Antisemitism in Focus: Looking Deeper Before and After 10/7

Monday, Jan 1, 2024

Step beyond accusations and headlines and engage with insights from leading voices on antisemitism across academic fields of history, sociology, education, and more. While recent events raise concerns about antisemitism, these lectures aims to provide nuanced insights.

Join us in deciphering the complex dynamics of Jewish life at universities and beyond; a unique opportunity to foster understanding and engage in dialogue. Detailed descriptions of each lecture are available by clicking the event title.

The lineup below is that of two lecture series on which the Weitzman Museum has partnered. One series is produced by the Herbert D, Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania; the other is produced by the brand new Masters in Antisemitism Studies program at Gratz College. Scroll down to learn more, and to watch the recordings of programs you missed.


Jews and the University: Antisemitism, Admissions, Academic Freedom

The integration of Jews into the university is one of the great success stories of modern American culture and Jewish life. Penn was at the forefront of this success story, with the first Jewish Students’ Association formed here in 1924. But recent events at Penn and at other campuses have led to accusations that the university has been too tolerant of antisemitism and become less welcoming to Jews.

This series of free online lectures, produced by the Herbert D Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, made possible by a grant from the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, is an effort to share insights from history, sociology, education studies, and other fields that can help put the present moment into context and provide understanding far deeper than what social media conveys. The series is presented in partnership with the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

Tuesday, January 23 | PENN Hillel, 7 pm ET
On Antisemitism and Education with Dara Horn
FREE | Registration Required

Event Date Passed – Recording Not Available

Wednesday, February 7 | Live on Zoom, 12 pm ET
Past and Present: The Impact of Antisemitism on the Study of American Jewish History with Pam Nadell
FREE | Registration Required

Tuesday, February 13 | Live on Zoom, 12 pm ET
Antisemitism and Admissions at Stanford University with Ari Kelman
FREE | Registration Required

Wednesday, February 21 | Live on Zoom, 12 pm ET
Fun, But Free? Jewish Sororities and Acculturation with Shira Kohn
FREE | Registration Required

Tuesday, February 27 | Live on Zoom, 12 pm ET
Campus Free Speech After October 7 with Sigal Ben-Porath
FREE | Registration Required

Thursday, March 14 | Live on Zoom, 4 pm ET
Antisemitism in Elite College Admission: A Brief History
FREE | Registration Required


Antisemitism Lecture Series, Fellowship, and Masters Program

In conjunction with the launch of Gratz College’s M.A. in Antisemitism Studies and the Gratz-Weitzman Antisemitism Pedagogy Advisory Committee Fellowship, both institutions are excited to co-present a lecture series focused on issues around antisemitism today. Scroll down to learn more about the lecture series, the fellowship, and the masters program.

Monday, March 4 | Live on Zoom, 7pm ET
Unpacking the Link Between Conspiracies and Antisemitism
FREE | Registration Required

Tuesday, March 12 | Live on Zoom, 7pm ET
October 7th – Sexual Violence, Denial, and Defamation
FREE | Registration Required

Tuesday, April 2 | In Person at Gratz | Live on Zoom, 7pm ET
“Awake My People”: Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period
FREE | Registration Required

Click Here to Register

Thursday, April 18 | In Person at Gratz, 12 pm ET
What We Need to Know About Antisemitism After 10/7
$25 | Registration Required

Click Here to Register

Gratz – Weitzman Antisemitism Pedagogy Advisory Committee Fellowship. Fellowship finalists will be announced on March 15th and the program will launch in April. This partnership will advance both institutions’ mission to combat antisemitism through education, offering Gratz Graduate students who are also Middle and High School teachers the opportunity to pilot and co-author pieces of the Weitzman Museum’s groundbreaking national initiative: Stories That Shaped a Nation: Jewish Lives in America. Selected fellows will advise on changes and improvement based on student assessments and assist in writing pieces of a free curriculum that will be available on The Weitzman Museum’s website. Together, The Weitzman Museum and Gratz College will create content with  proven success in combating antisemitism, by teaching about the complex, joyful, and true histories of the Jewish people, the place of Israel within that history, and highlight the diversity within the Jewish people. Few institutions can both create and then immediately assess content at an advanced academic level, and this exciting partnership allows for just that – embracing the iterative nature of education and basing our content on real data.

Gratz College is launching America’s first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking degree will help fill the serious vacuum of antisemitism knowledge across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred in the U.S. Click here for More Information