In response to hundreds of online criticisms and complaints alleging antisemitism, Nashville bookstore owner Mary Ann Weprin said she canceled author Alyssa Rosenheck's "White. Blonde. Jew." book launch over security concerns.
Rosenheck disputes that explanation, saying she hired private security before a social media backlash to the event began. Instead, she said she believes the cancelation was driven by her views on Zionism.
"My concern was whether my small neighborhood bookstore could responsibly host an event that appeared likely to require heightened security," Weprin said in a statement. "As a small business owner, I felt responsibility to consider the safety of my staff, customers, guests and community. That was the decision I was trying
to make."
Weprin's Bell Bird Books initially issued a statement defending events platforming diverse perspectives in response to calls to cancel the event and boycott the bookstore. But two days later, on July 31, Rosenheck announced that Weprin had already cancelled the Nashville book launch earlier in the week.
"On July 26, during a phone call with the bookstore owner, I asked directly whether she had security concerns or had received threats. She told me no," Rosenheck said. "The cancellation of my book launch on July 28, could not have been about security. It’s because I’m an unapologetic Jewish voice and advocate for the safety and security of a sovereign nation and it provokes intimidation from the online mob."
Much of the negative reaction to Rosenheck's book launch has been focused on her belief in Zionism, which is the idea that Jewish people have the right to the creation and protection of a sovereign state in Israel. Critics of the belief, like the organization Jewish Voice for Peace, view it as a "settler-colonial movement, establishing an apartheid state where Jews have more rights than others" and displacing Palestinian people, the group said.
Meanwhile, Rosenheck and her supporters, including the Jewish advocacy organization Anti-Defamation League, assert that anti-Zionism is another form of antisemitism.
"This is yet another example of how antisemitism is increasingly being repackaged as anti-Zionism, with 'Zionist' becoming the basis for campaigns to isolate Jewish authors and intimidate the institutions that host them," the ADL said in a statement.
Weprin said she is heartbroken over publicly being labeled antisemitic.
"Antisemitism has no place in our world, and I reject it completely," Weprin said. "My husband of more than 20 years is Jewish. These accusations are deeply personal, not because they are offensive, but because they are entirely untrue."
Over the past week, Weprin said she, her family and her employees have received hundreds of hateful messages. She also said she has personally read "White. Blonde. Jew" and plans to continue carrying it in Bell Bird Books.
"This was never about an author, her Jewish identity or the subject of her book. It was never about censorship. It was never about preventing anyone from reading or discussing ideas," Weprin said. "We will always carry her book because I believe people should read, think, question and decide for themselves."
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@tennessean.com. To support their work,subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Bell Bird Books owner canceled Alyssa Rosenheck's Nashville event
