Join us in celebrating SAFETY THROUGH SOLIDARITY by Shane Burley & Ben Lorber. This event is co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace Chicago.
Please note: This event is free to attend, but registration is required! By registering for this event, you agree to wear a face mask throughout the duration of the event, per W&CF's Covid-19 policy.
About Jewish Voice for Peace:
Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. We’re organizing a grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews into solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle, guided by a vision of justice, equality, and dignity for all people. More information is available at the national website jvp.org, or our local one, jvpchicago.org, and the instagram @jvpchicago has more up to date announcements.
About Safety Through Solidarity:
Two activist journalists present a progressive, intersectional approach to the vital question: What can we do about antisemitism?
Antisemitism is on the rise today. From synagogue shootings by white nationalists, to right-wing politicians and media figures pushing George Soros conspiracy theories, it’s clear that exclusionary nationalist movements are growing. By spreading division and fear, they put Jews, along with other marginalized groups and multiracial democracy itself, at risk.
And since the outbreak of war in Gaza, debates around antisemitism have become more polarized and high-stakes than ever. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinian civilians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to overcome the politics of division and fear?
Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what’s missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people.
About the Authors:
Shane Burley is known for his work on the far-right and left-wing social movements. He is the author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It (AK Press, 2017) and Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse (AK Press, 2021), and editor of the anthology ¡No pasarán!: Readings on Antifascism (AK Press, 2022). His work has been featured in places like NBC News, Al Jazeera, The Baffler, Jacobin, The Daily Beast, Truthout, In These Times, Roar Magazine, Jewish Currents, and others. He provides expert analysis and commentary on these issues for places like PBS, The Guardian, and The Oregonian, and has published extensive academic work, particularly on antisemitism.
Ben Lorber has worked as a writer, organizer and movement-builder for over a decade. As a Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, a progressive think tank that monitors far-right movements, Lorber helps social justice organizers understand and fight antisemitism and white nationalism. He has written extensively on these topics, and on Israel/Palestine and Jewish politics, for a variety of outlets including The Nation, Jewish Currents, Salon, The Forward and more. Previously, Lorber worked as National Campus Organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, helping build the movement for Palestinian rights on college campuses. He tweets at @BenLorber8.
Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other questions or access needs, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.
