Sponsored by Gevarim

In April 2024, the Center for Jewish History and Brandeis University’s Schusterman Center for Israel Studies co-sponsored a day-long symposium on "Democracy and Its Alternatives: The Origins of Israel’s Current Crises." This series will include viewing, followed by discussion of the first panel, "Empire and Mandate: Before the State." The panel addressed these questions:

• What aspects of pre-1948 history sowed the seeds for what we are witnessing today?
• Are there any precedents to help us understand current events?
• Are we witnessing any residues of Ottoman or British imperial or colonial legacies?
• What political or intellectual alternatives existed that might have led us down different paths?
• Do any of them offer wisdom for our current moment?

Discussions will be led by TI member, Howard Sumka, former USAID Director for the West Bank and Gaza.

TI members can find the Zoom link here (you must be logged in).