Peter Beinart, Invited Speaker for Conference on Communication, Religion and the U.S. Presidential Election

Peter Beinart, professor, author, journalist and political commentator, to speak about the American-Jewish identity and the 2020 Election.

With the Presidential Election only five weeks away, the Institute for Communication and Religion within the College of Communication and the Arts at Seton Hall University will host "Communication and Religion in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election." This free online conference will be held October 21-23, bringing nationally recognized scholars in the fields of communication, religious studies and political science to Seton Hall to share their insight with students, faculty and the public.

One of the featured speakers, Peter Beinart is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York. He is also a Contributing Opinion Writer at The New York Times, a CNN Political Commentator, Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. His first book, The Good Fight, was published by HarperCollins in 2006. His second book, The Icarus Syndrome, was published by HarperCollins in 2010. His third, The Crisis of Zionism, was published by Times Books in 2012. Beinart has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, the Atlantic, Newsweek, Slate, Reader's Digest, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and Polity: the Journal of the Northeastern Political Science Studies Association. He has appeared on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," "Charlie Rose," "Meet the Press," "The Colbert Report" and many other television programs. Beinart graduated from Yale University, winning a Rhodes scholarship for graduate study at Oxford University.

Beinart credits big family conversations with sparking his keen interest in politics and writing at a very young age. This initial drive sustained Beinart and has brought him to a professional life in politics and education. As a columnist, journalist and political commentator, Beinart has a history of analyzing campaigns and the many interests that intersect with our political system. The 2020 election is proving to be particularly momentous.

In every election I can remember people have talked about the state of our country being at stake. I don’t think there has been an election like this one where people have talked about the future of America as a democracy being at stake,” he said, noting that “the entire democratic system may experience a change.”

Some key concepts the audience can expect to hear from Beinart during his presentation on Friday, October 23 surround the debate among American Jews, President Trump, Israel and the American-Jewish identity. "The internal division bears the question, what is the nature of our identity? Should we be comfortable with the dominant majority or should we see ourselves as standing in solidarity with other groups that are underdogs because of our history?" Beinart plans to bring to the forefront the internal struggles American Jews face.

Beinart noted he is excited to participate in the conference and learn from the other speakers. Overall he hopes to bring to light how the upcoming election will affect American-Israeli relations. "I hope the audience will walk away with a clear understanding of the American-Jewish perspective, Jewish identity and how anti-Semitism is discussed in the press," he shared.

This online event will be held October 21 through October 23 and is free and open to the public. Those who are interested in expert analysis, open dialogue, and commentary on the final 2020 Presidential Debate are invited to join. For speaker bios and to register for the event, visit here.

This article is the second of three Meet the Speaker articles introducing our conference's national experts. Click here for our inaugural piece on religious communication expert Ronald C. Arnett and stay tuned for our forthcoming article on digital religion scholar Heidi Campbell.

About the Institute for Communication and Religion
Launched in Fall 2017, the Institute for Communication and Religion within the College of Communication and the Arts provides a nexus for ongoing scholarly exploration of communication topics critically important to religion and society. Guided by the spirit of ecumenical and interreligious cooperation, the Institute seeks to engage in public dialogue and debate, promote academic inquiry and support the religious dimension of creativity — all while upholding the values of servant leadership, curricular innovation and intellectual excellence.

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