NYU prof admits MESA’s anti-Israel stance, rails against “Israel Lobby”
by Mara Schiffren
How does a detail-oriented lecture on research methodology and academic field building in Middle Eastern Studies (MES) descend into a one-sided and unprovoked salvo against Israel? Last month, Zachary Lockman, a professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at New York University (NYU), provided the answer with a talk entitled, “Anxieties of Field-Building in U.S. Middle East Studies.” It was the first in a new series at NYU meant to introduce students to faculty members’ methodological approaches; however, Lockman used the occasion of the question and answer period to peddle “Israel Lobby” conspiracy theories that bordered on classical anti-Semitism.
The talk took place in the museum-like Richard Ettinghausen Library in the Hagop Kevorkian Center. Half the room was high-ceilinged with built-in mosaic-covered arches in the Islamic style along one wall and floors with inlaid mosaics, the other half walled in honey-stained wood and lined with reference books. The audience of approximately fifty, primarily graduate students and research fellows, filled the room.
Part of the research for a new project, Lockman focused on political vectors influencing how the field of Middle Eastern studies was built in the post-WWII period. In particular, he examined the role of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), their multi-decade lavish funding from the Ford Foundation, and, ultimately, their failure to create an agenda to influence the study of the modern Middle East. His project ends in the 1980s, the point at which the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) began, as he put it, to accommodate “the opposition left wing caucus within Middle East studies” composed “of people, myself included” with the resultant “political [and] intellectual consequences.” Indeed, from that point onwards, MESA’s politicization took on a leftward and anti-Zionist slant, causing many scholars to leave the organization and, in some cases, to form alternatives.
Although no one brought up Israel during the question and answer period following the lecture, Lockman proved the point when he began, in his own language, to “free associate” at length about the country’s alleged faults, all the while employing an objective, professorial tone.
In answer to an audience member’s question, “I’m just curious as to when you started to see foreign governments fund area studies departments and . . . to what extent [did] their funding ha[ve] any sort of conditions attached to it?,” Lockman noted briefly that, in the 1970s, Saudi Arabia “created a King someone or other chair . . . and appointed an old Aramco [the Saudi Arabian Oil Company] guy to it.” He acknowledged this was “problematic” before focusing on what he believed to be the truly controversial characteristic of the situation:
So, by this point, you begin to get criticism often from American Jewish groups for this kind of thing. There hadn’t been much criticism before that, but it’s part of the emergence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: organized Jewish groups lobbying a whole range of things, and those kind of donations come to be seen as questionable or problematic in ways that they weren’t so much before.
In other words, Lockman diverted the discussion to the alleged depredations of the “Israel Lobby.” Alluding further to Israel and its lobbyists, he assured the audience that, “[F]or those of you who feel you are under siege, let me reassure you there’s a very long history to this.”
From this Lockman segued to Senator William Fulbright’s 1963 hearings on “Activities of Nondiplomatic Representatives of Foreign Principals in the United States,” which were aimed at uncovering abuses of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938 and making necessary amendments to the law:
Among other things, the hearings showed that money from Israel was being channeled, again, not in conformance with American law—you’re supposed to register before getting money from foreign governments—to something called the council for Middle East Studies, which published a journal through the 50s and into the 60s . . . which was subsidized surreptitiously by the Israeli government, passing money through the American Foundation.
His preoccupation and thorough familiarity with this topic—declassified through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by anti-Israel conspiracy monger Grant F. Smith in order to write an anti-American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) screed—further reveals his obsession with alleged Israeli influence-buying.
Lockman then told a convoluted story concerning a “secret” donation from Israel that he traced personally, even writing a letter decades later to its recipient, Henry Siegman—a former executive director of the American Jewish Congress who later became a harsh critic of Israel and hence, in Lockman’s words, “a very sweet guy.” This ostensibly nefarious donation amounted to the princely sum of five hundred dollars—a paltry gift indeed compared to the Ford Foundation’s “hundreds of millions” to academe in the early 1950s.
Next Lockman claimed that by 1984 MESA was “denouncing the Anti-Defamation League and AIPAC because they [were] circulating blacklists of scholars, anti-Israel, whatever.” In fact, it is anti-Israel agitators who have a history of leveling spurious “blacklisting” accusations against outside critics.
Returning to the evolution of MESA, Lockman noted that:
In its early years, it quite deliberately refused to talk about what was then called the Arab-Israeli conflict. . . . No papers at MESA, no panels at MESA in its first couple of years because they were terrified about divisiveness, conflict, whatever.
Today’s MESA is no stranger to divisiveness and conflict. Its membership recently agreed to provide platforms for “sustained discussion of the academic boycott of Israel,” a move that even Lockman, a former MESA president, opposed, arguing that the organization could suffer a loss of prestige, membership, and Title-VI congressional funding. Ironically, the politicization of MESA has now reached the culmination for which Lockman and his cohorts were agitating in the 1970-80s, while Lockman has become one of the graying heads urging restraint.
The contrast between Lockman’s lecture and his conspiratorial assertions against Israel during the Q&A was noteworthy: during the former, his tone was restrained and objective, while during the latter his every utterance was negative. He obviously assumed his audience shared his prejudices—a safe bet in contemporary academe. Beyond describing the methodology of field-building, Lockman offered unscripted instructions on how to build a biased case against Israel.
