Margaret Litvin
@margaretlitvin.bsky.social
Assoc prof of Arabic, comp lit, & literary translation at Boston University. Historian of Arabic literature's global entanglements, esp Arab-Soviet cultural ties. Co-founder, Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff.
Pinned
Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist
The secret life of a Palestinian Communist activist during the leadup to World War II.In the public eye, Najati Sidqi was known as a journalist and writer, a...
utpress.utexas.edu
Coming this fall! I'm so proud of this co-translation. Najati Sidqi is a fun writer, curious about everything. Plus, brave at a terrible time. Participated in the Spanish Civil War; booted from the Communist Party in 1940 for writing against fascism during the Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact.
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War of 1936, and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi
Palestinians fought against fascism in Spain. Here’s their story
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi, says Vijay Prashad.
www.newarab.com
April 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War of 1936, and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
Entre ellos destacaría Muhammad Najati Sidqi. Encarcelado y deportado en 1936, llegó con la misión de hacer propaganda antifascista entre los marroquíes en las tropas de Franco. También de alentar una sublevación nacionalista en el Rif. Ninguno de los planes saldría adelante.
April 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Entre ellos destacaría Muhammad Najati Sidqi. Encarcelado y deportado en 1936, llegó con la misión de hacer propaganda antifascista entre los marroquíes en las tropas de Franco. También de alentar una sublevación nacionalista en el Rif. Ninguno de los planes saldría adelante.
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
‘The Arab “Left” Nationalist Movement’ by Mustafa Sadi (Najati Sidqi) from Communist International. Vol. 7 No. 13. December 1, 1930.
Najati Sidqi was a young Palestinian when he spent three years at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East...
revolutionsnewsstand.com/2025/02/15/t...
Najati Sidqi was a young Palestinian when he spent three years at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East...
revolutionsnewsstand.com/2025/02/15/t...
‘The Arab “Left” Nationalist Movement’ by Mustafa Sadi (Najati Sidqi) from Communist International. Vol. 7 No. 13. December 1, 1930.
Najati Sidqi was a young Palestinian when he spent three years, from 1925-8, at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East, returning to Palestine to become the leading Arab voice in what …
revolutionsnewsstand.com
February 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
‘The Arab “Left” Nationalist Movement’ by Mustafa Sadi (Najati Sidqi) from Communist International. Vol. 7 No. 13. December 1, 1930.
Najati Sidqi was a young Palestinian when he spent three years at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East...
revolutionsnewsstand.com/2025/02/15/t...
Najati Sidqi was a young Palestinian when he spent three years at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East...
revolutionsnewsstand.com/2025/02/15/t...
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
Apparently the communist intellectual Najati Sidqi was born 100 years ago exactly today.
I wrote about him and his wife, the rabblerouser Lutka Lorberbaum, a Polish Jew who studied Arabic to preach communism in the Palestinian countryside. ayinpress.org/lutka-and-na...
I wrote about him and his wife, the rabblerouser Lutka Lorberbaum, a Polish Jew who studied Arabic to preach communism in the Palestinian countryside. ayinpress.org/lutka-and-na...
Lutka and Najati: Love and Communism in British Mandate Palestine
Palestine’s post-Ottoman history is one of a native society who faced the challenge of absorbing Jewish migrant-settlers from Europe. Under British colonial patronage, these migrants built a separate ...
ayinpress.org
May 14, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Apparently the communist intellectual Najati Sidqi was born 100 years ago exactly today.
I wrote about him and his wife, the rabblerouser Lutka Lorberbaum, a Polish Jew who studied Arabic to preach communism in the Palestinian countryside. ayinpress.org/lutka-and-na...
I wrote about him and his wife, the rabblerouser Lutka Lorberbaum, a Polish Jew who studied Arabic to preach communism in the Palestinian countryside. ayinpress.org/lutka-and-na...
