No. 9 Summer 2003 From the Executive Director’s Desk The Center is flourishing as a major New York hub for the exploration and interpretation of Jewish history. There have been critically acclaimed exhibits, headliner programs and world-class speakers—all furthering our mission to pre- serve the Jewish past and bring its treasures to people DAVID KARP throughout the world. Professors Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (left) and Alain Finkielkraut were among the YIVO conference noted participants. We take pride in the part- ners’ well-earned reputations for creating new models and Landmark Conference standards of historical research, programming and On The New Anti-Semitism outreach. This reputation has been acknowledged many The news has been alarming. Reports indicate that two-thirds of the 313 racially motivated times over in recent months. attacks reported in France last year were directed at Jews, while Britain had a 75 percent rise in Sixty journalists from the anti-Semitic incidents. What part of this narrative is new – a manifestation of an abruptly U.S., England, France, changed world? Is the backlash against globalization setting fires of intolerance and resentment Germany and Israel visited the and radical nationalism everywhere? What does the revival of anti-Semitism owe to the revival of Center to cover the four-day anti-Americanism? What does it owe to the new anti-Zionism? YIVO conference that consid- To grapple with these complex questions, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research asked three ered the alarming recent eminent intellectuals – Leon Botstein, Martin Peretz and Leon Wieseltier – to bring together 35 upsurge in anti-Semitism in of their colleagues from Europe, the United States and Israel, to join them for an exchange of the West. Earlier, National information and ideas. The result was the landmark four-day YIVO international conference, “Old Endowment for the Demons, New Debates: Anti-Semitism in the West,” which took place at the Center for Jewish Humanities Chairman Bruce History from May 11-14. The conference was co-chaired by Joseph Greenberger and Martin Peretz. Cole toured the Center, after Reflecting the urgency of these crucial issues, journalists from throughout the world settled he appeared as Yeshiva in at the Center to cover the proceedings for such newspapers as Die Zeit, Le Monde, the London University Museum’s guest Times and the New York Times, as well as National Public Radio. The house was packed full, with speaker at the opening of the an overflow crowd viewing the sessions via simulcast from an adjacent hall. For the broader audi- current exhibit “A Portion of ence worldwide, the conference was simultaneously web-streamed on the Center’s site, where the People: Three Hundred sessions will be available for future viewing. Years of Southern Jewish Some of the core themes became apparent at the opening Plenary Session, at which confer- Life,” presented at the Center ence organizer and The New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier, Columbia University history by Yeshiva University Museum continued on page 3 continued on page 4 CJH NEWS Published by Archive and Reading Room the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011 Technology Provides Global Reach 212-294-8301 fax: 212-294-8302 Resources More Accessible Than Ever website: www.cjh.org DIGITIZING THE PAST FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNIVERSAL ACCESS Bruce Slovin, Chair Joseph D. Becker, Vice Chair With the support of a $2 mil- Kenneth J. Bialkin, Vice Chair lion dollar Federal grant from Erica Jesselson, Vice Chair the National Historical Joseph Greenberger, Secretary Publications and Records Michael A. Bamberger George Blumenthal Commission, the Center’s Marlene Brill ambitious project to comput- Eva Cohn erize its vast collections is ONLINE WEBCASTS OF MAJOR Henry L. Feingold WOMEN IN DAILY LIFE Michael Jesselson well underway. When complet- The five partners of the CENTER EVENTS Friends throughout the world Leon Levy ed, the Online Public Access Center have combined select- Sidney Lapidus can now go online and view Catalogue (OPAC) will enable ed holdings to produce a sin- Theodore N. Mirvis highlights of the recent YIVO Nancy T. Polevoy users worldwide to go online gle integrated bibliography on conference on anti-Semitism Robert Rifkind and search the rich resources the life of Jewish women. This as well as other outstanding of the five partner institutions multi-media resource, the first BOARD OF OVERSEERS past programs and events that Stanley I. Batkin Theodore N. Mirvis —library holdings as well as in a series to acquaint patrons have taken place at the Joseph D. Becker Joseph Reich archival and museum collec- with the wealth of material Center. Just log on to the Kenneth J. Bialkin Burton P. Resnick tions. available on frequently Leonard Blavatnik Robert Rifkind Center website’s “Video and George Blumenthal Arthur Samberg The first stage was the researched subjects at the Streaming Media” section to Arturo Constantiner Bernard Selz scanning and online structur- Center, encompasses