March 24, 2025
This article was originally published in Yale News.
The Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism (YPSA) recently named Linda Maizels, a scholar of antisemitism and author of “What is Antisemitism? A Contemporary Introduction,” as its inaugural managing director.
The addition of Maizels, who joined YPSA in February, marks a new chapter for the program as it continues to lead efforts in promoting the highest caliber of scholarship and teaching about antisemitism, Yale leaders said.
Founded in 2011, YPSA brings the resources of Yale and its faculty to bear on the pernicious problem of antisemitism. At the time of its creation, it was one of only two university-based programs in the country dedicated exclusively to the study of antisemitism.
Maizels brings extensive expertise as both a scholar and an accomplished administrator. She earned her Ph.D. at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where her dissertation focused on the historical roots of contemporary antisemitism on college campuses. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Brandeis University Presidential Initiative to Counter Antisemitism in Higher Education and has taught at Portland State University, Colby College, and the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.
She comes to Yale from the U.S. Department of State, where she worked for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy and was a Franklin Fellow for the Department’s Bureau of African Affairs.
“We are so fortunate to have hired someone like Linda, who, first of all, has a Ph.D. in antisemitism, which is very rare,” said YPSA director Maurice Samuels, the Betty Jane Anlyan Professor of French in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “The fact that her doctoral research focused on antisemitism on American college campuses already put her ahead of the curve, but she also has the kind of administrative experience the program needs. Her work for the U.S. Department of State has given her so much practical knowledge of different systems which means she’s able to really hit the ground running in ways I had not anticipated.”
Housed in the Whitney Humanities Center, the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism offers lecture series, an annual conference, and research grants for faculty and students.
“With Linda on board, we’re poised to do so much more,” Samuels said. “We can take on new initiatives that were previously beyond our capacity and really increase our footprint on the Yale campus and beyond.”
Maizels, who was selected by leaders at YPSA and the Whitney Humanities Center, will support the program’s mission by expanding its programming, strengthening its outreach to the Yale community, and fostering new partnerships across campus. This work — and the work of YPSA more broadly — is more urgent than ever, Samuels said.
Recognizing the need to expand its efforts in response to the growing problem of contemporary antisemitism in the United States and abroad, YPSA faculty and staff are developing new resources to address the challenges of the present moment and beyond. Maizels will lead these efforts, with support from two incoming postdoctoral fellows, who will join YPSA for the 2025–26 academic year.
For Maizels, the campus community and Yale College students are at the heart of these efforts.
“We want to find new ways to involve Yale undergraduate students,” she said. “We can provide resources and research support to them, but we also want to be a resource: a spot students can come to comfortably discuss issues related to antisemitism.
“I really want to make sure we are always taking into account the student voice and student experience.”
Diane Berrett Brown, deputy director of the Whitney Humanities Center, expressed her enthusiasm for Maizels’ hire and the program’s growth.
“There has long been a desire for YPSA do more than these fairly academic lectures; to do more to think through what it means for a university to counter antisemitism on college campuses,” she said. “Linda brings a wealth of both energy and experience to this endeavor — she literally wrote the book on antisemitism.”
Maizels’ ambitions for YPSA begin at Yale but extend far beyond its walls. “In my dreams for the program, we do a lot; we start with the Yale community and build here,” she said. “But wouldn’t it be interesting if we could be a leader in this work, maybe first for the Ivy League and then even beyond?”
The addition of Maizels and the growth of YPSA’s programming have been made possible by the generous support of donors to Yale. Their contributions will enable Yale to take the lead in grappling with the complex issues of contemporary antisemitism.