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The Ruth and Phil Sokolof Lecture

The annual Ruth and Phil Sokolof Lecture in Israel and Jewish Studies is the fruit of a generous donation by the Sokolof-Javitch family. Speakers in this series have included former Ambassadors Martin Indyk and Stuart Eizenstat, renowned authors Dan Senor, Daniel Gordis, and Ari Shavit. To support this lecture, please visit the Support Us tab.

2019 Phil & Ruth Sokolof Lecture

Dr. Jonathan Sarna

"That Obnoxious Order: Ulysses S. Grant and the Jews"

Thursday, April 4, 2019 | 7 P.M. 

UNO Thompson Alumni Center

 

On December 17, 1862, as the Civil War entered its second winter, General Ulysses S. Grant issued a sweeping order, General Orders #11, expelling “Jews as a class” from his war zone.

It remains the most notorious anti-Jewish official order in American history. The order came back to haunt Grant in 1868 when he ran for president. During Grant’s two terms in the White House, the memory of the “obnoxious order” shaped his relationship with the American Jewish community.

In response, surprisingly, he did more for Jews than any other president serving before him. How this happened, and why, sheds new light on one of our most enigmatic presidents, on the Jews of his day, and on America itself.

 

Past Lectures

Seth M. Siegel

"Let There Be Water: Israel's Solution to a Water-Starved World"

Dr. Jonathan Adelman

"Russia and Israel:New Emerging Powers in the Middle East"  

Honorable Dennis Ross

"U.S. - Israeli Relationship from Truman to Obama"  

Ari Shavit

"My Promise Land: A Personal Journey Through the History of Israel" (Courtesy of UNO Television)

Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat

"The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States."

Dr. Stephen Berk

"Our People are Your People: American Jewry and the Struggle for Civil Rights, 1954 - 1965"

Dr. Daniel Gordis

"Year 2048: Can Israel Survive to the Age of 100?"