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Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English at Brooklyn College and a contributing writer to The Nation and The American Prospect. A PhD historian, he is the author of 12 books, including the recently published We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel. His first contribution to TNR appeared in 1986.

All Articles
May 28, 2025
Eric Alterman
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim Wanted Peace, Not More Hatred
They were victims of brutal antisemitic violence as they sought peace. But some have invoked their tragedy toward the opposite end.
May 8, 2025
MagazineEric Alterman
The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump
Trump is offering American Jews a kind of devil’s bargain: throw in with us against the antisemitic universities and campus rabble-rousers, but pay no attention as we dismantle the traditions and institutions that Jews value.
November 3, 2024
Eric Alterman
After All the Mishegoss, Can Harris Get the Jewish Vote She Needs?
If Jews vote on their traditional concerns, yes, she can. But Israel has become a conservative cause. And this will matter in—gulp—Pennsylvania.
September 9, 2024
Eric Alterman
No, Anti-Zionism Is Not Antisemitism—Except When It Is
Some take the view that anti-Zionism is never antisemitic. Others say it always is. Both are wrong—and both obstruct honest dialogue.
May 22, 2024
Eric Alterman
What on Earth Has Happened to the Israeli Peace Movement?
Some groups are trying to draw attention to the carnage in Gaza. But after October 7, most Israelis don’t want to be bothered.
May 17, 2024
MagazineEric Alterman
How Can This Country Possibly Be Electing Trump Again?
How the media has failed, and what the Democrats need to do
May 15, 2024
Eric Alterman
Netanyahu’s Loyalty to Trump Must Outweigh Biden’s Loyalty to Israel
Joe Biden is being tugged in two directions, but his choice should be clear: Save Israel from itself, and save himself, his party, and American democracy in the process.
April 2, 2024
Eric Alterman
Against Zionism—and Anti-Zionism Too
Jews in the United States and elsewhere are at war over these labels. But the distinctions are clearer on paper than they are in real life.
December 5, 2023
Eric Alterman
Did Henry Kissinger Hate the Jews?
Maybe, but a more interesting question is why so many Jewish leaders want to give the guy a pass for his horrific treatment of Israel.
November 9, 2023
Eric Alterman
Antisemitism Is a Problem. But Shuttering Speech Is No Solution.
Neither administrators nor donors ought to have anything to say about what is taught in the classroom or said aloud in a peaceful protest.
October 27, 2023
Eric Alterman
This War Will Not End Well for Anybody
Joe Biden will likely be damaged, Israel will pay a huge price—and, as usual, the Palestinian people will suffer the most.
August 21, 2023
Eric Alterman
What Does the ADL Stand for Today?
The far right is the source of the vast majority of antisemitism in the U.S. today—and of direct threats to the republic. The Anti-Defamation League should be saying so more insistently.
May 18, 2023
Eric Alterman
Ronald Steel: A Great Historian Who Punctured the Pious
In magisterial books and sharp essays—many of them for The New Republic—Steel, who died recently at 92, became one of the most vital foreign policy voices of his age.
March 22, 2023
Eric Alterman
The New York Times and Israel: What Is (and Isn’t) Fit for Print
Netanyahu accuses the paper of record of anti-Israel bias. But for decades now, the opposite has been true.
February 21, 2023
Eric Alterman
Jimmy Carter Took More Risks for Middle East Peace Than Any Other President—by Far
The historic Camp David Accords were supposed to be just the start. But American Jewish leaders—and Menachem Begin—helped see to it that they were the end.
February 16, 1987
Eric Alterman
Inside Ollie's Mind

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