UpFront

What is behind rising anti-Semitism around the world?

Experts tell UpFront that anti-Semitism is surging in the United States, and globally.

The past five years have seen an increase in anti-Semitic violence around the world.

We have witnessed mass shootings at synagogues, violent attacks on Jewish people in the streets and Jewish cemeteries desecrated. And while anti-Semitism is not new, the current social and political landscape across much of the globe has given rise to conspiracy theories, as populist leaders aim to exploit anti-Semitic tropes for political gain. What’s more, there are dissenting views within the Jewish community on how to actually define anti-Semitism.

So what are the best ways to identify and combat anti-Semitism?

And how do we separate anti-Jewish rhetoric from criticism of the state of Israel and its policies?

In this week’s UpFront Special, Marc Lamont Hill puts these questions to Rabbi Brant Rosen, reconstructionist rabbi and founding member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, and Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.