Antisemitism, U.S.A.: A History

Antisemitism has deep roots in American history. Yet in the United States, we often talk about it as if it were something new. We’re shocked when events happen like the Tree of Life Shootings in Pittsburgh or the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, but also surprised. We ask, “Where did this come from?” as if it came out of nowhere. But antisemitism in the United States has a history. A long, complicated history. A history easy to overlook. Join us on Antisemitism, U.S.A., a limited podcast series hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, to learn just how deep those roots go.

Coming this summer from R2 Studios, part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is written by historians John Turner and Lincoln Mullen. Our lead scholar is Britt Tevis. The series is executive produced by Jeanette Patrick and produced by Jim Ambuske.

In August 2017, white supremacists marched on Charlottesville, VA to silence the Jews, Black Americans, and other minorities whom they feared would “replace us.” The Unite the Right Rally was one of many ominous signs of persistent antisemitic attitudes and violence in the United States, but in this history of hate, some Americans found reason to hope.

Featuring: Yair Rosenberg, Jonathan Greenblatt, Mehnaz Afridi, and David Sorkin

Narrated by Mark Oppenheimer

Written by John Turner and Lincoln Mullen

This series is made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the David Bruce Smith Foundation.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is a production of R2 Studios at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

In the decades following the Six-Day War in 1967, anti-Zionism gained momentum in American academia and led to the rise of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement on college campuses. Nearly sixty years later, the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, revealed how antisemitism and progressive critiques of Israel’s war in Gaza could find a home in American universities.

Featuring: Rachel Fish, Cary Nelson, Michael Feuer, Alana Mondschein, Adena Kirstein, and Yair Rosenberg

Narrated by Mark Oppenheimer

Written by John Turner and Lincoln Mullen

This series is made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the David Bruce Smith Foundation.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is a production of R2 Studios at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

In the early 1970s, two powerful men, President Richard Nixon and evangelist Billy Graham, held secret Oval Office conversations about Jews. “America’s Pastor” and the 37th President of the United States didn’t consider themselves antisemites, but they dredged up stereotypes and traded in conspiracy theories shared by many Americans about the “good Jews”: Jews who were too smart, too powerful, and all too willing to corrupt the nation’s morals.

Featuring: Yaakov Ariel, Daniel Hummel, and Jonathan Greenblatt

Narrated by Mark Oppenheimer

Written by John Turner and Lincoln Mullen

This series is made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the David Bruce Smith Foundation.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is a production of R2 Studios at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

In post-war America, Bess Myerson became the first Jewish woman to win the Miss America competition, but she confronted bigotry and exclusion far more daunting than any pageant. Meanwhile, changing demographics of urban neighborhoods and the emerging civil rights movement led to unprecedented tensions between American Jews and African Americans in New York.

Featuring: Kristen Fermaglich, Pamela Nadell, Britt Tevis, Jonathan Greenblatt, Jerald Podair, Charles Isaacs, and Glen Harris

Narrated by Mark Oppenheimer

Written by John Turner and Lincoln Mullen

This series is made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the David Bruce Smith Foundation.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is a production of R2 Studios at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.