Update: Robby Geller had a letter to the editor published on December 9, 2015 further responding to Lannan’s comments:
Anemic response
Patrick Lannan has clearly missed the point in his response (“Falk’s War,” Pasatiempo, Nov. 27) to recent letters accusing the Lannan Foundation of anti-Semitism. Simply because some of the speakers are Jewish does not mean that the Lannan is presenting an objective view. There are many very knowledgeable Jews who would present a very different perspective on this conflict, but have never been invited. It is true that there are several presidential candidates who truly support Israel, but most of the mainstream media do not (The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters, CNN, MSNBC, etc.). Most registered Democrats no longer support Israel, and if one spends any time navigating the current climate of anti-Semitism on college campuses, it has become apparent that most faculty and administrations do not support Israel. If Lannan truly wanted to present an underrepresented side to Santa Fe, he would support at least one speaker who would present a nonbiased view on Israel.
Robert B. Geller, M.D.
Santa Fe
The Santa Fe New Mexican publicized the upcoming Falk talk on November 27, 2015. Patrick Lannan states in this article:
Over the past two months, letter writers to The Santa Fe New Mexican have opined that the Lannan Foundation routinely brings anti-Israel speakers without any balancing counterpoint. Lannan Foundation director Patrick Lannan counters that several of the speakers who voice pro-Palestinian views are Jewish themselves, and that the foundation’s choice in programming reflects the group’s mission to air perspectives that go underrepresented in the U.S. media climate. He noted that most major newspaper editorial boards, alongside every current Democratic and Republican presidential candidate, have proclaimed their support for Israel. “We bring speakers who are critical of the U.S. justice system, the prison system, the war on drugs,” Lannan told Pasatiempo. “People are happy with our series and the talks are very well-attended.”
In response to the New Mexican’s quoting Patrick Lannan, Robby Geller from SFVFI responded:
