The Brian Lehrer Show A Generational Divide on Antisemitism
Dec 17, 2025
Yair Rosenberg, an Atlantic staff writer and author of the Deep Shtetl newsletter, explores the alarming generational divide in attitudes toward antisemitism. He discusses survey data revealing younger Americans are more likely to hold anti-Jewish views. The conversation delves into the differing expressions of antisemitism on the left and right, and the role of social media in promoting conspiracies. Rosenberg also highlights the importance of personal contact in reducing prejudices and warns against misattributing antisemitism solely to external influences.
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A Robust Generational Divide
- Multiple independent polls show younger Americans hold more anti-Jewish views than older Americans across the political spectrum.
- Yair Rosenberg emphasizes the finding focuses on attitudes about Jewish people, not Israel or Zionism.
Different Right/Left Expressions
- Anti-Jewish attitudes manifest differently across left and right, with right-wing narratives stressing Jews as subversive and left-wing critiques often using Israel as a proxy.
- Rosenberg cautions more targeted polling is needed to map those differences precisely.
Platform Incentives Fuel Conspiracies
- Social media incentivizes novel, inflammatory claims and conspiracies because they drive engagement and profit.
- Rosenberg argues this environment favors antisemitic conspiracy theories that blame Jews for broad social problems.