Anti-Semitism and the Civil War South

In celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, Richard Kreitner, author of Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery, and Shari Rabin, author of The Jewish South: An American History, join Jeffrey Rosen for a wide-ranging discussion on the Southern Jewish experience from the Revolutionary era to the Civil War. They discuss how American Jews reckoned with religious discrimination and slavery, explore Jewish participation in the Civil War, and remember some of the notable American Jews who helped shape this tumultuous era.  

This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on May 29, 2025. It was presented in partnership with the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month. 

Resources

• Richard Kreitner, Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery (2025)  
• Shari Rabin, The Jewish South: An American History (2025)  

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