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Every Friday at 9:30amAbout the Show
Understanding Israel Palestine
This show is inspired by Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a local group that has advocated for 20 years for a fair and even-handed U.S. foreign policy that recognizes the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis. Our program offers interviews with journalists, scholars, policy experts and activists to offer multiple perspectives, and to clarify the underlying issues that are often obscured by headline news.
Dr. Shira Klein, Associate Professor and Chair of History at Chapman University, discusses Israel’s turn toward fascism in the wake of the National Union of Israeli Students proposing a new law that would require universities to fire all academics who express dissent, including tenured professors. An Israeli by birth, Dr. Klein is an expert in the history of Italy’s Jews, including during Mussolini’s Fascist government. We touch on the academics who have been targets of repression, whether from the Israeli state or right-wing actors, and the extent to which Israel bears the hallmarks of a fascist state. As a scholar-activist, Dr. Klein also promotes peace in Israel/Palestine, and we conclude by discussing her work as founder and president of Academics4Peace, a 501c3 dedicated to amplifying the voices of academics who call for justice and equality in Israel/Palestine.
