An Update on the November 28 Panel Discussion at The New School
November 25, 2017 – The New School was founded on principles of free intellectual exchange. This value remains central to our mission today, and we believe that engaging on a wide range of issues and ideas is critical to our role as an academic institution. Our university is a home for impassioned discussions and intense inquiry on complex world matters and proudly serves as a vital center for public discourse.
As you may have seen, an event scheduled at The New School for November 28 has raised concerns. The event, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, quarterly magazine Jacobin and Haymarket Books will be hosted on campus by The New School’s Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism Program in conjunction with the publication of Haymarket’s book On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice.
We have heard from many individuals in response to the panel. Some have expressed thoughtful critiques on the composition of the panel or challenged the focus of the program as described online by event organizers. Others have expressed strong negative views of specific panelists. We take seriously the directness of this feedback, the intellectual arguments they present and the convictions and values they express.
The New School’s commitment to free expression of ideas means hearing perspectives from individuals with whom many strongly disagree and whose speech many may find disturbing, sometimes extremely so. As a community, we listen critically and debate vigorously as we question and challenge scholars, journalists, policy-makers, artists, activists and organizers from a broad range of ideological viewpoints and positions.
Our university stands squarely against anti-Semitism, and hosting this discussion is not intended to be nor should it be construed as an endorsement of any participant’s views, perspectives or ideas on this or other topics.
The discussion around the November 28 event has raised a number of important questions. We look forward to exploring these and others in greater detail and hearing from a wide range of voices on this and related issues in the months ahead. We will be working closely with our faculty, our students and members of the community to move this discussion forward, and we appreciate the diverse group of leading Jewish organizations that have reached out to discuss their concerns and their suggestions for the most effective next steps. We are in the process of setting up these discussions and will be sure to keep the community informed as further chapters of this dialogue take shape.