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
remember muhammad najati sidqi www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/192942
I Went to Defend Jerusalem in Cordoba, Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist in the Spanish International Brigades
www.palestine-studies.org
August 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
remember muhammad najati sidqi www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/192942
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi, writes Vijay Prashad ⬇
Palestinians fought against fascism in Spain. Here’s their story
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi, says Vijay Prashad.
www.newarab.com
April 14, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Palestinians have a rich pedigree in anti-colonial struggles, just look at the Spanish Civil War and the life of Muhammad Najati Sidqi, writes Vijay Prashad ⬇
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
In a number of cases, anonymous single-paragraph complaints, with no supporting evidence provided, spurred full-scale Title VI investigations.
“Government civil rights enforcement is now being driven by the equivalent of a YouTube comment section.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“Government civil rights enforcement is now being driven by the equivalent of a YouTube comment section.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Surge in antisemitism investigations at US universities after October 7 attacks, data shows
A report shared exclusively with the Guardian documents how a civil rights law has become a tool to impose ideological priorities on US schools
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:19 PM
In a number of cases, anonymous single-paragraph complaints, with no supporting evidence provided, spurred full-scale Title VI investigations.
“Government civil rights enforcement is now being driven by the equivalent of a YouTube comment section.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“Government civil rights enforcement is now being driven by the equivalent of a YouTube comment section.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The AAUP and MESA continue their important work:
New report from @mesa1966.bsky.social and @aaup.org : Antisemitism lawsuits and investigations have skyrocketed over the past two years, largely driven by outside groups, and almost all focusing on criticism of Israel.
November 11, 2025 at 11:23 AM
The AAUP and MESA continue their important work:
So glad #NajatiSidqi is having a moment! Read his funny short story "The Millionaire Communist," translated by my former student Hadeel Abu Ktaish, at bsky.app/profile/arab.... Cover art from the original collection (this was the title story).
Najati Sidqi: ‘The Millionaire Communist’
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi’s 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who r…
arablit.org
November 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
So glad #NajatiSidqi is having a moment! Read his funny short story "The Millionaire Communist," translated by my former student Hadeel Abu Ktaish, at bsky.app/profile/arab.... Cover art from the original collection (this was the title story).
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
Najati Sidqi: ‘The Millionaire Communist’
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi's 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who returned from Russia and got rich profiteering off a war-relief…
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi's 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who returned from Russia and got rich profiteering off a war-relief…
Najati Sidqi: ‘The Millionaire Communist’
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi's 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who returned from Russia and got rich profiteering off a war-relief charity.
arablit.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Najati Sidqi: ‘The Millionaire Communist’
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi's 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who returned from Russia and got rich profiteering off a war-relief…
This sharply satirical short story, published in Sidqi's 1962 short-story collection of the same name, is a satire that follows the story of a real-life fellow Arab Communist from Haifa who returned from Russia and got rich profiteering off a war-relief…
An excerpt of Najati's memoir is out in the fall Jewish Currents, online now. Looks like a great issue overall. Subscribe if you haven't!
Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist
Najati Sidqi’s reminiscences, which chronicle the upheavals of the early 20th century, resonate with shocking familiarity today.
jewishcurrents.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:19 PM
An excerpt of Najati's memoir is out in the fall Jewish Currents, online now. Looks like a great issue overall. Subscribe if you haven't!
Looks like they raised the goal because more signatures keep coming in.
The MA Commission on Combating Antisemitism, in their invited testimony and k12 recommendations, have promoted a one-sided narrative in which antisemitism equates to criticism of Israel.
Add your signature to tell MA leaders to stop weaponizing our identity: actionnetwork.org/petitions/ma...
Add your signature to tell MA leaders to stop weaponizing our identity: actionnetwork.org/petitions/ma...
Massachusetts Jews Say Stop Weaponizing Our Identity
We are Massachusetts Jews who want to see an equitable and effective approach to addressing antisemitism in our state. Regardless of our views on Zionism, Israel, and how to define antisemitism, we ar...
actionnetwork.org
October 23, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Looks like they raised the goal because more signatures keep coming in.
