On October 23, 2018, the Center for Middle East Studies, the Department of Religious Studies, and the Department of History hosted a public conversation on the potential implications of the expanded definition of anti-Semitism recently outlined by the U.S. Department of Education.

CMES Director Nader Hashemi moderated the discussion between Professors Andrea Stanton (Religious Studies), Jonathan Sciarcon (History and Judaic Studies), and Adam Rovner (English and Judaic Studies).

Background:

The U.S. Department of Education, in re-opening a 2011 discrimination case at Rutgers University, has outlined a new and controversial definition of anti-Semitism that is drawing support from pro-Israel groups and concern from critics who foresee violations of freedom of speech.

In his letter to the Zionist Organization of America, Kenneth Marcus outlined a definition of anti-Semitism that included “denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination” by, for example, “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by requiring of” Israel “a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

See the full New York Times report: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/us/politics/rutgers-jewish-education-civil-rights.html

See the full text of Marcus' letter:
https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/media/Rutgers%20Appeal.pdf