Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world, and often in negative ways. What does this history of anti-Judaism have to do with how we think about Judaism today? Do past ideas about Israel and Israelites affect how we think in the present? Nowadays we are often called upon to evaluate political claims about Israel, Zionism, and Judaism. How can we know, as we make our ethical decisions in the present, whether we are being truly critical citizens of the world, or merely acting out of historical habit?

Speaker:

Dr. David Nirenberg is The University of Chicago’s Dean of the Division of the Social Sciences and the Deborah R. and Edgar D. Jannotta Professor of Medieval History and Social Thought. His recent books include “Neighboring Faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Middle Ages and Today” (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2014) and “Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition” (New York: W.W. Norton, 2013).

This event is co-sponsored by the Cotrill-Rolfes Chair of Catholic Studies and the Program in Arabic and Islamic Studies.