Even as Jews thrived in America for more than 350 years, antisemitism also affected their lives. It took different forms—Jews were blackballed from clubs and societies, legislation impacting Jewish rights, and even terrible violence. Understanding the Jewish experience in America requires understanding that antisemitism was and remains a powerful American tradition.
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.
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.”
In The New York Times article How Republicans Echo Antisemitic Tropes Despite Declaring Support for Israel, Pamela Nadell highlights how terms like “globalist” and “cosmopolitan” have evolved into modern antisemitic tropes, particularly through the figure of George Soros. She explains how these terms, historically used to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Jews, continue to be weaponized in contemporary political rhetoric, reflecting a troubling continuity of antisemitic narratives in mainstream discourse.
In The Jerusalem Post, Pamela S. Nadell expressed concern over Dave Chappelle’s use of antisemitic tropes during his SNL monologue, which reached millions of viewers. She emphasized the troubling impact of perpetuating harmful stereotypes in such a widely viewed platform.
A recent Washington Post article traces the deep-rooted history of antisemitism in American higher education from the 18th century to today’s campus tensions. Pamela Nadell, a historian and director of American University’s Jewish Studies Program, explains how Columbia University, like other elite institutions in the 1920s, restricted Jewish admissions to preserve its Protestant-dominated culture. The article highlights how such exclusionary policies shaped university demographics and how antisemitism continues to manifest in academic settings today.
In her article for The Conversation and Yahoo News, historian Pamela Nadell explores how antisemitism is surging on Elon Musk’s X, where hate speech against Jews is gaining traction. She highlights how attacks on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) echo centuries-old antisemitic narratives.