People on the political left once sympathized with Israel and Zionism. Today, many progressives and leftist radicals view Israel as a colonialist power, and see Zionism as an ideology of prejudice. How, when, and why did this happen, and what are its consequences?
These issues will be explored at “The Question of Zionism: A Symposium on the Left and its Relationship to Israel.” It is scheduled to be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Thursday, April 19, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
The event — sponsored by the university’s Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, with additional support from the Harvey Goldberg Center for the Study of Contemporary History — will feature three scholars of socialist history, theory, and politics:
• Mitchell Cohen of City University of New York, who will discuss “Does the Left Have a Zionist Problem?”
• Moishe Postone of the University of Chicago, who will discuss “Israel, the Left, and the Crisis of the Late 1960s.”
• Barbara Epstein of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who will discuss “Left Hostility to Israel: Sources, Consequences, and Alternatives.”
Also participating will be UW-Madison faculty members Tony Michels, who will deliver the opening remarks, and Chad Goldberg, who will moderate the concluding discussion.
The event will take place at UW-Madison’s Union South, 1308 W. Dayton St. It is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Center for Jewish Studies website or call 608-265-4763.
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