Barbara Lerner Spectre (born 1942) is an academic[1] and philosophy lecturer, who is the founding director of Paideia,[2] the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, a non-denominational academic institute established in 2001.
Barbara Lerner Spectre | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 81–82) |
| Alma mater | Barnard College New York University |
| Occupation(s) | Academic, philosopher |
| Known for | Founding director of Paideia |
| Spouse | Philip Spectre |
Biography
Barbara Spectre was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She studied philosophy and received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Columbia University and a Master of Arts degree at NYU, then attaining a PhD in philosophy at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. She married Rabbi Philip Spectre, and the couple moved in 1967 to Ashkelon, Israel, where she served on the faculty of Jewish Studies at Achva College of Education. After moving to Jerusalem in 1982, she served on the philosophy faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, the Melton Center of the Hebrew University, and Yellin College of Education, where she was cited as Outstanding Lecturer 1995–1997. She was the founding chairperson of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem in 1984. She served as a scholar in residence for the United Synagogues, Midwest Regions in 1987, 1990, 1992, 1996, and has lectured extensively throughout the United States.
In 1999, she emigrated to Sweden, settling in Stockholm and joining her husband, who was then serving as the Rabbi of the Stockholm Synagogue. The following year, she applied to the Swedish government for the government-funded formation of Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies, which she has continued to direct.[3] In its first decade of existence (2001-2011), Paideia trained over 200 persons from 35 countries for leadership positions in the renewal of Jewish culture in Europe.
Barbara Spectre has garnered attention for her quote, from an interview in an IBA News report about the wave of anti-semitism in Sweden due to Muslim immigration.[4] Spectre stated her view that the rise of anti-semitism is directly related to the leading role Jews are playing in the transformation of Europe into a multicultural society.[note 1] Numerous clips of the interview have since been uploaded on Youtube, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and eliciting a far-right nationalist reaction, in connection with the purported Jewish role in the white genocide conspiracy theory.[6][7][8] Her statement has also been parodied in a Youtube video "Anti-Racist Hitler", by a white nationalist radio station White Rabbit Radio, garnering 180 000 views in 2013, before its removal from the channel.[9][10]
Awards
The King's Medal in gold of the 8th size (Kon:sGM8, 2018) for prominent efforts for the Jewish culture in Sweden and abroad[11]
Publications
- "Educating Jewish Leaders in a Pan-European Perspective", International Handbook of Jewish Education, Springer, 2011
- A Different Light: The Hannukah Book of Celebration, Two Volumes, co-editor with Noam Zion, Devora Press, 2000.
- PhD, Bar-Ilan University, Philosophy, "Models of Theological Response to the Holocaust in Christian and Jewish Thought"
Notes
- ^ Full quote: "I think there is a resurgence of anti-semitism, because at this point in time Europe has not yet learned how to be multicultural. And I think we are going to be part of the throes of that transformation, which must take place. Europe is not going to be the monolithic societies that they once were in the last century. Jews are going to be at the centre of that. It's a huge transformation for Europe to make. They are now going into a multicultural mode and Jews will be resented because of our leading role. But without that leading role and without that transformation, Europe will not survive."[5]
References
- ^ Shneer, David. "Jewish Sweden: The Radical Jewish Traveler celebrates secularism at the 60th parallel". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "Staff". Paideia. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ http://www.paideia-eu.org/about/organization/staff/ Archived 6 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ IBA News - The Jewish Community of Sweden (Barbara Lerner Spectre), 9 July 2020, retrieved 14 December 2023
- ^ "IBA News - the Jewish Community of Sweden (Barbara Lerner Spectre)". YouTube. 9 July 2020.
- ^ Barbara Lerner Spectre calls for destruction of Christian European ethnic societies, 9 September 2015, retrieved 14 December 2023
- ^ "Recognizing Antisemitism Is the First Step to Fighting It - Algemeiner.com". www.algemeiner.com. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "That Barbara Spectre Video". www.americanthinker.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "White Rabbit Radio, Font of Racist Genocide Claims, Run by Michigander". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "WhiteRabbitRadioTV - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Medaljförläningar 28 januari 2018". Riksmarskalkämbetet. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
Further reading
- "Don’t Write Off European Jewry". The Jewish Week.
- "Recognizing Antisemitism Is the First Step to Fighting It". Algemeiner Journal.
- "Visions of Venice". The Jerusalem Report. Quote: "... Institute, a fascinating experiment in Jewish education created by Barbara Spectre, an American-Israeli, with funding from the Swedish government...the curriculum is pluralistic and eclectic goes without saying. Barbara Spectre - who ...". (subscription required)
- "A Smorgasbord of Empowerment". The Jerusalem Report. Quote: "Cofounded by Dr. Barbara Spectre, a pleasant, relaxed, 67-year- old American-born Conservative Jew who is a professional educator, and several ...". (subscription required)
- A Century of Commitment. p. 207. (subscription required)
External links
