By Brandi Wylie ’24, student intern
Dr. Dara Horn has published six books focused on Jewish narratives, and her latest book, “People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present,” is her first nonfiction work.
“The book is a collection of essays about the role that dead Jews play in a wider world’s imagination,” says Horn, an award-winning author. “It’s also about contemporary antisemitism and the way it manifests in our society in subtle ways as well as outwardly hateful forms.”
Horn will lecture on the ideas presented in her book in Leonard Auditorium on at 7:30 p.m. on March 20. She will participate in a book signing after the lecture.
“Be prepared to get uncomfortable because that’s how you know you’re learning,” Horn says.
The topic of discussion is deep, but Horn says that she brings humor and storytelling to the issue to make it more digestible.
“I’m not scary, and I’m very funny,” Horn says.
She also will discuss the ways Jewish culture is oftentimes overlooked in modern society, which can perpetuate the issue of antisemitism.
Horn will provide evidence of this through stories of recent incidents at the Anne Frank Museum that she believes to have ignored Jewish culture and traditions.
Acknowledging the 3,000-year history of antisemitism, Horn recognizes that she will not be able to offer solutions for the issue; instead, she wants to offer a different way of framing it.
“There are deeper assumptions that we don’t talk about,” Horn says. “We have to make people aware that you can’t fight antisemitism by just studying who Jews were; you have to study who Jews are.”
Understanding the current issues and culture of the Jewish community is the only way to fight antisemitism, she says.
Horn’s lecture is co-sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.