(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)November 1, 2011

(MAHWAH, NJ) On November 1, 2011, Kenneth Jacobson, Deputy National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) spoke at a dinner hosted by President Peter P. Mercer and Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer at Havemeyer House and attended by Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Advisory Board members, activists, and Ramapo College Alumni Association and Foundation Board members. Mr. Jacobson commented on the place of Holocaust commemoration in American life and recent developments in the Middle East.

With respect to the recent developments in Middle East, he ventured the opinion that change in societies like Egypt does not occur in a linear fashion and, for that reason, it would be unrealistic to expect a sudden transformation towards pro-Western democracy. In his view, for Israel in particular this means uncertainty and increased vigilance. This is borne out, in Jacobson’s view, by the increasing influence and tendency in Egypt of the Muslim Brotherhood to fill the power vacuum following the ouster from power of President Hosni Mubarak. Also of increasing concern, in Jacobson’s view, is the growing enmity shown by Turkey towards Israel.

Speaking a few days prior to the ADL’s publication of its annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, Jacobson indicated that it would reveal a similar picture as in recent years. The persistence of manifestations of anti-Jewish attitudes notwithstanding, he felt that the work of the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations has borne fruit over the years, especially in the United States and in other Western democracies where displays of anti-Jewish bigotry are increasingly deemed as unacceptable. In that sense, according to Jacobson, the situation today is radically different from the years before the Holocaust. Unlike then, bolstered by the existence of the State of Israel and a largely sympathetic U.S. population, the Jewish community is better able to defend itself.,

Following his remarks, dinner attendees asked a number of questions dealing specifically with the consequences of the “Arab Spring” and the likelihood of Iran becoming a nuclear power. On both fronts, in Jacobson’s view, vigilance is the key. While relations with Egypt would likely change in the wake of elections, he believed democratization also held the hope of governments in the region emerging that might prove to be more amenable to peacefully co-existing with Israel. Regarding Iran, Jacobson believed the future is unclear, but that Israel is prepared for any eventuality.

Prior to assuming his present position, Ken Jacobson served as ADL’s Director of International Affairs. In that position he monitored and analyzed events affecting Jews in the Middle East, Europe and Latin America, and oversaw the ADL Jerusalem Office, which assesses issues surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict. He also developed and coordinated the League’s presence in Vienna and Moscow.

Kenneth Jacobson is the author of numerous publications, including The Protocols: Myth and History; The Middle East: Questions and Answers; The Middle East “Post” Lebanon, and U.S. Aid to the Middle East: A Look Back, A Look Ahead. His articles have appeared in such prestigious publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Newsday.

A graduate of Yeshiva University, where he earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in history and Hebrew literature, he also holds a Masters of Arts in American history from Columbia University.

ADL’s National Director, Abraham H. Foxman, who was originally scheduled to speak at the dinner, but had to cancel, will come to speak at an event organized by the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at some point later in the year.

E-News Archives