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Event
If Not Now, When? An Open Hillel Conference
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU REGISTER FROM NOW ON YOU WILL NOT GET A NAME TAG, MATERIALS, OR GUARANTEED FOOD.
Civil rights activists. Jewish thinkers and educators. Heads of Jewish non-profits. Student organizers. We're bringing all these people together -- voices from every part of the political spectrum to discuss, debate, and learn together about the most pressing issues facing the American Jewish community today.
Increasingly, young Jews are increasingly finding that we don't have a home in the communities that purport to represent us. Open Hillel seeks to change this. We want a Jewish community where the full diversity of Jewish views on Israel-Palestine is accepted and celebrated. We want a Jewish community where vigorous discussion, respectful debate, and free discourse are the norm. We want a Jewish community that all Jews can feel included in, not just those who pass a political litmus test. We've campaigned for over a year for Hillel to be such a community. And now, for the first time, we're modeling what that community could be like -- with the Open Hillel Conference.
This conference will create a space for open conversation on Israel/Palestine and other issues of importance to the Jewish community, without external restrictions. Because Hillel International limits the kind of conversations we can have, we decided to show the limitless potential of a conversation not bogged down by "standards of partnership" and the political whims of big donors.
We are inviting left-wingers, right-wingers, Zionists, Anti-Zionists, Non-Zionists, two-staters, one-staters and everyone in between or outside of that spectrum to share their thoughts and ideas on Israel-Palestine. And we'll look beyond the Middle East as well, discussing issues facing our Jewish communities here in America.
Note: We have been so excited by the interest in our upcoming conference. As our registration numbers have increased, a new advocacy group, If Not Now, When, has arisen. Some Open Hillel supporters are involved with this new organization and others are not, but we wanted to clarify that the two groups, while similarly inspired by the words of Hillel the Elder, are not affiliated. We encourage people to take a look at their website, ifnot.net to learn more about them, but as we continue our publicity efforts we wanted to make this clarification so that people don't get too confused by the shared name in the coming weeks and months!
FOR THE PRESS:
Most sessions at the conference are open to the press. If you are coming as a member of the press, you must register, but you may register for free. Email openhillel@gmail.com for access to free registration, and please indicate in your registration that you are a member of the press. Please also review our media policy here: http://www.openhillel.org/press.php -- all members of the press will be expected to follow this policy.
SCHEDULE:
The tentative conference schedule can be found here: http://openhillel.org/TentativePublicScheduleforOpenHillelConference.pdf
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
(Note: these are the speakers whose names have been publicly announced as of September 19th, and may not be up to date. Check our blog for the most recent updates: http://openhillel.tumblr.com/tagged/update)
Judith Butler, professor and queer theorist
David Harris-Gershon, author and Jewish educator
Steven M. Cohen, professor and sociologist of American Jewry
Shaul Magid, professor of Jewish thought
FREEDOM SUMMER VETERANS (Jewish activists who participated in the American civil rights movement): Dorothy Zellner, Ira Grupper, Larry Rubin
Peter Beinart, professor and journalist
Sarah Turbow, director of J Street U
Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace
Mark LeVine, professor and author
Rashid Khalidi, historian of the Middle East
Sa'ed Atshan, lecturer and postdoctoral fellow in International Studies
David Rosenn, Executive Vice President of the New Israel Fund and the founder of AVODAH
Marjorie Dove-Kent, Executive Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
LOGISTICS:
TIME & LOCATION: The conference will take place at Harvard University, from 8 pm on Saturday, October 11th (after Shabbat ends) to 5 pm on Monday, October 13th (Columbus Day). Those who are observing Sukkot prior to the conference are welcome to arrive early.
The conference will take place on Harvard University's campus, in the Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH). The building is wheelchair-accessible. For more about the location, see the SOCH's website: http://soch.fas.harvard.edu/
HOUSING: To the extent possible, we will be hosting students and young alumni in Boston-area students' dorms. Other community members may be hosted in local community members' homes. Housing will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, so if you need housing, register early! If you have friends or family in the Boston area that you are able to stay with, we ask that you stay with them in order to allow the maximum number of people possible to take advantage of our volunteer hosts.
TO REQUEST HOUSING, YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE BY SEPTEMBER 24TH. (Exceptions may be made if there is capacity.)
TRAVEL: We are providing travel stipends to students and recent college grads who would be unable to attend the conference without financial assistance. The stipends will be distributed on a rolling basis.
TO APPLY FOR A TRAVEL STIPEND, YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE BY SEPTEMBER 24TH. (No exceptions.)
REGISTRATION FEE WAIVERS: If the registration fee (early bird: $10 students, $25 non-students; regular registration: $18 students, $36 non-students) creates a financial barrier that would prevent you from attending the conference, please email openhillel@gmail.com and we will waive the registration fee for you.
ACCESSIBILITY: We are committed to making the conference accessible to all who wish to attend. Please let us know on the registration form if you have any accessibility needs related to disability, religious observance, financial access, or any other issues.
If you have additional questions, please contact us at openhillel@gmail.com.
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LocationHarvard University, Student Organization Center at Hilles
59 Shepard Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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