Museum of Jewish Heritage Director Extends New Invitation to John Judis
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
New Republic senior editor John Judis has been reinvited to speak about his latest book at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, after having been disinvited last week due to the controversial nature of his book, which portrays an overbearing U.S. Zionist lobby during the state’s early years.
The museum’s decision to rescind Judis’s invitation sparked an outcry on blogs and social media, who argued that the move amounted to censorship.
David Marwell, the museum’s director, announced yesterday that he had personally called Judis Friday afternoon to extend a new invitation.
In the blog post published on the museum’s website, Marwell claimed that he was unaware that the invitation had already been extended to Judis at the time he expressed his skepticism about hosting the speaking event.
He said that his initial concerns with the book related to the provocative tone and content. However, he acknowledged that rescinding an already-extended invitation is problematic.
“It naturally raises the ugly specter of succumbing to pressure and giving in to outside influence,” Marwell wrote. “I have worked very hard over the years to avoid precisely the kind of mess that we found ourselves in, and I am particularly concerned that the Museum should be accused of censorship or of being allergic to controversy.”
The event will be held June 1 and will be moderated by Marwell himself.
“This format will give me an opportunity to raise with him the very questions that gave me pause in the first place, and I look forward to discussing these important issues with him,” Marwell wrote.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
