Stop Saying “Antisemitism!” Jonah Platt Urges You to Fight Anti-Jewish Racism

How do you fight against Jew hatred when you can’t even name it? In this monologue, Jonah Platt makes the case for retiring the word "antisemitism" for good, from the frustrating online arguments that first lodged the idea in his head, to the legacy Jewish institutions that waved him off, to the behavioral research that proved him right. This isn't a debate about what antisemitism means. It's the argument for why that word has to go. Jonah names the exact reasons it keeps failing us, including our own reluctance to give it up, and backs every claim with hard behavioral data: 60 million views, a panel of several thousands diverse Americans, and a statistic about antizionism that will stop you cold. Some of it will surprise you. Some of it will frustrate you. All of it makes the case that the words we use to name this hate may matter as much as how we fight it. Stick around for the third and final study. What 15,000 people said they were actually seeing may be the most convincing argument of all. 00:00 - The One Word That Keeps Getting in the Way 01:05 - It’s Not About Religion. It’s About the Person. 01:30 - "We Have Bigger Fish to Fry" 01:50 - The Non-Jewish Researcher Who Put It to the Test 02:40 - What 60 Million Views Revealed 03:15 - Why Only 13% of Americans Agreed With Us 03:50 - The Word Everyone Recognizes Instantly 04:25 - The Challenge That Makes This Your Fight Too If you want to go deeper beyond the podcast, join the Being Jewish Kehillah – our subscriber community that gives you access to exclusive bonus content, merch discounts, live office hours with Jonah, special community events, and more. Join the Kehillah today at http://beingjewishpodcast.com/join