Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Spyer Affiliation: Director, Rubin Center (formerly the GLORIA Center), Interdisciplinary Center of Herzliya; Fellow, Middle East Forum Title: "Antisemitism in the Contemporary Middle East: Survey And Analysis" Convener: Lloyd Fischler, Member, ISGAP Board of Directors and Board of Trustees Location: McGill University, Montreal, Canada Date: October 30, 2012 Description: Dr. Jonathan Spyer argues that the Middle East today is the most antisemitic region in the world. It is a region in which negative stereotypes of Jews, including ideas of Jewish conspiracy, exist in the mainstream. Spyer elucidates the pervasive presence of antisemtisim in contemporary Middle Eastern societies and notes two approaches that seek to explain the roots of this phenomenon. He goes on to explain the history of antisemitism and anti-Jewish sentiment in the contemporary Middle East.