Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center announces the speakers and dates for the 2024 Lakin Lecture Series on Antisemitism. This four-part annual series continues to tackle the tough topics that permeate today’s headlines and weigh heavily on Jewish communities’ hearts and minds.
This year’s lectures explore the throughline of antisemitism in many aspects of our daily lives. Renowned speakers and educators will examine the intersectionality of antisemitism with threats to democracy, issues of free speech and protest on college campuses, coalition building with the broader community, and how we face race in our country today.
The series kicks off on Tuesday, September 24 with a timely discussion on antisemitism and democracy with Rabbi Jonah Pesner (left). As director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and a national board member for the NAACP, Rabbi Pesner explains why the American Jewish Community (and our society more broadly) needs to work for an inclusive democracy in which all voices are heard, every vote is counted, and how we can all work to make that happen.
The second event takes place on Thursday, November 14 when we welcome Georgetown Professor of Jewish Civilization and campus administrator, Dr. Jacques Berlinerblau (right) to help us understand antisemitism on college campuses. Dr. Berlinerblau brings his deep understanding of the university ecosystem to this important discussion on the rise of campus antisemitism, the impact of student activism and protests, and student learning overall. The evening will include a panel discussion with local students sharing their own unique perspectives.
For the third lecture on Thursday, February 6, 2025, Amy Spitalnick (left), renowned attorney and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), will discuss Antisemitism & Building Bridges Across Communities. In her short time at the helm, Spitalnick has positioned the JCPA as a national convener of diverse coalitions working together to protect democracy while combatting hate and bigotry.
Framing this national conversation in local terms, she will explain the deep connections between Jewish safety and the safety of all communities, the importance of coalition building, and how the fight for a just and inclusive democracy brings fundamental Jewish values of equality and justice into action.
This year’s Lakin Lecture Series wraps up on March 27, 2025, when Eric Ward (left), vice president of Race Forward, and Nadine Epstein (right), editor & CEO of Moment Magazine, grapple with the complicated, contemporary conversations taking place around antisemitism and the Holocaust. Starting in the early 20th century and continuing through today, Ward and Epstein will explore some of the many “channels” of the complex relationship between Blacks and Jews in the U.S. and offer a fresh look into the art, history, and issues that both unite and divide the Black and Jewish communities.
The Lakin Lecture Series on Antisemitism is funded by a grant from the Alma and Ed Lakin Education Fund. This incredibly special fund was established at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona by their daughter in order to honor Alma and Eddie’s lifelong commitment to Holocaust Education, the people of Israel, to Jewish life, and to combating antisemitism and advocacy to social justice.
Tickets for all four events are free of charge, in keeping with TJMHC’s mission, but pre-registration is required. Please visit our website to learn more and register for the September 24th lecture, Antisemitism & Democracy.
The Lakin Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona and the Tucson JCC.
