Date: Thursday Feb. 29 6:30pm (please note the special time)

Challenging dominant narratives in Israeli society can sometimes get you into trouble. Meir Baruchin is an Israeli high school civics teachers who was arrested for sharing posts on his Facebook page of Palestinians who had been killed in Gaza. MK Ofer Cassif is a member of the Knesset (Parliament) where his colleagues are trying to expel him because he voiced support for the South Africa case at the ICJ (International Court of Justice). Both of them will talk about the repression that they faced as well as the overall repressive atmosphere in Israel and why that is happening. We will hold an empty chair for the Palestinians that we tried to invite as speakers, who cannot participate out of fear of retaliation or repression.

BIOs

Meir Baruchin, PhD, has been a high-school history and civics teacher for over 30 years.  His doctoral thesis was on “Congressional Involvement in the Use of Armed Forces Abroad: The Clinton Administration.”  Fun fact:  he was declared an Honorary Texan by Gov. George W. Bush!

MK Dr. Ofer Cassif represents the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) in the Knesset since 2019. MK Cassif is part of the Communist Party of Israel (MAKI) political bureau, the sole shared Jewish-Arab party in Israel, for which Hadash acts as its parliamentary wing. He holds a PhD in political science from London School of Economics. Prior to his election to the Knesset he taught in the Hebrew University and Sapir College.