Since the destruction of the First Temple some 2500 years ago, Diasporism has been a particularly Jewish way of imagining relationships between place, power, people, and politics. In modern times, Jewish thinkers have turned to new notions of Diasporism to articulate religious and cultural responses to emancipation, nationalism, and Zionism. More recently, how have the events of October 7, 2023, and their aftermath troubled or revitalized Diasporism? Are the connections between Zionism, Israel, and segments of the Jewish diaspora fracturing? And how are Jews in Latin America, North America, Europe, and elsewhere experiencing and understanding these issues differently, through the lenses of their particular cultural contexts? In this critical conversation moderated by Berkeley’s Estelle Tarica (Chair, Spanish and Portuguese), sociolinguist and literary scholar Ilan Stavans of Amherst College and Berkeley historian Ethan Katz (Director, Jewish Studies) will consider these questions and more, re-thinking Diasporism in light of the current moment.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
11:00am-12:15 pm
370 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley campus
A light vegetarian lunch will be served.
Registration is required. Click Here.
Addmission is free.