Podcast Against Antisemitism

Whilst we prepare for the next season of Podcast Against Antisemitism, welcome to our brand new six-part series chronicling the history of antisemitism in English literature. In this podcast, we explore the anti-Jewish tropes perpetuated by centuries of literary misrepresentation. Beginning with medieval poetry and concluding with contemporary plays, the series offers a comprehensive chronological...

The Jews were expelled from England in 1290, but this did not mean the end of literary representation. In this episode, we delve into the antisemitic tropes in 14th-century literature, focusing on Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, John Gower’s Confessio Amantis and the musical legacy of anonymous ballads such as Sir Hugh, or The Jew’s Daughter. Subscribe at antisemitism.org/podcast and send us...

The early-modern period was a golden age for English theatre. Giants like Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dekker, Middleton and Jonson were all active in the 16th and 17th centuries. But where did the Jews fit into this Golden Age, and how were they represented on stage? In this episode, we explore what life was like for a Jew at this time, as well as taking a deep dive into key plays such as The Merchant o...

In the 19th century, the Jewish community in England faced both progress and prejudice. While legal reforms began to improve their status, antisemitic stereotypes persisted. In this episode, we turn to Charles Dickens, a towering figure of Victorian literature, whose evolving portrayals of Jewish characters offer a compelling case study. From the malevolent Fagin in Oliver Twist to the empathetic...

In this episode, we turn our focus to the 20th century – a period marked by profound literary innovation and social upheaval. From the modernist verse of T.S. Eliot to the beloved children’s tales of Roald Dahl, the literature of this era is saturated in antisemitic motifs. Subscribe at antisemitism.org/podcast and send us your feedback to podcast@antisemitism.org. Follow us on all socials @antise...

In our final episode, we shift our focus from 20th-century writers to contemporary playwrights and modern allegations of dramatic antisemitism. Since antisemitism has been on the rise in recent years, it is crucial to examine how modern works, including plays by Caryl Churchill, Joe Murphy, Joe Robertson, and Stefano Massini, engage with and, at times, perpetuate harmful stereotypes.  This conclud...

Gideon Falter is the Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), a charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance law enforcement. Gideon was elected to lead CAA in the autumn of 2014, soon after its establishment, building it into the UK’s foremost campaigning organisation against antisemitism. His work for CAA has been publicly praised...

Natalie Sanandaji is a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, where a reported 364 people were murdered by Hamas terrorists. This atrocity was part of the wider 7th October attacks in Israel, the single worst massacre of the Jews since the Holocaust. Since that day, Natalie has devoted her time and efforts to raising awareness about the grave events that took place. In this episode, Natalie...

Shabbos Kestenbaum is a Religion and Public Policy graduate student from Harvard University. Since the 7th October Hamas atrocities, Shabbos has been embroiled in a long public battle with Harvard, which has resulted in him suing them for failing to combat antisemitism, describing the school as “a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment”. In this episode, Shabbos discusses his decisio...

Steven Berkoff is an actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and director born in the Jewish East End of London. Over the course of his critically-acclaimed career, Steven has adapted Kafka, directed Shakespeare and produced his own original work. In this episode, Steven looks back at the Battle of Cable Street, in which his Uncle Sam fought, and recounts his experiences of writing plays a...

Eylon Keshet is the cousin of Yarden Bibas who, along with baby Kfir, his five-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri, were kidnapped and taken as hostages to Gaza by Hamas terrorists on 7th October. The Bibas family lived on the Nir Oz kibbutz, close to Gaza, where a quarter of the community were killed, kidnapped or injured in the 7th October attacks. In this episode, Eylon explains wher...

Benjamin Till is a Jewish composer, director and filmmaker. He is currently the Composer in Residence for Mosaic Voices, a vocal ensemble at London’s New West End Synagogue. Benjamin’s music has been performed at top venues across the country, including the Royal Albert Hall. In this episode, he discusses his new project, ‘The Jews of Britain’, which sees him looking at the history of Britain’s Je...

