Voices on Antisemitism
100 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingVoices on Antisemitism, a production of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, features a broad range of perspectives about antisemitism and hatred today.
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Episodes
Jeremy Waldron
August 02, 2012 16:00 - 7 minutes - 8.5 MBJeremy Waldron calls the topic of hate speech a “hardy perennial” and one we must continue to revisit. In his book The Harm in Hate Speech, Waldron examines First Amendment legal protections and considers the damage inflicted on society by hate speech.
Mehnaz Afridi
July 05, 2012 16:00 - 8 minutes - 9.41 MBBorn in Pakistan and a practicing Muslim, Mehnaz Afridi has studied Judaism and Jewish history, interviewed Holocaust survivors, and visited Dachau to pay respect and pray. Now she works to inspire her students to take interest in other faiths and cultures as well.
Fariborz Mokhtari
June 07, 2012 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.62 MBIn his book, Fariborz Mokhtari brings to light the story of Abdol Hossein Sardari, sometimes called "the Iranian Schindler" for his efforts to save Jews during World War II. Mokhtari hopes to encourage new conversations about the Holocaust and about Iran.
Maya Benton
May 03, 2012 16:00 - 6 minutes - 7.89 MBMaya Benton is working to establish the Roman Vishniac Archive at the International Center of Photography. Vishniac's photos include some of the most well-known images of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The archive also includes thousands of unpublished images that show the tremendous diversity of prewar Jewish life, as well as the rise of Nazi power in Berlin.
Vanessa Hidary
April 05, 2012 16:00 - 9 minutes - 10.5 MBIn her signature poem "Hebrew Mamita," Vanessa Hidary addresses antisemitic stereotypes in her direct, no-nonsense style. In this piece, she unpacks insult-as-compliment antisemitism, and the subtle ways that oppression can get under your skin.
Pardeep Kaleka
April 04, 2012 16:00 - 6 minutes - 15.1 MBIn the wake of his father's murder by a white supremacist at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Pardeep Kaleka has become a powerful voice against hate crime and violence. Kaleka helped found the organization Serve 2 Unite, which brings together young people from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Dr. Michael A. Grodin
March 01, 2012 17:00 - 6 minutes - 6.97 MBDr. Michael Grodin has written about Nazi doctors and the ways patients were systematically dehumanized and tortured. He believes we need to beware of the subtle ways that medical ethics can be subverted in the name of research and public health.
David Draiman
February 02, 2012 17:00 - 7 minutes - 8.2 MBAs frontman for the multi-platinum hard-rock band Disturbed, David Draiman writes songs that are often personal and political. As a kid, he was drawn into occasional fistfights over anti-Jewish remarks. As an adult, he addresses Holocaust denial and antisemitism in his song "Never Again."
Vidal Sassoon
January 05, 2012 17:00 - 4 minutes - 5.51 MBAlthough Vidal Sassoon has stopped cutting hair himself—he jokes that no one wants an 84-year-old stylist—he maintains a strong pride in his Jewish identity, a robust sense of political activism, and a vigilance toward antisemitism.
Michael Kahn
December 01, 2011 17:00 - 8 minutes - 9.97 MBDuring his career, Kahn has produced The Merchant of Venice three times. It is among the most popular and the most contentious of Shakespeare's plays, with ever-evolving relevance for modern audiences.
David Albahari
November 03, 2011 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.73 MBIn many of his novels, Serbian-Jewish author David Albahari challenges readers to re-examine history. Though widely published around the world, Albahari's work is not always popular in his native country, where antisemitism persists.
Sir Ben Kingsley
October 06, 2011 16:00 - 7 minutes - 8.86 MBSir Ben Kingsley has played key roles in several films about the Holocaust, including Simon Wiesenthal, Itzhak Stern, and Otto Frank. Kingsley believes that it is important to confront tragedy in film and art, and that as an actor he is able to be both storyteller and witness.
Mike Godwin
September 01, 2011 16:00 - 6 minutes - 7.95 MBAn early adopter of computer culture, Mike Godwin noticed in online discussions an abundance of glib comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis. In response, he coined Godwin's Law, a modern adage intended to promote more thoughtful dialogue.
Stephen Norwood
August 04, 2011 16:00 - 6 minutes - 6.93 MBIn his book, The Third Reich in the Ivory Tower, Stephen Norwood looks at the ways many American universities actively or passively helped to legitimize Nazi Germany. In their failure to take a stand against antisemitism, Norwood sees parallels in academia today.
Hannah Rosenthal
June 02, 2011 16:00 - 8 minutes - 9.33 MBThe history of Jews in the United States, as well as her own life experiences, have demonstrated for Hannah Rosenthal that coalition building is critical to affecting change around the world.
Ed Koch
May 05, 2011 16:00 - 9 minutes - 10.8 MBAs a young man, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was drafted into the Army, where in basic training he encountered antisemitism for the first time. Many years later, that encounter continues to resonate.
Sarah Jones
April 07, 2011 16:00 - 9 minutes - 10.4 MBSarah Jones is well known for her one-person Broadway show Bridge & Tunnel, in which she delivers monologues from fourteen characters of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Jones has dedicated her work to bringing people together through shared stories.
