Is life really miserable for Jews—or does the media just make it seem that way?

Three examples of cover features, all from March 2024, describing antisemitism and anti-Israel protests from around the world.

In the last month, several high-profile features have come out, in publications such as Time and The Atlantic, giving mainstream, non-Jewish audiences a glimpse into what life has been like for North American Jews since Oct. 7. One major point of coverage: pro-Palestinian (or anti-Israel) protests.

The pictured painted by these articles and others, including here at The CJN, is one of constant fear, heightened tensions and feelings of isolation. Antisemitism is indeed on the rise, no question. But is daily life as bad for Jews as these articles make it seem? Or are social media doom-scrolling and binge-reading articles about antisemitism only exacerbating these feelings of dread?

Our guest host this week is Gabby Deutch, a senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider.

What we talked about

  • Read “The Golden Age of Jews is Ending” in The Atlantic
  • Read “The New Antisemitism” in Time
  • Find Gabby Deutch’s articles at Jewish Insider

Credits

Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast’s Substack.