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Virág Gulyás, an international relations and branding expert, recently visited the University of New Haven to help launch a new speaker series about combating instances of antisemitism and promoting human rights.

October 14, 2019

By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Vu Nguyen ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™20 wants to learn about different ways of looking at the world. ThatÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s why he decided to attend a program on campus sponsored by the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Council that featured a lecture by Virág Gulyás titled "Antisemite to Zionist."

"ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s important for young adults to learn about different viewpoints," said Nguyen, a marketing major. "The idea that I canÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™t possibly understand something because I am not part of a certain group ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ“ whether it is a race or a gender ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ“ is not true. If you take the time to understand, it is possible to understand. IÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™m glad Ms. Gulyás discussed that."

An international relations and branding expert, Gulyás, a native of Hungary, admits she grew up in an insular anti-Semitic environment. Although she is not Jewish, she has become a pro-Israel voice and a Zionist, a prominent voice for Jewish people in America. Her blog, is well known in the United States and in Israel.

A former European Union diplomat, she recently completed a masterÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s degree in Jewish studies, her second advanced degree. She has been working for years on several high-profile educational and public relations campaigns that aim to correct the false narratives around Israel.

"ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s important for young adults to learn about different viewpoints."Vu Nguyen ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™20

Gulyás told the University community her story, encouraging her audience to learn from history and to change the future.

"ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s really hard to stand up for each other," she said. "We donÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™t even stand up for ourselves. ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s hard to stand up for a Jewish person because you face antisemitism without being a Jew."

Gulyás was the first of four speakers to visit the University as part of a series organized by the UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s IDEA Council. In response to the growing number of incidents of antisemitism across the country, the IDEA Council created a working committee centered around fighting antisemitism that is focusing on exploring new approaches to help combat these incidents ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ“ especially on college campuses.

The UniversityÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s yearlong speaker series will focus on combating antisemitism and promoting human rights.

"ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s a polarizing topic, and this is a good opportunity to get to hear another side," said Ken Fabian ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™20, a communication major. "Diversity of thought is important, and events like this are good opportunities for students to learn about different points of view and from peopleÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s firsthand experiences."

Added Anna Downs ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™20, a communication major, "ItÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ™s a topic you hear about in the media a lot, and I was interested in hearing about her experience."

Anyone interested in finding out about future speakers in the series should email Prof. Martin A. Goldberg at mgoldberg@newhaven.edu.