An old hatred repackaged in today’s social justice language – and how to fight it
Dr. Naya Lekht is reshaping how we understand Jewish identity and today’s antizionism. She links modern antizionism to its historical roots of antisemitism from the Soviet Union. Dr. Lekht explains why antizionism is not “just politics” but the newest form of Jew hatred. Dr. Lekht a leading scholar, educator, and writer and has been heralded as one of the top 25 visionaries on today’s antizionism.
Please join Dr. Naya Lekht in dialogue with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz for this timely discussion.
About Dr. Naya Lekht
Dr. Naya Lekht is a leading scholar of contemporary antisemitism. Born in the former Soviet Union, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1989. She holds a PhD in Russian Literature from UCLA, where her dissertation focused on Holocaust literature in the Soviet Union.
In 2018, Dr. Lekht served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Oxford University through the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), where she is now a Research Fellow. In 2019, she became Director of the Zionist youth movement Club Z, where she developed curriculum on Zionism, Jewish peoplehood, and Jewish advocacy. She also hosts a podcast called “Don’t Know Much About” where she tackles antizionism and unpacks historical and political events to better understand today’s hot topics, including many podcasts about today’s rise of antizionism.
Dr. Lekht is a published author who frequently contributes to The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, JNS, and serves as the Education Editor of The White Rose. She currently teaches courses on Zionism and the history of antisemitism and is working on her forthcoming book, Zionism in the Diaspora: Reclaiming Israel Education.
