Announcements

RSVP for “Covid-19 and Conspiracy,” with Prof. Ira Forman!

The Center for Jewish Civilization invites you to Professor Ira Forman’s virtual lecture, “Covid-19 and Conspiracy: the Latest Manifestation of Conspiracy” RSVP to the lecture here! 

Professor Ira Forman’s virtual lecture will be accessible to all viewers via Zoom. Zoom invitations will be emailed to all those who RSVP. 

About the event:

Since the beginning of recorded history human beings have reacted to complex, societal catastrophes by spinning conspiracy theories. These theories posit simple explanations for bad things happening. Over the last 2,000+ years of Western civilization the simple explanation for all manner of misfortune is frequently “the Jews.” The Covid-19 pandemic is no exception.

Since the very beginning of the pandemic some Americans have blamed China for the catastrophe and as a result, Asian-Americans of all nationalities have been harassed and attacked. But globally it did not take long for antisemites to cook up conspiracy theories about Jewish malevolence behind the spread of the virus. Where do these ideas come from and how are they impacting global Jewish communities who, even before coronavirus, were experiencing a wave of resurgent antisemitism?

About the speaker:

Professor Ira N. Forman is a Senior Fellow on Anti-Semitism at the Center for Jewish Civilization and a Senior Fellow at the Moment Institute. In the fall of 2018, he was appointed Senior Advisor on Anti-Semitism at Human Rights First.

Forman served as the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism from 2013-2017. From 2011-2012 he served as the Jewish Outreach Director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served for nearly 15 years as the Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC).

Forman received his B.A. from Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Government. He received his M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He co-edited and wrote for the reference book Jews In American Politics.

***This event is online only. RSVP is required. Only those who register will receive the Zoom link to access the lecture.

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Accommodation requests related to a disability should be sent to cjcinfo@georgetown.edu  by April 20th. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests. A captioned version of this presentation will also be made available shortly afterwards at cjc.georgetown.edu .

Thank you for your interest in “Covid-19 and Conspiracy.” Please note that the CJC reserves the right to cancel this virtual lecture in the event of any major changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We prioritize the health of our audience foremost, and hope that this online event will foster a sense of community as we transition to a virtual environment.