The DHS/State lawyers' case was so incoherent. Argued that writing an op-ed was action not speech. Claimed that "preventing a hostile campus environment for Jewish students" (by repressing protected speech) was vital to US *foreign* policy.
Glad Judge Young wasn't having it.
Glad Judge Young wasn't having it.
Notably, Judge Young calls the government's definition of antisemitism (which officially is the IHRA def) unconstitutionally broad:
"Trump administration's full-throated assault on the First Amendment across the board under the cover of an unconstitutionally broad definition of Anti-Semitism"
"Trump administration's full-throated assault on the First Amendment across the board under the cover of an unconstitutionally broad definition of Anti-Semitism"
BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥
Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.
Full ruling here:
💥 💥 💥
Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.
Full ruling here:
October 2, 2025 at 11:33 PM
The DHS/State lawyers' case was so incoherent. Argued that writing an op-ed was action not speech. Claimed that "preventing a hostile campus environment for Jewish students" (by repressing protected speech) was vital to US *foreign* policy.
Glad Judge Young wasn't having it.
Glad Judge Young wasn't having it.
However, cozying up to right-wing antisemites invites some unpleasant surprises. aje.io/s4bccs
October 2, 2025 at 10:57 PM
However, cozying up to right-wing antisemites invites some unpleasant surprises. aje.io/s4bccs
If you or your kids have been ostracized, bullied, censored, discriminated against, excluded from campus Jewish life, or fired for Israel-critical views: let the Special Commission on Antisemitism hear it. They claim that victims will be believed, not gaslit.
The MA Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism is still accepting written testimony. Make your voice heard here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
September 30, 2025 at 8:47 AM
If you or your kids have been ostracized, bullied, censored, discriminated against, excluded from campus Jewish life, or fired for Israel-critical views: let the Special Commission on Antisemitism hear it. They claim that victims will be believed, not gaslit.
Surely Massachusetts lawmakers must be starting to realize that this Special Commission is a political liability.
By an informal count, 59 spoke out yesterday against the MA Special Commission's approach, 18 in support. Many who spoke out were Jews critical of IHRA's labeling of various criticisms of Israel as antisemitic. Here are a few quotes:
September 28, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Surely Massachusetts lawmakers must be starting to realize that this Special Commission is a political liability.
State Sen. Pat Jehlen testified! Then Alain Jehlen: “Your proposal would punish comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, but Israel's actions have much in common with the Nazis. … The Nazis killed my uncles, my aunts and my grandmother. My father escaped from a concentration camp."
Today's public hearings amounted to a complete rebuke of the MA Antisemitism Commission's approach. Antisemitism must be combated, but the IHRA definition, which declares many criticisms of Israel to be hate speech, is not the way. Our safety is intertwined with that of others.
The public testimony being given to the MA Special Commission on Antisemitism couldn't be more different from that of their handpicked guests. Many speaking out against IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Follow the livestream here: malegislature.gov/Events/Heari...
Follow the livestream here: malegislature.gov/Events/Heari...
September 26, 2025 at 11:29 AM
State Sen. Pat Jehlen testified! Then Alain Jehlen: “Your proposal would punish comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, but Israel's actions have much in common with the Nazis. … The Nazis killed my uncles, my aunts and my grandmother. My father escaped from a concentration camp."
"Unless state lawmakers step in with some oversight, this antisemitism commission will actually make Jews less safe."
Why @concernedjfaculty.bsky.social is calling for a course correction on the Mass Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
Why @concernedjfaculty.bsky.social is calling for a course correction on the Mass Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
Is Massachusetts’ new “Antisemitism Commission” really protecting Jewish communities—or putting them at greater risk? Prof. Margaret Litvin (Boston University) breaks down how the commission’s rushed recommendations could undermine teachers,
youtube.com/shorts/BmV-9...
youtube.com/shorts/BmV-9...
youtube.com
September 1, 2025 at 7:23 PM
"Unless state lawmakers step in with some oversight, this antisemitism commission will actually make Jews less safe."
