Psychology for human rights
Dear Colleagues, Last month, at the American Psychological Association annual convention in Washington, DC, I had the privilege of offering a five-minute “TED Talk” titled “On Conscience and Conviction as a Psychologist Today.” I was one of eight honorees as part of APA president Wendi Williams’s new “100 Psychologists Rising” initiative, and I am very grateful. …
Continue reading “On Conscience and Conviction as a Psychologist Today”
Note: This opinion piece reflects my personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. Update (August 14, 2026): It has now become apparent that Gesher Community Care has misrepresented organizations listed as endorsers of its letter. Among the most prominent examples are Bristol Myers Squibb (yes, the global Fortune 100 …
Continue reading “The Mask Comes Off: The Psychologists Protecting Israel, Not Jews”
Note: This open letter reflects my personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. A PDF version is available here. July 27, 2026 Dear Members of the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives: It is my strong and informed opinion that the Association of Jewish Psychologists (AJP) should not be awarded an ethnic psychological association seat …
Note: This opinion piece reflects my personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Oceania is a totalitarian society where Big Brother demands unquestioning conformity and obedience; where the Thought Police constantly monitor and punish every infraction of the rules; and where the Ministry of Truth …
Continue reading “Big Brother and the Israel Advocacy Machine”
Note: This opinion piece reflects my personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. A PDF version is available here. For reasons I don’t understand, the American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association (APA), has published another article that appears to misrepresent antisemitism and its prevalence within the mental health professions …
Note: This opinion piece reflects my own personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. I was not present at the meeting I describe below. Last weekend, the 180-member governing Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association held its annual midwinter meeting in Washington, DC. In a series of crucial …
Continue reading “APA’s Council Meeting: Human Rights Win, Fear Loses”
Note: This opinion piece reflects my own personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. Several colleagues have asked me recently why I think it would be a very serious mistake for the Association of Jewish Psychologists (AJP) to be awarded a seat on the American Psychological Association’s (APA) governing Council …
Continue reading “My Significant Concerns about the Association of Jewish Psychologists”
Note: This opinion piece reflects my personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated. As a matter of transparency, my application to be a member of the Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists was rejected. More than two decades ago, when thousands of Muslim men and boys were being abused and tortured in U.S. …
Continue reading “Misguided: APA’s New Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists”
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that’s …
Continue reading “The Weaponizers of Antisemitism Have Come for the APA”
There’s an old adage among attorneys: “If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell!” Outside of the courtroom, there’s no better example of this tactic today than the incessant, loud, and misdirected charges of “Antisemitism!” that have become the calling card of the Anti-Defamation League. …
Continue reading “The Anti-Defamation League’s Latest Spurious Attack”