Microaggressions, “Jokes,” and BDS: US Jews’ Perceptions of and Experiences with Antisemitism

• In Event: Philosemitism and Antisemitism in Contemporary Jewish Life

Abstract

What do American Jews think constitutes antisemitism? In what contexts do American Jews believe that certain actions or beliefs are antisemitic?

Are American Jews worried about antisemitism in their local communities? On college campuses? Around the world?

In what specific ways have American Jews encountered antisemitism?

This paper will draw on data from representative samples of the US Jewish population as a whole (the 2013 Pew study of the American Jewish community), several Jewish communities (Seattle, Boston, and Nashville), and young adults (Taglit-Birthright Israel applicants), as well as other sources, to answer these questions. It will show that American Jews' encounters with antisemitism are largely experiences with microaggression, a form of discrimination consisting largely of insults or dismissals that may not be intended to degrade the target, and "jokes," rather than attacks causing property damage to Jewish buildings or violent attacks on Jewish individuals or institutions. American Jews' perceptions of the role of anti-Israel activism in their encounters with antisemitism will be addressed.

Authors

• Matthew E. Boxer, Brandeis University

• Matthew Brookner, Brandeis University