Karten Lecture 2020

The annual Ian and Mildred Karten Lecture, held 4 February2020, was delivered by Shirli Gilbert, our former colleague in History/Parkes and Karten lecturer, who is now Professor of Modern Jewish History at UCL.

She presented the results of the recent research she conducted in collaboration with Deborah Posel from the University of Cape Town, on how the Holocaust, Apartheid and the Israel-Palestine conflict have shaped the identity of the South-African Jews from the 1940s until now.

It was a real treat for the large audience that attended the event. Through a clear and very nuanced overview of the changing context of the South African Jewish identity, she carefully analysed how the Holocaust shaped both their attitude to apartheid and Zionism.

Shirli was presented with a card and a gift to thank her for her past invaluable contribution to our department/Institute. We would also like to thank the Karten Charitable Trust for the ongoing financial support it has provided to the Parkes Institute. Thank you to Tony Kushner for chairing this excellent event.

Claire Le Foll (Parkes Director) and Kendrick Oliver (Head of History)