Mara Schiffren, who has a Ph.D. from Harvard University in comparative religion, is currently working on a book about historical Israel. She wrote this essay for Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.
Angemon says
Mesa is definitely not Mensa…
cs says
This guy is such a Norman Finkelnstein
Zimriel says
Zakariya Luqman? Probably not in the -Stein tribe.
cs says
I thought he was from the tribe.
Mac-101 says
Is it my imagination, or has the Powerful Israeli Lobby NOW support the administration and actions AGAINST Israel?
.
It appears they are more NeoBolshevik Marxist than supporters of Israel. Ya can’t make this stuff up. No LOL!
mortimer says
Many of Hitler’s top supporters had PhDs. Lawyers and even judges were willing to say nothing when racial conspiracy theories were proposed without valid proof and without being challenged.
The word to describe academics who do not challenge spurious, genocidal ideas is ‘COWARDS’.
Lee says
In this day and time just what is a PhD really worth in our one party college and university system? I have seen far too many who simply don’t read and understand English in any meaningful way.Indeed, it has reached the point that outside of the hard sciences where you really have to back up your work the rest is all one sort or another of neo Marxism that is both anti-white and anti-male, but even more profoundly anti-Western Civilization.
Aion says
Yep, pretty much every class in anthropology or ‘social science’ will focus on “white male hegemony’ and seek to bring down everything we know by calling it a ‘social construct.’
Joseph says
Those nations that show hatred and persecute the Jews/Israel end up being destroyed themselves. This has been proven time and time again.
My only hope is that the American politicians wake up to this fact and once again turn to Israel as friend and ally. ALL other nations in the middle East are NOT our friends or allies, they only want us dead or as their slaves.
It is time that world stops bashing Israel and start helping them in this fight for their very survival. When they survive, we will survive
Those that support the Jews/Israel will be blessed by GOD and prosper
Mudslimes have got to go. Terminated, exterminated and stomped out of existence. Let the very curse they wish upon the Jews to fall on their heads like burning coals.
Lia Wissing says
They will go. God says so clearly.
John Mustart South Africa. says
Hello Joseph. I agree with you accept for your desire for evil to come upon their heads. Please remember that God loves Muslims as well and Christ also died for them. Many Muslims are coming into a faith with Jesus. Let God be the judge. Already they are fighting amoungst themselves and are experiencing the curse for hating Israel and for wanting Israel to be wiped out. Christ says that we are to love our enemies. Proverbs 24:17 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away His anger from him”
God bless and take care.
Joseph says
What you say is true, and trust me, I don’t want people to go to hell. Look at the obverse though, many a Christian was forced into Islam or face death. They were not strong in their faith so they chose to live. What happens to their souls??
May the HOLY SPIRIT give me the strength to be faithful to JESUS CHRIST if my faith is ever tested in such a manner. Many of us are bold with our tongue but weak in faith. I pray I pass the test.
John Mustart South Africa. says
Thanks for reply Joseph. We are all in God’s hands. I hope they will turn again and be faithful to Jesus. He is merciful and always forgives us when we fail Him. Peter denied Him 3 times and look what he did for the Lord. But once you are trapped in Islam it will mean death to return to Christ as Islam shows no mercy. Like you I hope my faith will be strong if I am put to the test. The only way we can stay strong and remain true to Jesus is to saturate ourselves in His word as that and the Holy Spirit is the “glue” if I may put it like that. The Holy Spirit will give us the strength. Just keep close to Jesus each day. Praise Our Lord Jesus and our Father and praise them for the Holy Spirit. God bless you Joseph
M S case says
I fully believe that lmohammed was of the devi he was one of the devil’s minions and his followers also seem to be. I know God has love for everyone but he uses everyone and everything for his purpose and God can do anything he wants too with anyone he wants too.. I think he is using the radical muslims to teach the western world that he is still in charge.and that we have failed to obey his commands.
It has not yet proven to me y that all muslims and islam itself throughout the mid east or
throughout the western world, have not been radicalized I don’t see the so-called moderate good muslims in the streets and on every street corners proclaiming that isis and all other radical groups are the scourge of the world neither do I see many of the muslim countries fighting with all their might to destroy this vermin. My take on this If the sword is against the neck of the so called moderate good muslim and given the choice of life or death then the one whosree neck the lsword is against will become what the sword bearer is.
I pray that God will warm their hearts of all muslims and I would be overjoyed to see them accept Christ but I’m not out there, as isis, and all other radical groups are , trying to force my faith on others or make them join my faith or else die. So are these people not working for the devil…Believe me the devil is alive and well today doing his dirty work. and of course the devil will use all those whom betray themselves…
May God ,once again, bless the United States of America and continue to bless his chosen people Israel
cs says
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
—
Not a good policy, persecuting Jews.
BC says
If American Jews safe and comfortable as they are, want to influence Israeli policy they should immigrate to Israel
Laura says
Do you mean emigrate?
pumpkin says
Your commen, on its face, is antisemitic. Why don’t YOU emigrate, john birch?!
John Mustart South Africa. says
Is Zachary funded by the Saudi Arabians. That would explain his stance
Gina Scovo says
What does it take to fire a bully and an anti-Semite? Kick him the hell out of the country!
Fritz Kohlhaas says
Absolutely, definitely sickening!