Call Me Back - with Dan Senor Is Antisemitism the Gateway Drug to Socialism? — with Yascha Mounk (Part 1)
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Jan 19, 2026 
Yascha Mounk, a political scientist and founder of Persuasion, dives into the rising intersection of socialism and anti-Zionism on the left. He analyzes the implications of figures like Zohran Mamdani and their connections to historical antisemitism. Mounk reflects on the dangers of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, especially regarding free speech. He discusses the silence of moderate Democrats on anti-Zionism and the growing disconnect between younger Jewish voters and Israel. Mounk emphasizes the political importance of unequivocal condemnations of antisemitism.
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Family's Forced Exit From Poland
- Yascha Mounk describes his family's Jewish socialist roots in Poland and their expulsion in 1968.
- He connects that history to why his grandparents embraced socialism despite later disillusionment.
Job Lost To A Social‑Media Panic
- Mounk recounts an electrician who lost his job after a social-media moral panic over a misread hand gesture.
- He uses this to illustrate campus and media conformity during the cultural upheaval of 2020.
Elite Fusion Explains Left Anti‑Zionism
- Mounk argues the new link between socialism and anti-Zionism stems from elite professional classes.
- He says affluent, highly educated young Americans fuse skepticism of capitalism with hostility to Israel.
