In this enlightening conversation, Dara Horn, an award-winning author and founder of Mosaic Persuasion, shares her insights on the dire state of Holocaust education. She discusses the alarming rise of Holocaust denial and antisemitism, especially after recent events. Horn critiques educational programs that depict Jews solely as victims and emphasizes the importance of Jewish sovereignty and identity. With her provocative ideas and unique perspective, she reveals how understanding Jewish history is essential to combatting antisemitism effectively.
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insights INSIGHT
Holocaust Education Lacks Context
Teaching the Holocaust in isolation eliminates the possibility of recognizing patterns in antisemitism.
Showing only mass murder as an example of antisemitism fails to connect it to broader societal issues.
insights INSIGHT
Powerlessness Drives Jewish Acceptance
Jews are only accepted in non-Jewish societies when they are powerless or dead.
Jewish sovereignty challenges the dominant societal narrative and provokes antisemitism.
insights INSIGHT
Judaism as Anti-Tyrannical Counterculture
Jewish monotheism was a radical anti-tyrannical and non-expansionist political idea in the ancient Near East.
Judaism’s resistance to conformity threatens societies reliant on uniformity and tyrannical rulers.
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In this nonfiction essay collection, Dara Horn examines why society is more fascinated with the death of Jews than with the lives of living Jews. She weaves together history, social science, and personal stories to critique the public's obsession with Jewish history, particularly the Holocaust, and how this obsession can be a profound affront to human dignity. Horn discusses various topics such as the veneration of Anne Frank, the mythology surrounding Jewish family names at Ellis Island, and the life of Varian Fry, a 'Righteous Among the Nations.' She also reflects on her own family life and the impact of antisemitism on her children's school experiences. The book argues that the reverence for past Jewish tragedies does not translate into respect for contemporary Jewish life and that this disparity contributes to the ongoing rise of antisemitism.
In this Yom HaShoah special, Mijal and Noam sit down with Dara Horn, acclaimed author of People Love Dead Jews, to discuss Holocaust education and why it matters more than ever. Dara explores the rise in Holocaust denial, antisemitism post-October 7th, and how Jewish sovereignty challenges popular narratives. They explore why many Holocaust education programs erase Jewish civilization and present Jews solely as passive victims—and how that plays into broader societal discomfort with Jewish power. Dara also shares how her provocative book title came to be, and why understanding Jewish identity is essential to understanding antisemitism.
Click here to read more about Dara Horn and her work, including 7 books.
Get in touch at our new email address: WonderingJews@unpacked.media and call us, 1-833-WON-Jews.
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Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam 
