Ben M. Freeman, a Scottish, gay, Jewish author, activist, and educator, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about how external antisemitism can result in internalised anti-Jewishness, leading to Jews altering their beliefs, and even appearances, in the pursuit of acceptance from antisemites.
The podcast was recorded in front of a live audience last month at Campaign Against Antisemitism’s first-of-its-kind sold-out event, “CAA presents…An evening with Ben M. Freeman”, which attracted a room full of Jewish young professionals to an east London venue to watch a live interview with Mr Freeman, followed by a question and answers session.
Drawing from his newest book, Reclaiming Our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride, Mr Freeman said: “We cannot be defined by what is done to us. We have to define ourselves via our experiences, our identity, our history, our story.”
Addressing how antisemitic stereotypes and tropes have led to some Jews viewing their bodies in a negative light, Mr Freeman said: “Antisemitism is a racism…there are many groups that are racialised, and we are one of them…we have to understand that the way that we are treated, that way that we are perceived, the stories that are told about us, they impact us.
“People are told, ‘Oh, you don’t look Jewish,’ and we’re meant to take that as a compliment…the fact that we perceive it as a compliment is deeply, deeply worrying, and is a tragedy for our community.”
This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.
Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.
