As the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2026 Annual Convention convenes in Washington, D.C. for what has been promoted as the “largest gathering of psychologists in the world,” psychologists from across the globe will be coming together to share research, build collaborations, and discuss ways to advance the profession. Yet for many Jewish and Israeli psychologists, academics, and students, history appears to be repeating itself as the convention has once again become a reminder that they are not afforded the same sense of belonging, welcome, and physical and psychological safety as their colleagues.

On July 31, 2026, an email penned by Psychologists for Justice in Palestine (PsyJP) was shared on the APA Division 17 (Society for Counseling Psychology) listserv, encouraging convention attendees to “send a clear message to APA and our fellow psychologists: Psychologists do—and must—care about justice, liberation, and the lives of Palestinians.”

The email urged conference participants to show solidarity by wearing a keffiyeh or “Palestine colors,” read a prewritten “Land and Genocide Acknowledgement” before professional presentations, attend programming focused on Palestinian liberation, and participate in an open meeting hosted by the Psychology Coalition for Justice in Palestine, comprised of Psychologists for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Psychologists for Justice, APA Divisions 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women), 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity), 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race), and 48 (Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology), Section 9 of Division 39 (Psychoanalysis for Social Responsibility), and the Asian American Psychological Association.

While the correspondence begins by noting that the conference is taking place on the “ancestral homelands of the Nacotchtank (also referred to as Anacostan), Piscataway, and Pamunkey peoples,” it provides little historical context........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)