Ep. 12: The History: The Holocaust and the Founding of the State of Israel (Prof. Dr. Derek Penslar – Harvard University)

Guest: Professor Derek Penslar, William Lee Frost Chair of Jewish History, Harvard University Hosts: Alexandria, Mert, Yusuf Bio: Professor Derek Penslar is a world-leading historian of Zionism and Jewish history. His research explores the political, social, and emotional dimensions of Zionism, Jewish military history, and the global impact of the 1948 war. Notable works include Zionism and Technocracy: The Engineering of Jewish Settlement in Palestine, 1870‑1918 (1991), Jews and the Military: A History (2013), Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader (2020), and Zionism: An Emotional State (2023). He served twice as President of the American Academy for Jewish Research and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In this episode: We explore the period around 1948, examining how the Holocaust reshaped Zionism and international support for Jewish self-determination. Professor Penslar discusses Holocaust survivors in Displaced Persons Camps, the UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181), the outbreak and memory of the 1948 war, and the emotional currents shaping Zionist thought. Topics include international reactions to Israel’s founding, contested narratives of 1948, the reception of survivors in Israel, and the role of memory in shaping national identity. He also engages critically with the settler-colonial framework. This episode was recorded June 18, 2025. Links:https://history.fas.harvard.edu/people/derek-penslar Further resources:Biltmore Declaration (1942): https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206268/Resolution 181: Palestine Plan of Partition with Economic Union: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-185393/The term "Nakba": Zureiq, Ma’na al-Nakba (1948): https://archive.org/details/zurayk-nakba Please also check out our other episodes to explore multiple perspectives: On the White Papers and the Holocaust: Michael Brenner, Oren KesslerOn 1948: Adel Manna, Muriel Asseburg, Gudrun Krämer Disclaimer:Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.