Dora Reisser is a Bulgarian Holocaust survivor whose life was profoundly impacted by the rise of the Nazi regime. Despite facing unimaginable challenges, she emerged as an accomplished ballet dancer, actress, fashion designer and writer.  In this episode, Dora describes living under Nazi rule, making a new life for herself and her experiences acting in academy-award-winning Hollywood classics like...

Reverend Canon Nigel Biggar is a historian, theologian and ethicist currently serving as Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford. Nigel has been described as “one of the leading living Western ethicists” by the New Statesman, and is named as one of Prospect Magazine’s Top Thinkers of 2024. He has published eight books and has written several articles since Hamas’ 7t...

Marco Shalma is the creator and executive producer of the upcoming documentary ‘Here We Go Again’ which delves into the cyclical and cynical nature of antisemitism through the lens of a diverse group of activists. The film invites viewers to reflect on the past and present, urging a future where the lessons of resilience and solidarity pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive world. In this epi...

Alissa Timoshkina is a celebrated Jewish food writer, historian, chef, and author. Her recipes have been featured in numerous publications, including The Guardian, Red Magazine, Olive Magazine, The Independent and House & Garden.  In this episode, Alissa dives into how the history of antisemitism has influenced Ashkenazi Jewish food today. Subscribe at antisemitism.org/podcast and send us your...

Janet Singer Applefield is a Polish Holocaust survivor whose parents made the harrowing decision to leave her in the care of others when she was seven years old in order that she may live. Janet was a ‘Hidden Child’ until the war ended and was miraculously reunited with her father. She has chronicled her story in her memoir, ‘Becoming Janet: Finding Myself in the Holocaust‘. In this episode, Janet...

Joe Jacobson is one of only a few current British Jewish professional footballers. Until very recently, Joe served as the captain for the Wycombe Wanderers where he played for ten years and made 400 appearances. He was also the former under-21 captain for Wales and the first Jewish player to score a goal in a professional game at Wembley in 53 years. In this episode, Joe discusses racism against J...

Dr Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a Member of Knesset with the Labor Party and then the Independence Party from 2010 to 2013 and is the author of seven books. Following the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks on 7th October, Einat has become one of the leading voices on the issue.  In this episode, Einat looks at the anti-Israel protests on u...

Zoe Buckman is a multi-disciplinary artist working in sculpture, installation, and photography. Known for her artwork that explores themes of feminism, mortality, and equality, Zoe's work has reached audiences around the world. Zoe has repeatedly spoken out about her Jewish identity, using her platform to be a voice against antisemitism. In this episode, Zoe speaks about the denial of Hamas’...

Reverend Hayley Ace is the co-founder of the grassroots movement, Christian Action Against Antisemitism, along with her husband Timothy Gutmann.   Both Hayley and Timothy are reverends from Lea Valley Church in Waltham Abbey and stand firmly alongside the British Jewish community against antisemitism, using their perspective as Christians to educate people on racism against Jews. In this episode,...

Since 2010, Mike Freer has been the Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green. On 1st February of this year, Mike announced his decision to not stand for re-election to Parliament at the next general election, citing the “intolerable stress” that he and his family have been enduring from the several serious threats he has received to his personal safety, including a recent arson attack on his...

Brett Gelman is a multi-talented actor, writer, and comedian whose work spans television, film, and stage. Brett has had several memorable roles in a variety of shows such as BBC’s “Fleabag,” FX’s “Married” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things”, and has made guest appearances in some of the most loved comedy shows, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Office”. Brett is not only known for his impres...

Elad Poterman, along with his baby daughter and wife Maria, are survivors of the Kibbutz Nahal Oz massacre. Nahal Oz sits just 800 metres from the Gaza border and was one of the first targets in the early hours of the Hamas terrorist attacks that took place on 7th October. Terrorists tore through the kibbutz and murdered, took hostage, burned and destroyed one of Israel’s most peaceful communities...

Mervyn Kersh is a distinguished Second World War veteran. Now 99 years old, he joined the army in 1943 at the age of 18. In this episode, we speak about his experiences of antisemitism growing up as a Jew in south London, witnessing the atrocities of the Nazi regime firsthand as he fought across Europe, and his conversations with survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp just days after it...