Скачать или смотреть Ep. 31: Political Analysis & Debate: Prof. Dr. Omri Boehm (The New School for Social Research, NYC)

Guest: Prof. Dr. Omri Boehm – The New School for Social Research (New York)



Bio: Omri Boehm, born in Israel, studied philosophy at Tel Aviv University and completed his PhD at Yale. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the New School and a prominent public intellectual on Israel/Palestine, democracy, and identity debates. His books include Haifa Republic – A Democratic Future for Israel and Radical Universalism: Beyond Identity, which received the 2024 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding. Boehm is known for his ability to articulate complex problems with conceptual precision while remaining accessible to broader audiences.



In this Episode: Recorded March 21, 2025, hosts Efe and Yusuf speak with Prof. Boehm about the Gaza war, the collapse of the ceasefire efforts, the humanitarian catastrophe, and the wave of U.S. student protests—the largest since Vietnam. He critiques identity politics and postcolonial frameworks that treat Israel solely through a settler-colonial lens, reflecting on where these models illuminate and where they constrain. Boehm addresses genocide accusations, ICC warrants, and the ICJ’s South Africa case, distinguishing legal processes from political mobilization aimed to delegitimize Israel. The episode concludes with his proposal for an Israeli-Palestinian federation—the “Republic of Haifa”—grounded in Kant’s concept of friendship, and with advice to younger generations on how to pursue justice and peace with moral courage and intellectual honesty.



This episode was recorded March 21, 2025.



Links:



Boehm, Omri. Haifa Republic: A Democratic Future for Israel. New York Review Books, 2021 https://tinyurl.com/mr2pzdza

Original German edition: Israel – eine Utopie – Propyläen Verlag (2020) https://tinyurl.com/yjcavs8c



Boehm, Omri. Radical Universalism: Beyond Identity. New York Review Books, 2025 https://tinyurl.com/mr45uyhf

German edition: Radikaler Universalismus: Jenseits von Identität – Propyläen Verlag (2022) https://tinyurl.com/4bnn7tty



Freundschaft in finsteren Zeiten https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2024-03/le...



Harvard Caps Poll, Oct 19, 2023 https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-cont...



Münster Police brochure on genocide accusation as “Volksverhetzung” (§130 StGB) https://muenster.polizei.nrw/sites/de...



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.