What: The University of North Texas' Jewish and Israel Studies Program presents guest lecturer Jeffrey Herf, a faculty member at the University of Maryland, as part of the "Oldest and Newest Hatred: Anti-Semitism – Anti-Israelism" series

When: 4 p.m. Jan. 28 (Thursday)

Where: Room 255 of UNT's Eagle Student Services Center, 1147 Union Circle in Denton

Cost: Free

DENTON (UNT), Texas – Historian Jeffrey Herf is a guest speaker for the 2015-16 Oldest and Newest Hatred: Antisemitism – Anti-Israelism series hosted by the University of North Texas Jewish and Israel Studies Program.

Herf, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Maryland, will speak about "Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism in the Middle East: The Mix of European and Islamist Sources." The event will begin at 4 p.m. on Jan. 28 (Thursday) in Room 255 of UNT's Eagle Student Services Center, located at 1147 Union Circle in Denton.

Herf believes there are three issues that cause people to dismiss the legitimacy of the State of Israel: Nazi ideology in the Middle East, the tradition of Islamism from the Muslim Brotherhood beginning in the 1930s to various Islamist organizations, and the fallout from the combination of Communist and radical leftist ideology.

"In this talk, I explore these three primary sources of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, the difficulty that many European and American political leaders have in directly facing and naming the ideological sources of these hatreds, and the willingness of an albeit few exceptional leaders to speak frankly and without euphemism," said Herf, who is the author of seven books regarding Nazis ideology and its effects on modern politics in the Middle East and Europe.

Richard Golden, director of the UNT Jewish and Israel Studies program, said Herf's lecture is the fifth event in a series during the 2015-16 academic year that explores and recognizes anti-Semitism joined to anti-Israelism, which he calls the "New Anti-Semitism." He said UNT is very fortunate to have such a well-known expert on anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism speak during the series.

"We were lucky to get him. He is very much in demand," Golden said.

He said he believes Herf's presentation will be a great opportunity for people to learn more about how anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric impacts modern extremist organizations across the globe.