346: Why Antisemitism is Never Just About Jews: The History--and Persistence--of Antisemitism in America, with Historian and Author Pamela Nadell

Antisemitism is often treated as something that belongs to another time and place—Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, or centuries-old persecution in Europe. Moreover, it's also often framed as something only Jews should worry about.But historian Pamela S. Nadell argues that antisemitism has a much longer—and much more American—history than many of us realize... and history shows us that its poison often bleeds into other communities, as well.Pamela is an award-winning historian, professor and the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History at American University, and author of Antisemitism, an American Tradition.In this episode, we trace antisemitism from its centuries-old roots to its evolution in America—and ask what that history can teach us about the moment we're living through now.We talk:How antisemitism evolved from medieval Europe to early AmericaThe Rothschilds, Henry Ford and the rise of antisemitic conspiracy theoriesHow antisemitism became embedded in American institutions and cultureWhy post-WWII America became a relative “golden age” for American Jews—and what changedThe Tree of Life massacre, October 7 and today’s “high tide” of antisemitismWhat Zionism actually means—and when anti-Zionism crosses into antisemitismAntisemitism on college campuses and across the political right and leftHow social media gives centuries-old antisemitic ideas new lifeWhy antisemitism is never just about Jews—and what its rise can tell us about a societyYou can find Antisemitism, an American Tradition—winner of the 2025 National Jewish Book Award for American Jewish Studies—HERE.