Liberté, Égalité, Antisemitism

Indiana University will inaugurate its Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism this week with a public lecture by Robert Wistrich, a leading scholar of the history of antisemitism, reports the IU News Bureau.

Wistrich will speak on "Liberté, Égalité, Antisemitism: The French Connection," at 7:30 p.m. 14 January (Thursday) in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 East Seventh Street, Bloomington. He is the Neuberger Chair for Modern European and Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the author of A Lethal Obsession: Antisemitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad, published this month.

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Armed Conflict and Counter-Terrorism

A counter-terrorism simulation is planned next week, co-sponsored by the Indiana University School of Law on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and IUPUI's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). This simulation, taking place on 23 October and involving students in the fields of law and public policy, will allow participants from the two programs to work side by side with local and state government officials to respond to a simulated National counter-terrorism threat.

The keynote address is a presentation at 5 p.m. on 22 October by Lt. Col. (Res.) David Benjamin. His speech, “Israel’s Fight Against Terrorism – The Charge of the Lawyers’ Brigade”, takes place in the Wynne Courtroom of Inlow Hall in Indianapolis. A reception follows in the Conour Atrium of Inlow Hall. Lt. Col Benjamin, who retired from full-time active service in February 2009 after 17 years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Advocate General's Corps, is a specialist in international law, with emphasis on the law of armed conflicts and counter-terrorism.

Information on other events open to the public is available online. Full biographies of the speakers also are available online. For more information, contact Mary Deer, 317:274-1909.

For a contrarian view of Lt. Col. Benjamin, check out International Criminal Court to Investigate IDF Officer.

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Armed Conflict and Counter-Terrorism

Lt. Col. (Res.) David Benjamin, Advocate, Israel Defense Forces, will speak on "Armed Conflict and Counter-Terrorism" at 5 p.m. 22 October in the Wynne Courtroom of Inlow Hall at the Indiana University School of Law on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. His presentation is part of the Distinguished Speakers Series.

Benjamin, an international law consultant, is a law, armed conflict and counter-terrorism specialist. A reception will be held following the lecture in the Conour Atrium of Inlow Hall.

For more information, contact Shaun Ingram.

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Israeli Films Screen at JCC Indy

Etay Furman, the Israeli Community Shaliach for the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis is hosting a series of Israeli films followed with discussion in the Laikin Auditorium at the JCC Indianapolis, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis.

Screenings of the films (which have English subtitles) begin at 7 p.m.; they're free and open to the public.

Next up on 12 March is "Beaufort", which takes place in 2000, the year Israel withdrew from the Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon. It chronicles the daily routine of a group of soldiers positioned at the 12th century Crusader stronghold of Beaufort Castle: their feelings and their fears, and explores their moral dilemmas in the days preceding the withdrawal and end of the 18-year South Lebanon conflict. The movie was nominated for an Oscar in the Foreign Movie category in 2008, and the director, Joseph Cedar, won Best Director in 2007 at the Berlin Festival.

Questions? Contact Etay Furman, 317:726-5450, ext. 525.

Everything at New Indy Airport Must Be...Upbeat?

The controversy continues over changes made recently to an exhibit at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Someone (or, a few someones) objected to one of the panels in the “New Faces at the Crossroads” exhibit -- one in which an Israeli immigrant to Indy commented on an evidently taboo subject (violence).

So, the airport replaced it with another page from the book with text by John Sherman and interviews and photographs by Jeffrey A. Wolin, a photography professor at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Read the latest here, at least until The Star removes it from its website. And, there's more here and, here.

Ann Katz Festival of Books

This year's Ann Katz Festival of Books at the JCC Indianapolis includes a special exhibit of artwork from Israeli children, a film, book sale and (of course) a terrific mix of authors.

The three-week-long event runs 29 October through 20 November at the JCC, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis.

The complete schedule is here, but of special note to this website are these two:

* The 7 p.m. presentation 12 November by Andrei Cherny, author of The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour.

* The 7 p.m. presentation 13 November by Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food (did you know there are more Chinese restaurants in the U.S. than McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's combined?).

Humanitarian and Cultural Exchange Journey Underway

International Interfaith Initiative's humanitarian and cultural exchange journey to the Middle East returns to Indianapolis on Friday (27 June).

A group of 15 representing Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith communities departed on 13 June to build a Habitat for Humanity home for a needy family, carry medical and educational supplies to Iraqi war refugees in Jordan and visit the holy shrines of each of their faiths in Israel. See the blog about their journey.

If you'd like to know more, contact Charlie MacDonald, 317:283-2730.

IU's McRobbie Plans Trip to Israel

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie will join a delegation of American university leaders on a trip to Israel 29 June to 7 July 7, according to the IU News Bureau.

The delegation is scheduled to visit several major universities in Israel, including Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Participants will also visit Al Quds University to discuss issues of Palestinian education and governance. The trip is sponsored by Project Interchange, an institute of the American Jewish Committee.

International Interfaith Symposium

An innovative series of programs kicks off tomorrow evening with “Stories and Photos from the Middle East, 1978-2003”, a presentation by Bill Foley, photojournalist, at 7 p.m. in Marian College's Allison Mansion.

The event, titled “International Interfaith Symposium”, kicks into high gear on Wednesday (19 March), with all events in the Campus Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

The first speaker (2 p.m.) is Klaus Martin Finzel, founder of the International Interfaith Initiative, followed by Giles Hoyt (discussing German philanthropist Mas Kade), Robert J. Helfenbein (on faith and civil society), Bill Foley and others discussing the Middle East, Shaw Towfighi (Persian New Year), Henry Cole (citizen diplomacy), Ref. Felipe Martinez and John Clark (Hispanic America).

Thursday’s (20 March) packed schedule, also in the Campus Center of IUPUI, begins with a youth dialogue (10 a.m.) and continues through the day with Dr. Chalmer Thompson, Ayumi Suzuki, Terry Morris-Downs, Sally Brown, Michael Greven, Charlie Wiles, Dr. Kevin Logan and more.

A film festival and book discussions will take place on Friday and Saturday (21-22 March). Exhibits will be open on the fourth floor of IUPUI’s Campus Center between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. All events are free and open to the public.

The complete schedule is here. For more information, see website or call Charlie McDonald, 317:283-2730.

International Interfaith Initiative is a collaborative effort between Indiana University School of Education’s Center for Urban and Multicultural Education, Peace Learning Center, Max Kade German American Center, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, and members of the Indianapolis community - all working toward the realization of the vision to create a network that facilitates and initiates interfaith cooperation to strengthen civil society.

"Israel/Palestine: Seeking Peaceful Coexistence"

A video conference on seeking peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine sponsored by the Office of International Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis (as part of the Spring 2007 Speaker Series) features Prof. Zvi Bekerman, School of Education, the Melton Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Prof. Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia, School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The live link will be activated from noon to 1 p.m. in Global Crossroads Lab ES2132 at IUPUI on Thursday (8 March).

Information, Craig Lee, 317:418-1982, or Ian McIntosh, 317:274-3776.

Potential for Israeli Investment in Indy

According to Inside INdiana Business, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation says starting tomorrow it will host a delegation of Israeli life sciences companies, which are exploring potential partnerships and possible relocation to Indiana.

For more, see the news item.