The Jerusalem Declaration defines antisemitism as: “Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).” Antisemitism, manifested as prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory legislation, conspiratorial myths, or murderous violence, has adversely impacted Jewish people across the millennia and continues into the present.
Posts
‘Why a Historian Thinks U.S. Jews Are Living Through a High Tide of Antisemitism’
Times of Israel published an interview with Pamela Nadell exploring the current rise in antisemitism in the United States, its historical parallels, and its impact on Jewish life today. The interview highlights both the challenges and historical context of antisemitism, while noting how Jewish communities continue to respond.
September 29, 2025 Antisemitism, an American Tradition Pre-Publication Book Launch with The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer, Center for Jewish History, New York City
Join award-winning historian, American University Professor Pamela Nadell in conversation with Franklin Foer, author of The Atlantic’s “The Golden Age of American Jewry is Ending” to to discuss her new timely new book Antisemitsm, an American Tradition. Nadell explores the deep roots of antisemitism in the US from colonial times to the present and the powerful ways American Jews have resisted this hatred and bigotry.
‘Weaponizing Antisemitism’: Campus Speech Under Siege
Inside Higher Ed reports that an overwhelming majority of higher ed provosts acknowledge antisemitism is a problem on the campus. Concurring, Pamela Nadell observes the danger of the federal government instrumentalizing this real problem to launch its long-planned attack on higher education.
August 3-7, 2025 “America’s Jewish Women” and “Antisemitism, an American Tradition” Guest Speaker at the Everett Jewish Life Center, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY
Pamela S. Nadell will be a guest speaker at the Everett Jewish Life Center at the Chautauqua Institution from August 3–7, 2025, where she will discuss her acclaimed book America’s Jewish Women and her forthcoming work Antisemitism, an American Tradition. The program will explore the contributions of Jewish women to American history and examine the persistence of antisemitism in American society.
Inside the powerful task force spearheading Trump’s assault on colleges, DEI
In Inside the powerful task force spearheading Trump’s assault on colleges, DEI, The Washington Post quotes Pamela Nadell. The story reported how the federal government’s Antisemitism Task Force was overreaching its aim of rooting out antisemitism on college campuses to advance a long-standing conservative demand to reform higher education. Nadell said: “Ultimately, I am deeply worried that under the pretext of ending hatred of Jewish people — an historic, worldwide problem — the antisemitism task force’s demands to dismantle DEI as the root of antisemitism will further isolate Jews in American colleges and univerities. Jews will be blamed for its abolition. But antisemitism will not disappear from the campus.”
Interest in Alfred Dreyfus is surging. His antisemitic affair has vital lessons for Jews today.
In a recent article for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, historians Rebecca Kobrin and Pamela Nadell reflect on the resurgence of interest in the Alfred Dreyfus affair. Writing in connection with the Paris exhibit “Alfred Dreyfus: Vérité et Justice,” they explore how this pivotal case of antisemitism in 19th-century France continues to hold urgent lessons for today’s world.
The Rise of Antisemitism and Political Violence in the U.S.
“Antisemitism and political violence are both part of the same problem,” said Pamela Nadell, a historian and director of the Jewish Studies program at American University, who is quoted in an article in Time. “There are so many moments where legitimate criticism of Israel crosses into antisemitism—opening the path for someone to shoot two people simply because he believes they are Jews.”
A Turning Point for Antisemitism?
In her June 2025 Hadassah Magazine article, historian Pamela Nadell reflects on the rising tide of antisemitic violence in the U.S., from the murder of two young professionals outside Washington, D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum to attacks on Jewish homes and demonstrators. These alarming incidents, she asks, may signal a turning point for American Jews.
June 5, 2025 “2 Different Societies, 2 Different Approaches” at the French-American Forum on Antisemitism, Paris, France
On June 5, 2025, Pamela S. Nadell will participate in the “On the Front Lines: French-American Forum on Antisemitism” in Paris, sponsored by AJC and CRIF. She will lead a session titled “Two Different Societies, Two Different Approaches? Recognizing and Understanding Antisemitism on the Left and on the Right.”