How Did We Get Here?: A Deep Dive into the History of Israel and Palestine

The Hamas-engineered massacre of October 7 stunned and shocked Israel and the Jewish world to the core. It triggered a massive Israeli response that has reduced large parts of northern Gaza to rubble. Supporters of Israel and the Palestinians are more bitterly divided than ever, around the world and especially on college campuses. What are the roots of today’s conflict? And what does it portend for the future of the region?

To gain insight into this latest stage in a brutal and divisive conflict that has ebbed and flowed for more than a century, Fordham University’s Center for Jewish Studies is sponsoring a four-part series on the history of the conflict with Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., and professor David Myers. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Ibish and Myers came to campus to deliver a three-part series on the history of this conflict. Five years later, they return to Fordham to offer an in-depth perspective on the history of Israel-Palestine in light of the current moment.

Schedule

• Wednesday, December 6 | Part 1: Arabs and Jews: 1882–1948 (in person)
• Date TBD | Part 2: Israel and Arab States: 1948–1979 (Zoom)
• Date TBD | Part 3: Israelis and Palestinians: 1979–2023 (Zoom)
• Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 6 p.m. | Part 4: October 7: The Aftermath (in person)

A set of readings will be shared before each program.

About the Speakers
Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is a weekly columnist for The National and previously served as a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine.

David N. Myers is a distinguished professor and the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair of Jewish History at UCLA. The author and editor of many books, he directs the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy and the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate.

The event is co-presented with the International Studies program and the Middle Eastern Studies program.