Roy Eidelson's Blog

Labeling criticism of Israel and expressions of support for Palestinian rights as “antisemitism” has apparently become the primary weapon of Israel advocacy organizations in the United States. These groups — among others, the Anti-Defamation League, Stand With Us, Canary Mission, Betar US and, in my own profession, Psychologists Against Antisemitism — are seemingly committed to denying or defending Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza. In their efforts, they claim to represent the deepest conc...

Psychologists Against Antisemitism (PAAS) is an Israel advocacy group, with the profession of psychology as its principal target. I find the name rather deceptive, but I think lately their primary mission has become rather obvious: to shout “Antisemitism!” whenever they encounter any form of opposition to the ongoing genocidal assault against the Palestinian people. From what I’ve observed, it doesn’t matter to PAAS members that real antisemitism is best understood as discrimination, prejudi...

Some personal reflections on the profession of psychology and our responsibilities as we approach 100 days of authoritarian cruelty and corruption.

Psychologists represent a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. But I believe we all share the recognition that protecting human and civil rights is essential — not only for the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide, but also for the survival of our democracy. This is why, as a profession, we must not be silent as we witne...

Note: Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion and offer my personal perspective on the weaponization of antisemitism. This session took place as part of the annual conference of the Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology (Division 39 of the American Psychological Association). Below is the full text of my prepared remarks. As I noted at that time, the views expressed are entirely my own. They do not reflect the positions of the other panelists o...

An outrageously misleading petition titled “Antisemitism/Anti-Jewish Hate within the American Psychological Association” is now circulating among psychologists and related health professionals. Drafted by leaders of a group that calls itself “Psychologists Against Antisemitism,” the petition is long on accusations and generalizations but shamefully short on clarity and evidence.

The petition authors claim that they “have documented extensive evidence of antisemitic discourse and concernin...

Upon his return to the White House, Donald Trump wasted no time in issuing a barrage of executive orders advancing his authoritarian assault on vulnerable communities and the U.S. Constitution. Among these orders is one that instructs the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the influx of 30,000 undocumented immigrants. At the signing ceremony, Trump told those assembled that the facility will “detain the worst criminal illega...

The statement below was issued in January 2025 by the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (Division 48 of the American Psychological Association). As the Society’s current president, I am pleased to share it with readers. A PDF version is available online here.

Psychologists Call for Justice and Accountability: Confronting the Atrocities Against Palestinian Lives

This is an official statement of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, Division 48 ...

The statement below was issued in December 2024 by the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (Division 48 of the American Psychological Association). As the Society’s current president, I am pleased to share it with readers. A PDF version is available online here.

Peace Psychologists Oppose Looming Mass Deportations

The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (Division 48 of the American Psychological Association) expresses its alarm and outrage over the...

The American Psychological Association (APA) — one of the world’s largest organizations of healthcare clinicians, researchers, and educators — contends that it “prioritizes human rights advocacy” and “encourages psychologists to support and advocate for populations at risk of human rights violations, including marginalized populations both domestically and globally.” But if APA leaders want to truly honor that commitment, they must do much more to publicly recognize and address the devastati...

It is irony at its most bitter. Not so very long ago, hundreds of white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. With tiki-torches held high, they chanted “Jews will not replace us!” And yet here we are, seven years later, and apparently these fanatical card-carrying antisemites have indeed been “replaced” in the minds of many Americans. Why? Because a deceitful campaign now portrays anti-genocide college students (including many Jews) as the leading purveyors of “the world’s oldes...