How a Student Protester Changed Her Mind About Israel

How a Student Protester Changed Her Mind About Israel

A firsthand account from activist Taryn Thomas on how seeing the reality of October 7 for herself exposed the deception at the heart of the antizionist movement. What really happened inside the elite university antizionist encampments? When student Taryn Thomas joined the high-profile anti-Israel student encampment at Stanford following October 7th, she expected a space dedicated to human rights, justice and critical thinking. Instead, she found a highly insular culture shaped by social media algorithms, peer pressure, and intense linguistic policing, where selective empathy was the norm and dissent meant immediate social exile. In this episode, Taryn sits down with FAA co-founder Freya Papworth to share an insider’s look at the normalisation of antisemitism that defined her campus experience after October 7th. Taryn details her journey toward a new perspective after visiting the Nova exhibition—a touring installation documenting the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival, where around 360 people were killed, many more were injured, with some subjected to sexual violence, and 44 people were taken hostage to Gaza—and traveling to Israel to hear from survivors firsthand. Taryn’s journey is essential listening, especially if you’ve ever felt pulled into a discussion or activist space that leaves no room for doubt, no space for questions, and no empathy for the other side. This episode is a challenge to that. A reminder that real understanding doesn’t come from slogans or taking sides. It comes from being willing to look, to question, and to confront what you’d rather not see. --- 00:00 Taryn describes how she got involved in pro‑Palestine activism and began to question it 02:00 How social media shaped her understanding of October 7 and misled her early on 05:30 Inside the encampment: pressure to conform and silence around antisemitism 08:30 How language was controlled and dissent was shut down 12:30 The turning point where she felt the movement had lost its moral clarity 15:00 Seeing the Nova exhibition and confronting what happened on October 7 20:00 Her decision to visit Israel to understand the reality firsthand 24:00 Experiencing a missile attack and seeing daily life in Israel up close 26:30 The backlash and loss of relationships after speaking out 38:00 Why personal relationships and stories — not arguments — changed her mind --- Follow us at: https://x.com/FAAntisemitism [https://x.com/FAAntisemitism] https://www.instagram.com/faantisemitism_uk [https://www.instagram.com/faantisemitism_uk] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588267236387 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588267236387] Support Us – https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00 [https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00] And hit SUBSCRIBE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeministsAgainstAntisemitism] on our YouTube Channel 📣 Join our WhatsApp Channel - Quick updates, new posts, event announcements → http://whatsapp.feministsagainstantisemitism.org/

Fighting the Hate, with Melanie Phillips

In this episode, we share a recording of our recent live interview with Melanie Phillips, journalist and author of Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege. Drawing on decades of experience analysing media narratives, political extremism, misinformation and moral inversion, she shares practical strategies for responding in real-world situations at work, online and in social settings. As she explains, many people advancing these antisemitic or antizionist ideas believe they are acting out of justice and anti-racism. Understanding that, without conceding ground, is key to responding effectively. Watch or listen now for clear, practical guidance on challenging Jew hatred and the narratives that sustain them. Shownotes [00:00] How to respond to arguments You are not trying to win debates. You are trying to challenge certainty and shift the conversation. [00:01] Antisemitism after October 7 A surge in antisemitism across workplaces, communities and public life. [00:02] Silence and self-censorship Speaking up about antisemitism or antizionism often leads to social and professional consequences. [00:06] Why this matters now This is about responding to antisemitism, antizionism, misinformation and distorted narratives. [00:11] When to engage and when not to You need to judge the situation, prioritise safety and choose your battles. [00:15] Practical ways to push back Preparing simple lines and questions to challenge misinformation and anti-Jewish racism in the moment. [00:19] Guilt by association How people are labelled, excluded and shut down for who they know or what they question. [00:28] The “Israel is colonialist” claim How to challenge one of the core antizionist narratives without getting dragged into a long debate. [00:37] Keep your responses simple You do not need long explanations. A clear, unexpected point can disrupt the narrative. [00:57] What antizionism is doing How antizionism functions as a form of discrimination and overlaps with antisemitism. [01:13] Conflict in relationships How to handle disagreements with friends, family and political groups without losing yourself. [01:27] Why there is still hope More people are recognising misinformation and pushing back, even if they are not always visible. https://x.com/FAAntisemitism [https://x.com/FAAntisemitism] https://www.instagram.com/faantisemitism_uk [https://www.instagram.com/faantisemitism_uk] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588267236387 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588267236387] Support Us – https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00 [https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00] And hit SUBSCRIBE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeministsAgainstAntisemitism] on our YouTube Channel 📣 Join our WhatsApp Channel - Quick updates, new posts, event announcements → http://whatsapp.feministsagainstantisemitism.org/ [http://whatsapp.feministsagainstantisemitism.org/] Follow us at:

Silencing Jewish Voices: With Zohara Niddam

FAA’s Georgia Ladbury interviews musician Zohara Niddam about the cancellation of her band’s UK tour, and the growing effort to keep Jewish and Israeli artists off stage. We’re marking the UK’s Jewish Culture Week with Israeli musician Zohara Niddam who joins Feminists Against Antisemitism to unpack the recent cancellation of a klezmer band tour in a case that raised serious questions about whether Jewish artists are now being judged on their politics before their work. A Jewish band, Oi Va Voi, found itself subjected to a level of scrutiny rarely applied in the music industry: questioned over nationality, identity and politics, and ultimately cancelled. The official justification? The artwork of Zohara’s solo album, a piece designed to capture the emotional and symbolic complexity of life amid conflict. The reality of the response? Are Jewish and Israeli artists now being judged to a different standard and expected to justify their identity, their associations, and even their right to perform? At a time when everything feels pulled into simple categories – oppressor or oppressed, right or wrong – this episode explores what gets lost when there’s no room for complexity. When art can’t be open, ambiguous or difficult. When artists aren’t allowed to explore, only to agree. And when the very voices trying to grapple with conflict, including those advocating for coexistence, are the first to be shut down.

