The Norman Conquest

By Jonathan Goldsbie

Thursday evening, CEPAL (the Canadian-Palestinian Educational Exchange) presents a talk by Dr. Norman Finkelstein at U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Just a few months ago, he was Professor Norman Finkelstein, but he made himself some powerful enemies, and now he’s pretty much out on the street (i.e. lecture circuit). Apparently, that’s not an uncommon development for academics&#8212even Jewish ones&#8212who are critical of Israeli policies and the advocates for same.
Finkelstein, who has made a career out of deconstructing and debunking right-wing propaganda concerning Israel, is probably best known for being Chomsky’s prot&#233g&#233, and for his book The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, in which he examines the way the memory of the Holocaust is exploited for certain political ends. More recently, however, Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History picked apart in extreme detail the Alan Dershowitz bestseller The Case for Israel. He and Dershowitz have sort of become mortal enemies, Dershowitz having now played a role in Finkelstein’s denial of tenure at DePaul.
Tonight’s lecture is on the broad topic of “Israel and Palestine: Roots of Conflict, Prospects for Peace” and will surely be a fascinating complement to Dershowitz’s recent visits to U of T. Admission is ten dollars, but five if you’re a student. OISE is located at 252 Bloor Street West (on the north side, between the two entrances of the St. George subway station), doors open at 5:30, the talk gets started at 6:30, and the hysterical heckling will probably be under way by 6:35.
Photo by mick’s pics from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.