Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism—Episode 5: Anti-Antisemitism and Antiracism with Leo Ferguson and Steven Gardiner

The penultimate episode of Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism looks at the interwoven, and often tangled, relationship between fighting antisemitism and fighting racism. Antisemitism and anti-Blackness are deeply connected forms of oppression that often work together to reinforce structural inequities under racial capitalism. And yet, the Right has often played these forms of oppression off one another as a means of stymying burgeoning anti-racist alliances, dividing Black and Jewish communities in order to uphold White supremacy. 

Our two guests on this episode, organizer and writer Leo Ferguson and researcher Steven Gardiner, are deeply versed in efforts to connect the fights against antisemitism and racism, while resisting attempts to derail social justice movements. From tensions in civil rights-era New York, to Black Lives Matter, to ongoing attempts to destroy diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the U.S., Leo and Steven walk us through the intertwined history of struggles against racism and antisemitism, while exploring how politics surrounding Israel-Palestine have variously shaped and challenged these movements.

Leo Ferguson is a lifelong New Yorker with a deep commitment to social justice, and a background in non-profit communications. He has developed anti-oppression trainings for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and has led affinity groups and caucuses exploring internalized anti-Jewish oppression, race and racism, patriarchy and heteronormativity. He is the founder of JFREJ's Jews of Color caucus and a lead author of JFREJ’s influential resource, Understanding Antisemitism. He is a graduate of the Grace Paley Organizing Fellowship, Bend The Arc’s Selah Leadership Program, JOIN for Justice’s “Don’t Kvetch, Organize!” course, and Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity. Leo is a proud Jew of Color and a musician.

Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor for Political Research Associates. He started researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism in the early 1990s. Working for the Portland, Oregon-based Coalition for Human Dignity (CHD), he did some of the first analyses of the Religious Right in the Northwest and his work supported the years-long fight against anti-LGBTQ ballot measures by the Oregon Citizens Alliance. As editor of CHD’s newsletter, “The Dignity Report,” and principal writer and analyst on a series of articles and reports he helped to shape understanding and arm the resistance to antisemitism, Holocaust denial, the Patriot and militia movements, anti-immigrant xenophobia and anti-LGBTQ politics. In 2004 he received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University for his work on military masculinity and conscientious objection in the German military. Since then he has continued to write and has taught at several universities.

Resources

• JFREJ. 2017. “Understanding Antisemitism: An Offering to Our Movement.” 
• Ward, Eric. 2017. “Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism.” The Public Eye Summer 2017. 

Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism is a collaboration between Political Research Associates and Diaspora Alliance. The show is produced by Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann. Our hosts are Ben Lorber and Shoshana Brown. Original score by Aakash Desai. Artwork by Zoe Newton. Our fact checker is Natasha Roth-Rowland. Sound design and mixing by Thick Skin Media. Also thank you to Natasha Roth-Rowland, Simone Zimmerman, Em Hilton, and Koki Mendis for your insights and thought partnership.