Jews and the Global Marketplace of Identity
Facing West Towards Jerusalem
South Side of the Holocaust
Shifting Sands and Dreams Jews and the Global Marketplace of Identity:
Where do we fit on the multicultural map?
From business to politics to entertainment, our world is increasingly filtered through a multicultural lens. Against this background, the bagels & cream cheese/neurotic New Yorker/White Man stereotype of the Jewish people is strikingly outdated. For Jewish concerns to have contemporary relevance, we must engage them with respect to our community’s global experience. Whether listening to Iraqi Jewish perspectives on the current Middle East crisis or celebrating Ethiopian Jewish heritage during Black History month, expanding our vision of Jewish identity roots us in our past and revitalizes our future. Most American Jews, however, have little or no exposure to Jewish life outside the Central and Eastern European model. So how can we suddenly switch to a global understanding of our people?
This keynote…
- traces how and why Judaism became homogenized over the past century
- identifies challenges to embracing Jewish Multiculturalism today
- provides a strategic action plan for transcending these barriers
- touches on the historical Jewish role as a bridge between nations
- explores the unity-diversity advantage of one Jewish people
- reveals our community's potential as multicultural ambassadors.
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Facing West Towards Jerusalem:
A Multicultural View of the Arab-Israel Conflict
If all Jews are white Europeans, then Israel neatly fits into the scheme of a white, European, imperialist power taking over third world, indigenous people of color. The familiar script of European colonization runs its course --rendering Zionism racism; equating Israel’s presence in Jerusalem with America’s occupation of Baghdad; and linking modern Israel to apartheid South Africa. To fight for human rights is to resist Israeli occupation, so it seems logical that Palestinian suicide bombers are social justice activists driven to extreme measures. How does this narrative transform, however, when we introduce the faces and voices of Jews indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa?
This keynote…
- explores the 4,000 year Jewish presence in the Middle East and North Africa
- traces the historical Jewish-Muslim relationship in the region
- examines how WWII and the founding of Israel impacted this relationship
- addresses the uprooting and refugee status of 900,000 Jews from the region
- looks at the “Eastern” majority of Israel’s Jewish population since that time
- considers the significance of this community vis a vis the Arab-Israel conflict
- proposes a comprehensive multicultural approach to Arab-Israel politics
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South Side of the Holocaust:
Genocide of Jews in the Mediterranean
When the Iranian president denied the Holocaust, he challenged a phenomenon that had taken place far from his country’s borders. Similarly, when Jewish leaders remember the Holocaust, they speak of a tragedy that happened in Central and Eastern Europe alone. Holocaust victims from Iraq and Tunisia, Italy and Greece seem to have disappeared not only from the face of the planet, but from our collective memory as well. How does their story affect our understanding of this genocide and its relevance to our lives?
This keynote…
- traces the history of Nazi and pro-Nazi rule in the Mediterranean
- shares the stories of forgotten Holocaust victims
- probes the relevance of these stories to contemporary global issues
- examines the “whiteness” of Jews against the backdrop of genocide
- reveals the significance of the Holocaust in a multicultural framework
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Shifting Sands and Dreams:
North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Women Today
From veils to rabbinical robes, spanning six continents and three generations, living through civil strife, community upheaval, and feminist revolt, North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women view contemporary concerns through a sophisticated eye: Weaving a unique perspective through racial tensions, sexual politics, and the Middle East crisis, they unravel false dichotomies -- revealing a complex landscape where there is no easily identified “other.” How can this outlook enhance our understanding of world events today?
This keynote…
- explores the role of Jewish women in North Africa and the Middle East
- compares this role with that of Jewish women from European heritage
- reveals the 20th century social, political, and economic forces impacting North African and Middle Eastern Jewish women
- traces their contemporary migration and adjustment to new societies
- views today’s main concerns through their eyes
- reveals how this perspective can transform our own understanding of current events
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