Renowned Author Norman Finklestein will be in Davis Friday, May 14th, 2010 in the Science Lecture Hall 123 at 7:30pm.
For more information, please contact Amna Sultan (530) 601.0786.
Norman Finkelstein is an American political scientist and author, whose primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is currently on a national book tour to promote his new book This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion. He is speaking at UC Davis on Friday May 14th, and will be accompanied by heavy security.
Finklestein was born to two Holocaust survivors who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto. He received his doctorate in 1988 from the Department of Politics at Princeton University. For many years he taught political theory and the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is currently an independent scholar.
Finkelstein is the author of several books which have been translated into more than 40 foreign editions: Beyond Chutzpah: On the misuse of anti-Semitism and the abuse of history (University of California Press, 2005; expanded paperback edition, 2008) The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the exploitation of Jewish suffering (Verso, 2000; expanded paperback edition, 2003) Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict (Verso, 1995; expanded paperback edition, 2003) A Nation on Trial: The Goldhagen thesis and historical truth (with Ruth Bettina Birn) (Henry Holt, 1998) The Rise and Fall of Palestine: A personal account of the intifada years (University of Minnesota, 1996) A Farewell to Israel: The coming break-up of American Zionism.
His work has been praised by eminent historians such as Noam Chomsky, Raul Hilberg and Avi Shlaim.
I find it amusing that just because someone writes books, that makes him credible and reliable to get a speaking engagement. If that were true, so would Rush Limbaugh, Bill Oreilly, Barack Obama, and Al Franken are also all reliable people. Finkelstein is being invited because he tells his audience what it already wants to hear. I read a little bit on him, and he spits out the palestinian talking points: he resents US military aid going to Israel. Perhaps the US would send less aid to israel if it was not being repeatedly attacked by rockets from Hamas?
Professor Norman Finkelstein will be returning to the UCD campus this evening after years of being “blacklisted” from speaking at UCD because of his public writings and views. The $700 “security fee” demanded by UCD has been raised by donations. Ms. Sultan, contact person for this event, expressed her deep appreciation for all of the support that she has received from the Davis community and how lucky she feels to be living here in Davis. Professor Finkelstein has continued his work as an independent scholar following his denial of tenure and loss of teaching position, at DePaul University a few years ago, in spite of his recognized scholastic excellence and the overwhelming support of his fellow DePaul University faculty. DePaul University surrendered to the “pressures” that have been brought to bear to destroy the vital academic freedom principle that is so vital to our democracy.
ALICE ROTHCHILD WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE DAVIS AVID READER
Alice Rothchild will be speaking at the Davis Avid Reader on Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 PM. She is currently on a speaking/book tour for the new edition of her book, “Broken Dreams” which has just been released. Alice Rothchild is an author/physician from the Boston area who, I believe, is a major player in that Jewish Voices for Peace chapter.