer and associate professor of political science at Clark University. Her research focuses on political violence and armed conflict in the Middle East, especially the role of nonstate military actors.

“Antisemitism and Binary Thinking: Campus Culture and the Future of Democracy” by Ken Stern, Director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate. His visit was sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. In addition to the campus keynote, Professor Stern met with Jewish students and hosted a training for Senior Staff as well as staff from ODEI and Student Affairs.

The Roots organization forwards collaboration and dialogue in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians. This Salon featured two Roots speakers, Sarah Mandel and Khalil Sayegh, and sharing their experiences of this work and the promise of its model. Hosted by the Center for Humanistic Inquiry and co-sponsored by the Center for Religious & Spiritual Life and the Center for Restorative Practices.

Deborah E. Lipstadt is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. Professor Lipstadt has published and taught about the Holocaust and antisemitism for close to 40 years, and was nominated by President Biden to be the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism abroad, with the rank of ambassador. Followed by a Q&A and conversation featuring and moderated by Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latin American and Latino Culture.