Updates, New Books, Resources
Basking in the Wake of the World Symposium Against Antizionism
5-23-26
UPDATES
(1) World Symposium Against Antizionism!
All I can say is WOW! Sponsored by Tafsik and StopAntizionism, featuring an incredible lineup of amazing speakers, including a keynote by Ben Shapiro, last Sunday’s all-day symposium delivered everything it promised: it was enlightening, energizing, and the launch of the movement to finally say STOP! ENOUGH! Tafsik! to antizionism. I was thrilled to participate, and thrilled to be a small part of what I hope, and believe, will become a major movement.
Kudos to Tafsik, and StopAntizionism, to Amir Epstein, Naya Lekht, Natasha Pein, and so many others!
Some clips from the event are available on their Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/tafsikorg/
You can also follow them on X: https://x.com/Tafsikorg.
They are worth a follow, and worth supporting.
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(2) Antizionism: The History of an Ideology
The good news is that that’s the working title of a book for which I have obtained a contract with a major academic publisher. The slightly less good news is that I now have to write that book. Less good news still is that I must block off several hours every day to that end for the foreseeable future, so despite already being probably hundreds of emails behind in correspondence, I’m likely to fall further behind.
Please be patient with me! And if something is really pressing don’t hesitate to nudge.
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(3) The Foundational Encyclopedia of the Institute for the Critical Study of Antizionism moves forward!
You’ll recall that the original Call for Papers for the multi-volume encyclopedia is here:
The incredible news is that I received about 75 proposals for the encyclopedia from this incredible, and growing, roster of ICSA scholars. (We’re up to 215, but could always use more, so please refer mission-aligned scholars our way!)
The good news is that I have assembled a first draft of the contents of the first two volumes of the Encyclopedia. If you have heard back from me about your proposal then know that I hope to provide a more specific update in the next couple of days. If you have not heard back from me then that means your proposal is not at the moment included in the first draft of the contents. Bandwidth issues—see (2) above—preclude my responding individually at this time. But if that is you, please do not despair! I expect that the contents will continue to evolve, and that more proposals will be added, particularly if (when!) I succeed in raising a little more money for the project.
That said, as the project has evolved, I still have needs in the following areas. If you are interested in and qualified to write about any of the topics, please get in touch asap!
Antizionism (AZ) in the Republican Party
AZ in the Democratic Socialists of America
Catholic AZ
A critical examination of Students for Justice in Palestine
AZ in literature/publishing
AZ in teachers’ unions and the NEA
Jewish AZ: We do have a couple of entries here but I would like for this section to be more robust. For example I would like deep critical dives into several of the major contemporary Jewish antizionist figures (Beinart, Finklestein, Magid).
Similarly, a critical look specifically at Jewish Voice for Peace
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(4) Scholars Circle ICSA Webinar Series on “Antizionism: The History of An Ideology”
We recently completed our fabulously successful six-part webinar series, so titled. World class scholars, attended by hundreds, each one generating so many dozens of audience questions, what’s not to love?
Recordings of the entire series are now posted, visit the following site and they’re the ones with the blue-green icons:
https://www.joinscholarscircle.org/archive
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THREE NEW BOOKS
(1)
Judea Pearl, Coexistence and Other Fighting Words: Selected Writings of Judea Pearl 2002-25
We announced this one back in February, but it’s so essential it’s worth another notice!
Prof. Pearl is the godfather of the field of “Critical Studies of Antizionism,” having coined the term “Zionophobia” years ago to advance the notion that the obsessive fixation on condemning Israel should be understood as a kind of hate or bigotry, and thus incentivize scholars to become critical scholars of, as the forces of darkness themselves refer to it, antizionism …
I was privileged to read the manuscript before it came out, and it is terrific. For a taste of the book, here are some brief remarks of Prof. Pearl’s from the launch of the book: https://web.cs.ucla.edu/~judea/words-spoken-student-prof-dinner-jan2026.pdf
For more of a taste, here is a list of resources (reviews, interviews): https://bayes.cs.ucla.edu/COEXISTENCE/
And most importantly here is the link to purchase the book:
REMEMBER: Buy one for yourself but also request your local university and public libraries to do the same … Ditto for the books below!
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(2)
Melanie Phillips, Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege
I haven’t read this one yet, and it appears to be more general and more practical-oriented than is within the typical purview of ICSA, but the indefatigable Melanie Phillips absolutely is mission-aligned, and has more clearly penetrated the nature of antizionism than almost anyone. If you have never heard her speak, then you must find out her next public appearance, and perhaps engage her for an appearance yourself! And if you have never read her work, then this is a good place to start.
Remember, buy one for yourself, and request your local university and public libraries to do the same!
You can get it here:
https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Hate-Handbook-Under-Siege/dp/B0GR8XBFWR/
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(3)
Gad Saad, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to be Kind
I haven’t read this one yet either – I’ve requested my college library to buy it and am waiting for its arrival – but I’ve heard Saad speak enough times on the subject to have a good sense of the contents, plus the fact that he was one of the major speakers at the Tafsik World Symposium Against Antizionism reflects the fact that he is deeply mission-aligned. Saad gets lots of exposure – he has been on Joe Rogan a dozen times! – and is very entertaining while unafraid to say some unpopular things, a trait we need more of in an environment when the forces of darkness work to stifle our discourse. I was also privileged to share the stage with him at Tafsik, and had a few minutes to tell him about ICSA, so my hope is that we might get him to do something specifically for us. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, you can get his book – already a #1 bestseller in many categories, and #1 on the New York Times of all places – here:
https://www.amazon.com/Suicidal-Empathy-Dying-Be-Kind/dp/0063446537/
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SOME RESOURCES
(1) “The Peer Review Laundering Machine: How academia trained a generation of journalists, advertisers, and filmmakers to see activism as their job”
This anonymous insider in higher education sheds some light on key tactics of the forces of darkness.
Abstract:
The article argues that left-leaning ideology dominates communication and journalism schools, shaping journalists, advertisers, filmmakers, and PR professionals into activists rather than neutral observers. Citing conference programs, faculty surveys, and industry examples, it claims concepts like “resistance,” “social justice,” and “decolonization” have displaced traditional journalistic values such as objectivity, impartiality, and accuracy.
www.facultyleaks.com/p/why-media-leans-left-journalism-schools
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(2) Joel Swanson, “The Profound Internal Contradiction That Could Spell Doom for Hillel”
This has been a long-brewing problem for Hillel, but for Swanson, who is sympathetic to the young antizionists pushing the issue, things are heating up for Hillel.
Abstract:
The article argues that Hillel International faces a growing contradiction between presenting itself as an inclusive center for Jewish campus life while enforcing strict pro-Israel political guidelines. Using recent campus disputes as examples, the author contends that younger Jews increasingly resist ideological litmus tests, potentially undermining Hillel’s authority and long-term cohesion.
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That’s it, for now.
Remember: We need teams of scholars producing reams of scholarship about antizionism.
We need ICSA.
An important and timely initiative. Bringing rigorous academic attention to antizionism and its intellectual roots is long overdue. Serious scholarship and open discussion are essential in addressing rising misinformation and ideological distortion in public discourse