Jewish groups are raising concerns about the American Studies Association’s annual meeting, which includes sessions titled “Zionism Is Racism: Introducing the Critical Zionism Studies Syllabus” and “Dezionizing the U.S. University,” as well as the inclusion of a speaker with a history of controversial remarks about terrorism.

The Anti-Defamation League and the Academic Engagement Network said the programming at the three-day conference, which started Thursday in Chicago, presents a one-sided ideological perspective on Zionism and risks making Jewish and Zionist scholars feel unwelcome. The groups also criticized the inclusion of Palestinian American scientist and author Mazin Qumsiyeh, who in a 2016 article praised Bahaa Alyan, the terrorist that participated in a 2015 Jerusalem bus attack that killed three people, listing him among “martyrs of freedom” and describing such figures as “heroes.” 

The ADL and AEN argued that the conference programming threatens academic freedom and inclusion, warning that Jewish and Zionist scholars could face marginalization in their own professional communities.

“Academic freedom protects the right to criticize nations, governments, political movements, and ideologies,” the groups said in a joint statement to Jewish Insider. “But it also requires an intellectual culture in which contested claims are subject to scrutiny, disagreement is welcomed, and scholars are not marginalized or maligned because of their identities or beliefs.”

“Professional academic associations shape disciplinary norms, mentor early career scholars, and facilitate professional relationships and collaborations. When an association treats particular political claims and arguments as settled truths and those who disagree as morally suspect, it risks chilling open inquiry and fostering professional ostracism and exclusion,” they continued.

The groups called on ASA leadership “to uphold its stated commitment to critical thinking and public dialogue by reviewing its conference programming and speaker selection practices, creating genuine opportunities for intellectual exchange across differing perspectives, and unequivocally affirming that Jewish and Zionist scholars belong within the association.”   

ASA, a scholarly organization with almost 5,000 members, is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of U.S. history and culture and publishes the journal American Quarterly in addition to hosting an annual conference that draws thousands of academics, researchers and educators.

It has previously taken public positions on Israel-related issues, including in 2013, when its membership voted to endorse an academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions, a decision that drew criticism from Jewish organizations and academics, including the American Association of University Professors. 

Nancy Koppelman, a faculty member at the Evergreen State College in Washington state, joined ASA in the early 1990s while a graduate school student. She dropped out following the 2013 vote. 

“What really strikes me is how much worse things are now than they were in 2013,” Koppelman, who serves as a faculty consultant for the AEN, told JI. “Back then, I got a panel together to react to the boycott. There were a fair amount of mixed reactions to our panel, but we had a lot of supporters back then. We said at the time [the vote] was going to make things worse. We were absolutely right, it has made things worse.”

“It’s not just a matter of boycotting institutions. It’s boycotting learning anything about Israel, boycotting learning anything about the Jewish people that has to do with Israel,” said Koppelman. “There’s a denial of the reality of the country, which is tremendously damaging to university life.”    

In an April 2026 statement, the ASA rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, arguing that it conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism and suppresses pro-Palestinian activism and scholarship. 

The association also criticized the University of California, Berkeley’s decision to consider the IHRA definition — which is widely embraced by mainstream Jewish groups — when investigating discrimination complaints involving Jewish or Israeli individuals, describing it as part of a broader effort to silence dissent critical of Israel. The ASA said it opposes antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism but rejects what it called the “weaponization” of antisemitism claims to restrict scholarship and activism critical of Israel and Zionism. 

The ASA did not respond to a request for comment from JI about the conference programming. 

The conference comes as antisemitic and anti-Israel campaigns are on the rise within several U.S.-based professional academic associations, including the Association of American Geographers and the American Psychological Association.