Podcast Against Antisemitism

In the 19th century, the Jewish community in England faced both progress and prejudice. While legal reforms began to improve their status, antisemitic stereotypes persisted.

In this episode, we turn to Charles Dickens, a towering figure of Victorian literature, whose evolving portrayals of Jewish characters offer a compelling case study. From the malevolent Fagin in Oliver Twist to the empathetic Mr. Riah in Our Mutual Friend, Dickens’ depictions reflect the complex, often contradictory attitudes toward Jews during his time.

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The early-modern period was a golden age for English theatre. Giants like Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dekker, Middleton and Jonson were all active in the 16th and 17th centuries. But where did the Jews fit into this Golden Age, and how were they represented on stage?

In this episode, we explore what life was like for a Jew at this time, as well as taking a deep dive into key plays such as The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta. 

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The Jews were expelled from England in 1290, but this did not mean the end of literary representation.

In this episode, we delve into the antisemitic tropes in 14th-century literature, focusing on Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, John Gower’s Confessio Amantis and the musical legacy of anonymous ballads such as Sir Hugh, or The Jew’s Daughter.

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Whilst we prepare for the next season of Podcast Against Antisemitism, welcome to our brand new six-part series chronicling the history of antisemitism in English literature. In this podcast, we explore the anti-Jewish tropes perpetuated by centuries of literary misrepresentation. Beginning with medieval poetry and concluding with contemporary plays, the series offers a comprehensive chronological overview, inclusive of social as well as literary context. From Dickens to Dahl, there’s a lot to learn!

When did the Jews first arrive in England? What was life like for a medieval Jew? Why were the Jews expelled in 1290? 

In this episode, we explain the origins of Anglo-Jewish history and its effect on the literature of the period.

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Gideon Falter is the Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), a charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance law enforcement. Gideon was elected to lead CAA in the autumn of 2014, soon after its establishment, building it into the UK’s foremost campaigning organisation against antisemitism. His work for CAA has been publicly praised by the British Government and the Simon Wiesenthal Center has hailed him as a “Jewish hero who proves that there are still powerful ways to leverage democratic rules to serve justice and protect Jewish community”.

In episode 100 of Podcast Against Antisemitism, Gideon discusses how CAA began, where it goes next, and how 7th October changed everything.

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Natalie Sanandaji is a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, where a reported 364 people were murdered by Hamas terrorists. This atrocity was part of the wider 7th October attacks in Israel, the single worst massacre of the Jews since the Holocaust. Since that day, Natalie has devoted her time and efforts to raising awareness about the grave events that took place.

In this episode, Natalie recounts her experience of the Nova festival where, in order to survive the massacre, she and her friends ran for four hours.

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Shabbos Kestenbaum is a Religion and Public Policy graduate student from Harvard University. Since the 7th October Hamas atrocities, Shabbos has been embroiled in a long public battle with Harvard, which has resulted in him suing them for failing to combat antisemitism, describing the school as “a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment”.

In this episode, Shabbos discusses his decision to take legal action against Harvard and the personal threats to his safety following 7th October.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are solely their own and do not represent the position of Campaign Against Antisemitism, nor does Campaign Against Antisemitism guarantee the accuracy of the guest’s statements.

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Steven Berkoff is an actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and director born in the Jewish East End of London. Over the course of his critically-acclaimed career, Steven has adapted Kafka, directed Shakespeare and produced his own original work.

In this episode, Steven looks back at the Battle of Cable Street, in which his Uncle Sam fought, and recounts his experiences of writing plays about antisemitism and Judaism.

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Eylon Keshet is the cousin of Yarden Bibas who, along with baby Kfir, his five-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri, were kidnapped and taken as hostages to Gaza by Hamas terrorists on 7th October. The Bibas family lived on the Nir Oz kibbutz, close to Gaza, where a quarter of the community were killed, kidnapped or injured in the 7th October attacks.

In this episode, Eylon explains where he was when he heard the devastating news and how he has been coping with the situation ever since.

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Benjamin Till is a Jewish composer, director and filmmaker. He is currently the Composer in Residence for Mosaic Voices, a vocal ensemble at London’s New West End Synagogue. Benjamin’s music has been performed at top venues across the country, including the Royal Albert Hall.

In this episode, he discusses his new project, ‘The Jews of Britain’, which sees him looking at the history of Britain’s Jews. Benjamin also opens up about his recent experiences of antisemitism.

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