The Whole View, Season 3 Ep 04: Identifying Anti-Semitism

Posted on April 21, 2022

Welcome Jennifer Robins and Simone Miller to the Whole View! This week, Stacy, Jen, and Simone discuss identifying Antisemitism. They dive deep into how and why it happens, and how science has been used historically to justify prejudice. Hear Jen and Simone’s stories and how you can do to support the Jewish Community.

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Key Takeaways

Introductions

Jen grew up with a Christian father and Jewish mother. Jewish culture is passed down through the matriarchy, making Jen Jewish by law. However, she grew up in a multi-religious household because both of her parents felt strong in their independent histories as well as their partnership together.
She’s very thankful for the dual perspectives both religions allowed her to grow into. Both other parents came from very strictly religious households, but for her family now it has become more about being a good person.
Simone grew up in a completely Jewish household, but in contrast to Jen’s upbringing, Simone’s family was not overtly religious. Her Judaism was more in culture and traditions. Her grandparents on her mother’s side were holocaust survivors, and much of her family on that side did not make it out.
When her grandparents came to the US, they went through a paradox of trying to keep their traditions close and alive, while also trying to blend and assimilate due to the trauma of what they saw overseas. They never completely lost their accents, but they changed Simone’s mother’s name to make it less Jewish. And that trauma passed down through the generations.

Identifying Antisemitism

With antisemitism it’s one paradox after another: it’s that Jews are all-power, and they’re weak; they control everything, but they need to be controlled. Consequently, this constant sort of gaslighting makes it so difficult to recognize.
The dangerous thing about antisemitism is that it’s woven into the fabric of society in a way that’s so subtle you might not even notice it.
When you break down conspiracy theories, you’ll often find the villain is often Jewish. So there’s this weird commonality where we are somehow holding the marionette strings of the world even though we are 2% of the population.
Jews can be very white-passing in society, but because they can assimilate so well, it makes identifying antisemitism even sneakier.
Also, there are the tropes that Jews control Hollywood, the media, the banking system, we have all the money and power, yet we’re somehow beneath the rest of society.
Anti-Judaism is rooted in religious intolerance as much at it is societal intolerance. Some people believe if someone does not believe like them, then they will go to hell. And they “pray” for their souls to be saved without realizing it’s very Anti-Judaism.

Topics discussed

First and foremost: Antisemitism relies on the FALSE idea that certain physical and intellectual differences exist between groups and that these differences are biological, permanent, and irreversible. https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-holocaust-and-human-behavior/roots-and-impact-antisemitism
From NIH’s National Library of Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1084095/
Scientific American did a fantastic piece on how anti-Semitism hindered science in general, noting Einstein’s works as part of the “Jewish spirit.”
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-2-pro-nazi-nobelists-attacked-einstein-s-jewish-science-excerpt1/
American Scientist noted in January of 2020 (which has only gotten worse since for reasons we’ve discussed numerous times on the podcast) that there is a Dangerous Resurgence in Race Science
https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/macroscope/the-dangerous-resurgence-in-race-science
Additionally, there are countless sources of the mental health effects of anti-semitism, including but not limited to the Holocaust and it’s effects as well as the effects on descendants. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/kateloewenthallantisemitismanditsmentalhealtheffects.pdf?sfvrsn=79c90f3a_2.
We went deep into epigenetics in episode 499.
Which is why the APA has called for continued antisemitic violence in US to stop:
https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2021/antisemitic-violence

Jewish Creators & Educators

Film

Schindler’s List
Woman in Gold
School Ties
Funny Girl
An American Tale
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Wet Hot American Summer
The Baker and the Beauty
The Goldbergs
Broad City
Schitt’s Creek
Grace & Frankie

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Note: Stacy and her guests are not medical professionals. This podcast is for general educational purposes and NOT intended to diagnose, advise, or treat any physical or mental illness. We always recommend you consult a licensed service provider.