Why @concernedjfaculty.bsky.social is calling for a course correction on the Mass Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
Why @concernedjfaculty.bsky.social is calling for a course correction on the Mass Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
"Massachusetts Democrats have a choice. They can resist Trump, or they can help the ADL. They cannot do both."
i've raised concerns for a while that many high profile democrats and liberal institutions are enabling Trump.
here's my latest, which raises a number of concerns about Massachusetts' Dem-led Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
www.masslive.com/opinion/2025...
here's my latest, which raises a number of concerns about Massachusetts' Dem-led Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism.
www.masslive.com/opinion/2025...
How Mass. Democrats are unwittingly helping Trump
Antisemitism is a real problem, particularly as Trump positions Jews as a scapegoat for his authoritarian crackdowns. But rather than combat antisemitism or resist Trump, Massachusetts’ Democrats — li...
www.masslive.com
August 27, 2025 at 10:19 AM
"Massachusetts Democrats have a choice. They can resist Trump, or they can help the ADL. They cannot do both."
Thanks, Akhbar al-Adab, for republishing my 2022 conversation with Tugrul Mende about the great but humble Sonallah Ibrahim (RIP), whose novels add up to an alternative global history of postcolonial Egypt.
شكراً لتغرل مندي وللأصدقاء في جريدة أخبار الأدب. في ذكرى صنع الله ابراهيم، رحمه الله
شكراً لتغرل مندي وللأصدقاء في جريدة أخبار الأدب. في ذكرى صنع الله ابراهيم، رحمه الله
August 25, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Thanks, Akhbar al-Adab, for republishing my 2022 conversation with Tugrul Mende about the great but humble Sonallah Ibrahim (RIP), whose novels add up to an alternative global history of postcolonial Egypt.
شكراً لتغرل مندي وللأصدقاء في جريدة أخبار الأدب. في ذكرى صنع الله ابراهيم، رحمه الله
شكراً لتغرل مندي وللأصدقاء في جريدة أخبار الأدب. في ذكرى صنع الله ابراهيم، رحمه الله
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
My little contribution @arablit.bsky.social with translators on Sonallah Ibrahim
August 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
My little contribution @arablit.bsky.social with translators on Sonallah Ibrahim
NYT reads and remembers Sonallah Ibrahim:
Sonallah Ibrahim, Egyptian Novelist of Irony and Dissent, Dies at 88
www.nytimes.com
August 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
NYT reads and remembers Sonallah Ibrahim:
RIP Sonallah Ibrahim, one of the most unpretentious people I have met. Luminous personality, sparkly dry wit. His novels are a people's history of post-1952 Egypt. Super gracious to translate. If you don't know where to start: Zaat; That Smell and Notes from Prison; Stealth; The Committee. Small🧵.
August 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
RIP Sonallah Ibrahim, one of the most unpretentious people I have met. Luminous personality, sparkly dry wit. His novels are a people's history of post-1952 Egypt. Super gracious to translate. If you don't know where to start: Zaat; That Smell and Notes from Prison; Stealth; The Committee. Small🧵.
National context for what's happening on pretextual #antisemitism at the Massachusetts State House, and soon our Dept of Elementary and Secondary Ed.
The Anti-Defamation League has a new tool to rate states on a "Jewish a policy Index." Among the criteria ADL uses: whether a state formally opposes attempts to boycott Israel, and whether it has adopted terminology that functionally defines anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
August 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
National context for what's happening on pretextual #antisemitism at the Massachusetts State House, and soon our Dept of Elementary and Secondary Ed.
Reposted by Margaret Litvin
This has nothing to do with combatting campus antisemitism. This is a shakedown and an effort to bring the best public university system in the country to its knees: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/u...
Trump Wants U.C.L.A. to Pay $1 Billion to Restore Its Research Funding
www.nytimes.com
August 8, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This has nothing to do with combatting campus antisemitism. This is a shakedown and an effort to bring the best public university system in the country to its knees: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/u...