American Jewish Responses to Antisemitic Extremism

Dr. Andrew Sperling, American Jewish Historical Society

This program traces the history of American Jewish encounters with radical antisemitism in the twentieth century and beyond. For decades, Jews have contended with extremist organizations frequently dismissed as “crackpots,” ranging from the Ku Klux Klan to numerous American Nazi groups. Their responses to these ongoing threats varied considerably. Some Jews fought antisemitism aggressively through demonstrations, public confrontations, and forceful denunciations in the media. Others preferred diplomatic resistance, often working behind the scenes to combat antisemitic propaganda, influence public officials, and curb the growth of extremist movements. These competing approaches generated tensions both within the Jewish community and in the broader public. By exploring how Jews have traditionally countered extremism, this lecture offers historical perspective on the enduring challenge of antisemitism in contemporary American society.

Andrew Sperling is the Historian and Director of Academic Initiatives at the American Jewish Historical Society. He earned his PhD in History from American University in 2024, and subsequently became the inaugural Leon Levy Fellow at the Center for Jewish History. His forthcoming book, The Menace Among Us: The Jewish Fight Against Antisemitism, from the Ku Klux Klan to the White Power Movement, will be published by NYU Press in 2027. He has taught courses on antisemitism and American Jewish history at American University and Brooklyn College, and his work on these topics has appeared in American Jewish History, Southern Jewish History, and The Conversation. He is currently researching for his second book on the history of Jews in the American counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s.

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