On April 16, the Anti-Defamation League and Whizin Center Center for Continuing Education at American Jewish University presented ADL Regional Director Amanda Susskind in conversation with New York Times editor and author Jonathan Weisman about his new book, (((SEMITISM))) Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump. The book is a powerful contemplation about how Jews are currently viewed in America and how we can move forward to fight anti-Semitism.
In 2016, ADL released a report about the anti-Semitic targeting of journalists during the 2016 election and found that of nearly 20,000 anti-Semitic tweets directed at journalists perceived to be Jewish, over 80 percent were directed at just ten journalists. Weisman was one of those ten and the experience prompted him to write the book. Although he never saw himself as a spokesperson for Jews, he was “flabbergasted by the anti-Semitism of some Trump voters.” He shared with the audience slides of some of the most heinous images tweeted at him and other Jewish journalists, including Nazi imagery along with remarks about “into the oven,” gas chambers, and references to Jews having been kicked out of countries in the past – “it will be your turn soon.”
He sees his book as a “wake-up call to those who defend pluralism,” since the Alt Right are “flesh and blood people who want to do violence to Jews, Latinos, African Americans and other minorities.” He was surprised that he got more “push back” from the Jewish community about the book than from the Alt Right. In this context, he discussed what he calls the “Israel Diversion.” He believes that American Jewish organizations are too busy arguing about Israel – and obsessed with Israel – to see what is coming from the extreme right.
He lauded ADL’s mission to fight all kinds of bigotry and ADL’s continuous monitoring of hate groups, including both the extreme right and the extreme left.
Susskind asked Weisman what is one thing he would suggest members of the audience do. He quoted his rabbi as having suggested, “Where a Jew sees injustice, a Jew has to stand up to injustice.”