Symposium Attracts Leading New-History Scholars of Zionist Movement and Creation of Israel

A debate is in progress among scholars of the history of Zionism and the creation of Israel.

On one side are those who believe in traditional interpretations of the historical literature.

On the other are those who subscribe to a revised so-called New History which is supported by Israeli archive material recently made public.

Many prominent figures of the New History debate will be at UC Santa Barbara Saturday, Feb. 2 to participate in a symposium titled, "The New History and Israeli Public Culture."

The symposium runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the McCune Conference Room on the sixth floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building and is free and open to the public.

However, seating is limited and advance registration is required. Registration can be made by calling (805) 893-4245 or online at www.cmes.ucsb.edu.

Lunch will be served.

Cost is $10 payable before Thursday, Jan. 31.

The symposium is divided into four sessions.

Titles of the first three sessions are, "Parameters of the New History Debate," "Sociological Perspectives on the New History and Decolonization," and "The New History and the Israeli Left." The final session is a panel discussion.

Panelists include:

Joel Beinin of Stanford University, president of the Middle East Studies Association and author of "The Dispersion of Egyptian Jewry."

Gershon Shafir of UC San Diego, author of "Land, Labor and the Origins of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1882-1914."

Zachary Lockman of New York University, author of "Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1958."

Gabi Piterberg of UCLA, author of articles on Middle Eastern Jews and Zionism.

Richard Hecht of UCSB's Department of Religious Studies, author of "To Rule Jerusalem."

Lisa Hajjar of UCSB's Law and Society program, author of articles on Israeli military courts.

Nancy Gallagher, of UCSB's Department of History, who will moderate the panels.

The symposium will conclude with a showing of "500 Dunham on the Moon," a documentary film by Rachel Leah Jones about the Palestinian village Ain Hod that was depopulated in 1948 and turned into an Israeli artists colony.

The original inhabitants were moved to a new village a kilometer away and have not been allowed to return.

The symposium is sponsored by UCSB's Center for Middle East Studies, the Department of History and the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center.