Jennifer Loewenstein

Jennifer Loewenstein is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the former Associate Director of its Middle East Studies Program. She currently works under the auspices of the University's Havens Center, which is "dedicated to promoting critical intellectual reflection and exchange, both within the academy as well as between it and the broader society." She is also a well-known peace activist on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and has spent extensive time living both in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. She is a member of the board of the Israeli Coalition against House Demolitions-USA branch, founder of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and a freelance journalist on the side, as well.

=Accusations of Being Anti-Semitic, a "Self-Hating Jew," and Smear Campaigns Run Against Her=

Loewenstein has been the victim of numerous smear campaigns and has been accused by multiple figures of partaking in anti-Semitism because of her what is often brutally harsh critics of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians. Lionized by many members of the Palestinian solidarity community, she is hated by a multiplicity of others, and has paid a steep price for her willingness to speak out openly.

=Madison Sister-City Rafah Project Battle in Madison=

Loewenstein was also at the forefront of a battle to bring a sister-city agreement between Rafah, Palestine in the Gaza Strip and Madison, Wisconsin that was very heated, received great national attention, and eventually failed by a slim margin in the Madison City Council. The reverberations of Loewenstein's involvement in this contentious battle are still felt to this day both on-campus and in the Madison community at-large.

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=Achievements=


 * Global Citizen Award, Dane County United Nations Association, 2009
 * Member, first Rachel Corrie Foundation delegation to the Gaza Strip, September 2009
 * Participant, United Nations 11th Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland: expert witness testimony on occupied Palestinian territories
 * Board member: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, USA branch, 2007-present
 * Author: Essay in "Inside Lebanon: Journey to a shattered land," Monthly Review Press, 2007
 * Plenary speaker: United Nations Special Session on Palestinian Civil Society, European Parliament in Brussels, 2007