Frank Meeink
March 03, 2011 17:00 - 9 minutes - 11.1 MBIn his book Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, Frank Meeink describes with brutal honesty his descent into bigotry and violence as a teenage neo-Nazi. Through some surprising personal encounters, Meeink came to reject his beliefs and become an advocate for tolerance and diversity.
Danielle Rossen
February 03, 2011 17:00 - 6 minutes - 7.71 MBWhat Would You Do? captures the reactions of ordinary people to real-life dilemmas. While Rossen has sometimes been shocked by bigotry or ambivalence, she has also been inspired by people who take action.
Rex Bloomstein
January 06, 2011 17:00 - 5 minutes - 5.73 MBRex Bloomstein has made many films about Jewish history and the Holocaust, including perhaps the best-known film on antisemitism, The Longest Hatred. Bloomstein's recent film, KZ, presents a modern look at the legacy of the Holocaust.
Renee Hobbs
December 02, 2010 17:00 - 6 minutes - 7.95 MBRenee Hobbs is founder of the Media Education Lab at Temple University. Hobbs works to promote media literacy and critical thinking about information sources-which can be a powerful tool against hate speech and Holocaust denial.
Imam Mohamed Magid
November 04, 2010 16:00 - 7 minutes - 8.95 MBImam Mohamed Magid takes a strong stand against antisemitism and Holocaust denial and believes it's important for other Muslim leaders to do so as well.
Robert Corrigan
October 07, 2010 16:00 - 4 minutes - 5.54 MBEarly in Robert Corrigan’s tenure as president of San Francisco State University, students posted a mural on campus that included antisemitic symbols. Corrigan took a strong stand against the hateful imagery, and had the mural sandblasted off. As a result of that turmoil—and the persistence of antisemitism on university campuses—Corrigan decided that San Francisco State should have a concrete plan for addressing such incidents when they occur.
Garth Crooks
September 02, 2010 16:00 - 6 minutes - 6.96 MBRacism and antisemitism have, unfortunately, been part of soccer culture for many decades. As a black player on predominantly white British teams, Garth Crooks experienced the problem firsthand, and now strives to purge the sport of prejudice and hate.
Kevin Gover
August 05, 2010 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.63 MBAs a young man in the South, Kevin Gover witnessed prejudice of all kinds, including antisemitism. Today, in his office across the National Mall from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Gover reflects on some of the shared goals and challenges for Jews and Native Americans.
Diego Portillo Mazal
July 01, 2010 16:00 - 7 minutes - 8.02 MBDiego Portillo Mazal was born in Argentina and lived all over the world before settling in Boston. As a founding member of the Latino-Jewish Roundtable, Portillo Mazal works to bring Jews and Latinos together to overcome prejudice and find common ground.
David Reynolds
June 03, 2010 16:00 - 4 minutes - 5.04 MBOne year ago this month, Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns died heroically in the line of duty, protecting visitors and staff at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum from an avowed antisemite, Holocaust denier, and racist. Special Police Officer David Reynolds worked alongside Officer Johns. Reynolds continues to welcome and protect people at the Museum as he has for over a decade. Reynolds feels his role is important because of the antisemitism, racism, and bigotry that still exist in the world.
Louise Gruner Gans
May 06, 2010 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.7 MBLouise Gruner Gans' experiences with prejudice have influenced her work as a lawyer and as a judge, and have reminded her to keep a human perspective on the law.
Ray Allen
April 01, 2010 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.43 MBRay Allen has visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum several times since it opened; each time he brings a different friend, teammate, or coach. The Museum, Allen says, has a message for everyone and lessons about prejudice that are universally relevant.
Ralph Fiennes
March 04, 2010 17:00 - 10 minutes - 12.2 MBActor Ralph Fiennes has appeared in a number of films about the Holocaust. In this podcast, he talks with journalist Bob Woodward about his role as SS officer Amon Goeth in the Oscar-winning film Schindler's List.
Judy Gold
February 04, 2010 17:00 - 5 minutes - 5.92 MBComedian Judy Gold is known for pushing boundaries with her humor. In her stand-up and her stage show titled "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother," Gold makes jokes about her family and her identity as a Jew and a lesbian. Humor, Gold says, can promote dialogue and be a way to address prejudice, antisemitism, and even terrible tragedy.
Charles H. Ramsey
January 14, 2010 17:00 - 7 minutes - 8.14 MBAs Chief of Police in Washington DC, Charles Ramsey developed a training program for law enforcement officers in conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Anti-Defamation League. Now in its eleventh year, the program examines the history of the Holocaust in order to help officers reflect on their personal and professional responsibilities.
Rabbi Gila Ruskin
December 21, 2009 17:00 - 9 minutes - 11 MBAt the age of 50, Rabbi Gila Ruskin left her pulpit position to teach Jewish studies at an urban-Baltimore Catholic school with a historically African American student body. The experience led Ruskin to appreciate the many ways that Jews and African Americans can come together through a shared history of oppression and, she says, a commitment to prophetic ideals.
