Lecture “Mizrahim and Zionism 1893-1959: A History in Three Keys”
Lecture “Mizrahim and Zionism 1893-1959: A History in Three Keys”
Tuesday, February 7 | 5:30-7:00 PM
Hyde Hall, University Room
UNC-Chapel Hill
As the recent elections in Israel showed us again, the encounter between European and Middle Eastern (Mizrahi) Jewries in the modern Jewish state has always been tense and politically fraught. Since the later 1970s, it has also been the subject of intense scholarly debate. This talk presents the critical aspects of this debate and discusses one of its least studied dimensions–the possibility, limitations, and uses of Mizrahi history in Israeli politics. This talk will also present early Mizrahi critics of Zionism and its concept of history and discuss their relevance for today. Zvi Ben-Dor Benite is Professor in the Department of History and the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University
Sponsored by Carolina Center for Jewish Studies and the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.