Antisemitism in the Birth World: A Hidden Safety Issue

Most people assume maternity care is neutral and a safe, compassionate space where politics stays outside the room. This episode of the Feminists Against Antisemitism podcast challenges that assumption. For Maternal Mental Health Week 2026, Georgia Ladbury, a public health professional and doula with a particular interest in maternal health and health inequalities, is joined by Laura Godfrey-Isaacs (NHS community midwife) and BJ Woodstein (doula, IBCLC lactation consultant, author) to talk about an issue many people don’t even think exists in the birth world: antisemitism, and how it’s affecting Jewish women’s safety, trust, and mental health during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. They describe a side of maternity care most people don’t realise exists: staff protesting in scrubs, Jewish women hiding they’re Jewish in hospital, and Jewish birth workers being frozen out for speaking up, even facing political vetting like “Are you a Zionist?” They connect today’s rhetoric to older antisemitic tropes (including blood libel), and ask what “inclusive care” means if Jewish women don’t feel safe at the most vulnerable moment of their lives. [00:00] Introduction: antisemitism in the birth world - Why maternity care is an overlooked site of antisemitism and inequality. [00:02] Guests and lived experience in maternity care - Laura Godfrey‑Isaacs and BJ Woodstein on working, birthing, and advocating as Jews in the birth world. [00:06] Power, trust, and the role of doulas - Why emotional safety and advocacy matter so much in pregnancy and birth. [00:08] Antisemitism inside healthcare spaces - Political activism, professional pressure, and the impact on Jewish staff and patients. [00:15] Blood libel and “baby killer” rhetoric - How ancient antisemitic tropes reappear in contemporary maternity contexts. [00:22] Zionism, misunderstanding, and silencing - Why Jewish explanations are dismissed and how language is weaponised. [00:27] EDI blind spots and data erasure - How equality frameworks fail Jewish women and why Jewish identity isn’t properly recorded. [00:39] Mental health, fear, and professional fallout - Trauma, isolation, and loss of safety for Jewish mothers and birth workers post–Oct 7. [00:51] Shifrah UK: building Jewish cultural safety - Why Shifrah was founded and how it supports Jewish families and professionals. [01:02] Stronger together: allyship and closing reflections - What solidarity looks like in maternity care and how women can stand together. Follow us at:https://x.com/FAAntisemitism https://www.instagram.com/faantisemitism_uk https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588267236387 Support Us – https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00 And hit SUBSCRIBE on our YouTube Channel 📣 Join our WhatsApp Channel - Quick updates, new posts, event announcements →http://whatsapp.feministsagainstantisemitism.org/

Antisemitism in Australia: A Conversation with Jewish Women on the Front Line

Since 7 October, Australia has seen a rapid rise in open antisemitism — from “gas the Jews” chanted on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to the doxxing of hundreds of Jewish creatives, most of them women. What many once dismissed as fringe has broken into the mainstream, and Jewish women have been forced to confront it head on. This conversation brings together four women who have lived the consequences of this shift: writer Julie Szego, musician Deborah Conway, NCJWA president Lynda Ben‑Menashe, and online‑safety advocate Zara Cooper. Together, they explain how antisemitism in Australia metastasised so quickly, why institutions froze, and how entire sections of the feminist, academic, and LGBTQ+ worlds turned on Jewish women. The panel speaks plainly about:– how “self‑righteousness” and influencer culture have turbo‑charged harassment– the way online mobs organise, attack, and justify their abuse– the decay of critical thinking and the spread of disinformation– the failure of feminist organisations to respond to sexual violence against Jewish women– how academic theories like “settler colonialism” became blunt political weapons– the hollowness of multicultural rhetoric when it refuses to name antisemitism– the deliberate platforming of fringe Jewish anti‑Zionist groups as if they speak for the community. This webinar makes clear that antisemitism in Australia didn’t appear overnight; it’s the result of years of ignored warnings, institutional cowardice, and fashionable ideological narratives that treat Jews as fair game.But it also shows how Jewish women are pushing back — using evidence, principled feminist analysis, and the simple insistence on truth. Despite the hostility, there is solidarity, clarity and a refusal to be intimidated.As one speaker put it: “Hate is loud. Jewish women are louder.” ⁠https://x.com/FAAntisemitism⁠⁠ Support Us⁠ – Your contribution powers the essentials, our website, tools, tech etc. so we can organise, host events, and challenge antisemitism in feminist spaces. We’re not a charity; we’re a collective of women taking action. Your support fuels the work. https://donate.stripe.com/4gM00j20h8Pe5DXdDTgrS00 And hit ⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠ on our YouTube Channel