Talks from the Hoover Institution Anti-Semitism: Past And Present | 2025 History Symposium | Hoover Institution
Feb 13, 2025
Deborah Lipstadt is a prominent historian and the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, who also served as the U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism. In this engaging conversation, she discusses her diplomatic experiences addressing anti-Semitism, including a striking case involving Lufthansa. Lipstadt reflects on personal journeys of Jewish identity and the global landscape of anti-Semitism, advocating for cooperative international efforts to combat this persistent issue.
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Lufthansa Incident
- Deborah Lipstadt learned about Hasidic Jews being ejected from a Lufthansa flight on her third day in office.
- She leveraged the U.S. government's influence to hold Lufthansa accountable and implement policy changes.
Kotel Incident
- American families celebrating bar and bat mitzvahs at the Kotel were accosted, highlighting anti-Semitism.
- Lipstadt's direct response and public condemnation brought international attention to the incident.
Religious Slaughter in Finland
- Lipstadt worked with the EU and US Embassy in Finland to oppose a bill impacting religious slaughter.
- The bill, containing exceptions for other practices like lobster boiling, eventually had the problematic clause removed.