Since October 7, there has been a sharp spike in antisemitic incidents and rhetoric around the world, including in the United States. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt’s role as the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism has therefore taken on renewed importance and urgency in recent months. In this discussion, moderated by SIPA Professor Ester Fuchs, Ambassador Lipstadt discusses how combating antisemitism is a vital component to preserving democracy because its presence acts as an early warning sign of democratic backsliding. She drew from her decades of scholarship, teaching, and travels throughout the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, meeting with foreign officials, Jewish communities, and civil society, and discussing ways to combat hate speech, discrimination, and antisemitism, whether on the left or right.

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt is a prominent historian, academic, and author. She helped found the Emory University Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, where she is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies. Ambassador Lipstadt is also a three-time recipient of the National Jewish Book Award. In her current role as Special Envoy, she works to monitor and address acts of antisemitism and antisemitic incitement around the world.

Ester Fuchs, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science; Director, Urban and Social Policy Program, SIPA

This event is organized by the School of International and Public Affairs and is cosponsored by the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life and Columbia Religious Life.
This discussion is part of an ongoing event series. The next event will be a discussion on anti-Muslim hate cosponsored with Columbia Religious Life.