Mazal Aklum
November 05, 2009 17:00 - 4 minutes - 5.09 MBMazal "Mali" Aklum has learned well the importance of remembering history. Her parents were among the first wave of Ethiopian Jews to flee their country and settle in Israel in the 1980s. As a member of this little-known minority, whose history is often overlooked, Aklum has a unique perspective on the breadth of Jewish identity and the importance of preserving memory.
Danah Boyd
October 22, 2009 16:00 - 6 minutes - 7.79 MBAs a researcher for Microsoft and a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, danah boyd looks at how young people interact with social network sites, like Facebook and MySpace. Her research has led her to develop interesting observations about the nature of hate speech on the internet and tactics for combating it.
Xu Xin
October 08, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.71 MBProfessor Xu Xin has spent 40 years at Nanjing University—as an undergrad, a grad student, and currently as director of the Glazer Institute of Jewish Studies. He teaches new generations of Chinese students about Jewish history, culture, and the lessons of the Holocaust.
Navila Rashid
September 24, 2009 16:00 - 4 minutes - 5.67 MBThrough her participation in a youth program at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Navila Rashid says she became a better Muslim. Rashid believes her encounters at the Museum gave her courage to continue on her own spiritual journey and compassion for people of other faiths.
John Mann
September 10, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.67 MBAlthough there is not a single Jewish person living in the area British Member of Parliament John Mann represents, he believes it absolutely proper that he serves as chair of the British Parliamentary Committee Against Antisemitism.
Andrei Codrescu
August 27, 2009 16:00 - 6 minutes - 7.57 MBBorn in Transylvania just after the Holocaust, Codrescu immigrated to the United States as a teenager and eventually settled in New Orleans. Through the evolution of his now-famous surname, Codrescu reveals something about his own identity as a Jew, a poet, and an immigrant.
Brigitte Zypries
August 13, 2009 16:00 - 4 minutes - 4.94 MBAs Germany's Justice Minister, Brigitte Zypries is responsible for upholding justice, rights, and democracy in her country. Zypries explains why her government passed a law making Holocaust denial a criminal offense and why that law is important.
Tracy Strong Jr.
July 30, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6 MBIn 1940, Tracy Strong left the relative safety of America to help students displaced by the war in Europe to continue their studies. While uncomfortable with the title "hero," Strong's efforts to sustain an educational safe haven ultimately proved life saving for many young Jews.
Rebecca Dupas
July 16, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.84 MBAs a senior in high school, Rebecca Dupas took part in a program sponsored by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, called Bringing the Lessons Home. The program teaches young people about the Holocaust, so that they can help spread understanding about the dangers of hatred and prejudice.
Scott Simon
July 03, 2009 16:00 - 3 minutes - 4.52 MBThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum mourns the tragic death of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, who died heroically in the line of duty on June 10, 2009, protecting our visitors and staff. This episode of Voices on Antisemitism with Scott Simon ran originally on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday.
Sadia Shepard
June 04, 2009 16:00 - 6 minutes - 7.68 MBSadia Shepard's book The Girl from Foreign documents her travels to India to connect with the tiny Jewish community there and to unlock her family's history. The trip and the book have given her unique insights into the relationships among Jews, Muslims, and Hindus in India.
Gregory S. Gordon
May 21, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 5.21 MBGregory Gordon helped to prosecute the landmark "media" cases in Rwanda–where hate speech, broadcast over the radio, was directly linked to the genocide of the Tutsi people. Gordon believes that the lessons learned in Rwanda could be applied in Iran and elsewhere, to prevent these incitement tactics from taking hold.
Samia Essabaa
May 07, 2009 16:00 - 6 minutes - 5.57 MBSamia Essabaa was born in France to Moroccan and Tunisian parents. A Muslim, shaped by both Arabic and French culture, Essabaa often feels she can relate to her students, many of whom are from Africa and the Caribbean. A believer in hands-on learning, she takes her classes to Auschwitz, where they learn not only about history, but about humanity and community.
David Pilgrim
April 23, 2009 16:00 - 7 minutes - 6.79 MBIn 1996, David Pilgrim established the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University in Michigan. As the university's Chief Diversity Officer and a professor of sociology, one of Pilgrim's goals is to use objects of intolerance to teach about tolerance.
Sayana Ser
April 09, 2009 16:00 - 4 minutes - 5.64 MBSayana Ser was born in Cambodia in 1981, two years after the fall of dictator Pol Pot. Today, Ser works to help her country heal from that genocide. As part of that effort, Ser decided to translate The Diary of Anne Frank into her native language of Khmer.
Christopher Leighton
March 26, 2009 16:00 - 5 minutes - 6.2 MBSince 1987, Christopher Leighton has served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. A Presbyterian minister, Leighton is deeply committed to disarming religious hatred and establishing models of interfaith understanding.
Daniel Craig
March 12, 2009 16:00 - 4 minutes - 4.91 MBActor Daniel Craig is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Agent 007 in the James Bond movies. But his latest film, Defiance, is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, who led a resistance against the Nazis during the Second World War.