all the enjoy any of the following Mark Goldman Bruce Slovin ing of the complete English areas in which Jewish women Sidney Lapidus Mary Smart language card catalogue of webcasts: Leon Levy Edward Steinberg have been active. Ira A. Lipman Joseph S. Steinberg the American Jewish The bibliography is seg- • International YIVO Roy Zuckerberg Historical Society. Yet, even mented into Domestic Life, Conference on Anti- with generous government focusing on such traditional THE CENTER Semitism, funding, additional support is roles as marriage, children, FOR JEWISH HISTORY 5/11-5/14/03 required to complete the proj- religious life and travel; Social Joshua Eli Plaut • Interview with Elie Wiesel, Executive Director ect by the 2004 target date. Life, including such activities 3/19/03 Ira Berkowitz The Center is eager to enlist for the betterment of society • Brazilian singer Fortuna, Associate Executive Director donors to help finalize this as volunteer work and art Chief Financial Officer 12/04/02 impressive project on schedule. patronage; Professional Sandi Rubin • Interview with Dr. Ruth Occupations, ranging from art Acting Director of Development Westheimer, 12/04/02 and business to social work Lynne Winters • Interview with Shimon Director of Program Production and medicine; a section com- Peres, 9/12/02 Natalia Indrimi prising general bibliographies • Days of Awe: Reflections Program Curator and relevant periodicals; and from Jewish Chaplains at a final section of selected Ground Zero, 9/11/02 American Jewish Historical Society artifacts and items from the Michael Feldberg, Executive Director • Jews & Justice: Aharon collections of Yeshiva American Sephardi Federation Barak, 9/09/02 University Museum. This proj- Vivienne Roumani-Denn, • Tribute to Cardinal John Executive Director ect was made possible by a O’Connor, 5/05/01 Leo Baeck Institute grant from the National • Gala Center Opening and Carol Kahn Strauss, Executive Director Historical Publications and Address by Leon Botstein, Yeshiva University Museum Records Commission. It can be Sylvia A. Herskowitz, Director 10/26/00 accessed via the Center web- YIVO Institute for Jewish Research continued on page 4 site, www.cjh.org, under Carl J. Rheins, Executive Director Letter from John Hancock to “Research at the Center.” CJH News is made possible, in part, Jewish merchant Aaron Lopez by the Liman Foundation. regarding the fate of a goods-bear- ing ship, Boston, Massachusetts, Produced by Flyleaf. 1771. Gift of Sidney and Ruth Lapidus. American Jewish Historical Society 2 Landmark Semitic websites Conference in the U.S today. continued from But Leon page 1 Wieseltier painted a somewhat rosier professor Simon picture. In spite of Schama and the hostility in French philoso- many quarters to pher Alain the American Finkielkraut made model of moderni- presentations. ty (globalization), Leon Wieseltier to the American spelled out the model of democra- litany of types of cy and capitalism, anti-Semitism— and to the anti-Semitism of DAVID KARP American policy in YIVO conference panelists (left to right) Irwin Cotler, Fiamma Nirenstein, David Pryce-Jones and the right in Robert Wistrich. the Middle East, Europe and the he believes that U.S. and anti-Semitism of the the European left, with its participant. the United States “represents left, seen today in the anti- universalist and anti-global- Speakers from abroad a revolution in Jewish history, globalization movement, and ization sympathies, a form of explained the particular a country that is in its philo- most dangerous in his view, intellectual anti-Semitism nuances of anti-Semitism in sophical foundations and in anti-Semitism that manifests associated with harsh criti- their countries. Mexican his- its political practices struc- itself as anti-Zionism. cism of Israel is clearly torian and author Enrique turally hospitable to us.“ France was the focus of evident. And, as such criti- Krauze spoke of anti-Semitism While there were few much criticism. Alain cism evolves into the demo- of the left that exists in some answers to many difficult Finkielkraut asserted that nization of Zionism, going so South American countries and questions, the conference anti-Semitism in France today far as to equate Zionism with reminded the audience of the clearly reached its goal of pro- was of a different ilk than the Nazism, it expands to include Muslim terrorist attacks viding a very broad audience older European anti-Semitism Jews generally. against the Jewish community of scholars, students and the of the right wing, which criti- Other speakers concurred. in Buenos Aires. In some general public with the con- cized Jews for their “other- “In England, said Professor other countries, he said, not- text and analyses necessary ness.” Today, he said, even as Schama, people more in the ing Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay for interpreting the new anti- older traditional forms of mainstream of political and and even Venezuela, “there Semitism and hopefully deter- anti-Semitism are condemned, intellectual life feel there is does not seem to be any real mining appropriate actions.