Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza has been disinvited by the 92nd St Y. from giving his talk “Why I am a Heretic and Abjure Traditional Judaism.” According to event organizers the lecture has been cancelled because he has, in the past, failed to disown the BDS movement.

This isn’t the first time Spinoza has courted controversy. The Sephardic Jewish community of Amsterdam expelled the philosopher in the 17th century. Mindy Katz, director of programming, noted that that expulsion: “We take that very seriously, when Amsterdam rabbis raise a red flag,” she said. “They know heresy.”

Katz also denied that health concerns were a factor. “Any time you have a speaker that’s been dead for over three centuries, you worry a little, of course,” she said. “But we were confident that Barry was up to it. What became apparent was that the talk was going to be overshadowed by politics: Our donors voiced their disappointment with the choice and we listened.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Some 92nd St Y members felt differently. Amanda Friedlander of Manhattan said she was curious to hear what Spinoza had to say. “I feel bad for him. I feel bad for his mother. A philosopher! What kind of job is that? If he was as smart as they say, why not a doctor? Making choices like that, I wanted to hear what he had to say for himself.”

When challenged with the viewpoint that Spinoza’s thought was a serious contribution to the intellectual developments of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, Ms. Friedlander said, “Meh. A cardiologist — that would have been impressive.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount