Lecture: “Was Harry Truman a Zionist? And Why it Matters Today” with John Judis, The New Republic

The Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies, the Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies, the Department of American Studies,  and the Department of History

Presents:

A Lecture featuring John Judis, Senior Editor at The New Republic

“Was Harry Truman a Zionist? And Why it Matters Today”

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

4:00 PM  - 5:30 PM

1120 Susquehanna Hall

Harry Truman is celebrated for recognizing the new state of Israel, but there is evidence he was never comfortable with the idea of a Jewish state, and would have preferred some sort of Arab-Jewish federation.  Largely because of vigorous lobbying by American Zionists urging support for a Jewish state, Truman gave up on the idea of a federation, and the U.S. was the first country to recognize Israel.  Judis argues that the campaign to persuade Truman anticipated today’s “Israel Lobby.”

John B. Judis is a Senior Editor at The New Republic. His new book, Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict, deals with the role played by the American Zionist leadership in influencing U.S. policy towards the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.

Please RSVP at http://israelstudies.umd.edu/upcoming-events.html