Show Notes
What happens when one of the world’s leading Holocaust scholars says today’s antisemitism feels frighteningly familiar?
In this vital episode Holocaust historian and former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt discusses the dangerous surge and normalization of antisemitism worldwide, citing the incidents in London and the October 8, 2023 Sydney Opera House rally. Lipstadt argues antisemitism now operates as a “horseshoe” uniting extremes at the far right and left. She uses the analogy of an upside-down pyramid to illustrate the threat to Jews, democracy, and international security (including “utilitarian antisemitism” on PRC platforms). She compares today to the 1930s while noting key differences. She critiques university groupthink and campus failures at UCLA and Columbia to protect Jewish students. She describes her envoy work shifting from Abraham Accords, including global guidelines signed by 44 entities and a symposium with major tech platforms.
She calls for unequivocal leadership, depoliticized action, education, and everyday speaking up. She emphasizes that there must be Jewish joy alongside fighting hate.
Topics include:
Lipstadt’s legal battle against Holocaust denier David Irving and the film adaptation starring Rachel Weisz. Lipstadt warns about rising antisemitic violence in London, including incidents in Golders Green and the Finchley Reform Synagogue. The episode examines antisemitic protests outside the Sydney Opera House following October 7, 2023. The discussion references the spread of antisemitic content on social media platforms including Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, and X. Lipstadt describes international diplomacy surrounding the Abraham Accords and outreach to Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Lipstadt praises cooperation from officials in Austria, Germany, and France in combating antisemitism. The Paris Peace Forum and comments by former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls following the Charlie Hebdo shooting and the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket siege. Lipstadt discusses online hate campaigns targeting Jewish institutions including the 92nd Street Y and AIPAC. The murder of Mahsa Amini in Iran and global protests over women’s rights. Lipstadt and Platt discuss authors and commentators including Dara Horn, Douglas Murray, Bret Stephens, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson. Lipstadt reflects on Jewish education through organizations like BBYO, USY, and institutions including Emory University and Brandeis University. Surprising Global Allies in France and Austria
Mentioned in the episode:
Deborah Lipstadt Brandeis University Emory University The Tam Institute for Jewish Studies Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory Denial (2016 film) Rachel Weisz Instagram President Joe Biden A Conversation With U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt Antisemitism being 'normalized' and not taken seriously enough, chief rabbi tells BBC Third arrest over attempted arson at synagogue Police investigate pro-Palestinian protest at Sydney Opera House over alleged anti-Semitism Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign from Congress amid clashes with Trump over Israel, Epstein Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu - Biography Code Pink Outs Itself as Anti-Jewish Hate Group Rothschild family Gunman Kills Three at Kansas City Jewish Community Center, Retirement Home UCLA can’t allow protesters to block Jewish students from campus, judge rules Final Columbia University antisemitism report details disturbing examples of Jewish students being cruelly singled out Met Police apologizes for 'openly Jewish' comment Paris Peace Forum Manuel Valls Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror ‘Déjà Vu’: Remembering Hyper Cacher Five Years Later Otto Frank Report of the Yale Committee on Trust in Higher Education Tel Aviv University BBYO Venice Biennale previews in chaos, overshadowed by row over Israeli and Russian participat
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