Understanding Zionism: Historical Foundations and Current Challenges

Lectures: Sundays, 8:00-9:30pm Eastern Time

Cost: $129

Recorded Lectures: Yes

Description

Zionism arose in the 19th century as a nationalist movement with the goal of ensuring the continued survival of the Jewish people in the face of challenges to its very existence: the loss of communal autonomy, the marginalization of Jewish identity, rising assimilation, and the growth of political and racist antisemitism. Though sharing a set of common ideas, various ideological streams within the movement professed divergent views on a wide range of subjects, and these evolved over time. Our study will explore these streams and critical issues, and survey current criticisms and proposed alternatives to Zionism in the wake of the War of October 2023. 

Lecture Schedule: 

• July 12

• July 19

• July 26

• August 2

Instructor: Dr. Jon Kaplan

Jonathan Kaplan holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Jewish History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His major research interests include the history of the Zionist Movement, the modern Jewish settlement of the Holy Land and Israeli society. He has been a lecturer and administrator at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University, and served as the school’s Director of Undergraduate Studies and later as Vice Provost. Jon was born in the United States, and immigrated to Israel in 1972; since 1986 he has been on the JUC faculty. He is currently working on a book dealing with the moderate "Weizmannist" trend of Zionism which dominated the movement during the years between the two world wars.