American Jews and Israel: From Love to Anguish
Emotion lies at the heart of all national movements, and Zionism is no exception. Historically, Zionism has been anchored in love, but in recent years that feeling has been darkened by trepidation and anguish, as the bases of the state of Israel and its position in the world appear to be tottering. This talk sets Israel’s current crises against the historical background of the overlapping, competing, and reinforcing emotions that have heretofore fueled the Zionist project.
Derek Penslar is the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History and the Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University. He has published a dozen books, including Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader (2020; German ed. 2022); and Zionism: An Emotional State (2023). He is currently writing a book titled The War for Palestine, 1947-1949: A Global History. He is a past president of the American Academy for Jewish Research, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an Honorary Fellow of St. Anne’s College, Oxford.
In person and on Zoom – https://hebrewseniorlife.zoom.us/my/rabbijim