Dear Friends,

You’ve been asking me what’s really going on with courses about Israel and Jewish life on campus. What’s changed over the last decade, and what changed after October 7th?

I’m kicking off this MGSDII newsletter by inviting you to listen to this podcast, which does a great job of answering your questions about the state of Jewish and Israel studies on U.S. university campuses. After you have listened, I’d be happy to discuss how it relates to San Diego.

The podcast features Dr. Rachel Fish, a scholar of modern Israel, Zionist thought, antisemitism, and contemporary Jewish life. She is the incoming CEO of the Israel Institute, an international organization whose mission closely mirrors MGSDII’s: enhancing knowledge about Israel by ensuring university students have access to substantive, academically rigorous scholarship.

Dr. Fish serves as Director of Brandeis University’s President’s Initiative on Antisemitism and is Associate Research Professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis. She has also taught Israeli history and society at George Washington University.

The podcast highlights a stark, frightening reality: while the vast majority of American Jews support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, nearly half of American professors in Jewish, Israel, and Holocaust studies hold documented public positions against Israel’s existence. Dr. Fish tackles this head-on, offering candid insights on preparing students and how to change this.

After you listen, feel free to reply with your reflections or join me for a conversation over coffee. I’d love to explore how you can support academic integrity, viewpoint diversity, and the marketplace of ideas on our campuses.

Warmly,

Susan

Susan Lapidus

MGSDII Executive Director