American Jews have had reason to question their place in American society at a time when white nationalism has become increasingly visible, and, most recently, after a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Even before the shooting, New York Times Deputy Editor Jonathan Weisman was raising alarm bells about the rise of bigotry in this country. He’s the author of the book Semitism – Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump.
Weisman will be speaking Saturday night at the Jewish Community Center in Providence. Morning Edition Host Chuck Hinman reached him by phone at his home in Washington, DC, for The Public’s Radio and asked him about his book, which was published 7 months before the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue.
The title of Weisman’s book, (((Semitism))), displays a 3-parentheses graphic that, according to Weisman, was developed by the alt-right to identify Jews on social media. Using special software, alt-right trolls can target individuals marked with the parentheses and “swarm” them with multiple messages of hate and intimidation.
