Podcast Summary: Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 88
Title: America's "24% problem" with young antisemitism, with Jonah Platt
Date: February 7, 2026
Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Guest: Jonah Platt (Performer, Jewish advocate, and host of the Being Jewish podcast)
Episode Overview
In this episode, Haviv Rettig Gur sits down with Jonah Platt, an award-winning Jewish advocate and creator of the “Being Jewish” podcast, to explore the shifting landscape of American Jewish life post-October 7, 2023. Their wide-ranging conversation addresses the erosion and revival of Jewish identity in the U.S., the complexities of Jewish representation in American culture, and, crucially, alarming data on rising antisemitism among young Americans—"America's 24% Problem." The dialogue is honest, probing, and ultimately, cautiously optimistic.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why "Being Jewish": Creating Space for Jewish Conversations
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Genesis of the Podcast: Jonah Platt describes his motivation for launching “Being Jewish” after October 7, 2023. He felt that prominent Jews rarely discussed their Jewish identity in depth, especially in safe, open settings. His goal: to create a welcoming, normalized forum for Jews (and others) of all backgrounds to talk openly about Jewish experience—without academic jargon or institutional limitations.
“I wanted to really just normalize Jews talking about Jewish stuff that wasn’t academic necessarily … accessible, youthful … cool Jews talking about Jewish stuff and that. It’s not lame, it’s not controversial … It’s just who we are.” – Jonah Platt [05:37] -
Diversity and Representation: Highlighting the mosaic of the American Jewish experience, Jonah emphasizes showcasing guests across all lines—different geographies, professions, levels of observance, and backgrounds. “Every episode you’re getting a different gender, different geographical location, different ethnicity, different profession … really trying to showcase all the different kinds of people that we are.” – Jonah Platt [06:56]
2. American vs. Israeli Jewish Identity
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Intentionality vs. Envelopment:
Haviv and Jonah contrast the embedded, almost “background” Jewishness of life in Israel with the intentional, chosen nature of Jewish identity in America. “Israeli Jews can, as you said, it like goes into the background. … And then you get a lot of Israelis who move here and all of a sudden they realize what it is to be an American Jew, which is, it has to be entirely intentional.” – Jonah Platt [09:09] -
Challenges of Building Community: In America, Jewish continuity requires proactive effort—seeking out synagogues, schools, community events, or even online platforms. Many get lost without strong communal anchors, especially outside major Jewish centers. “People who don’t find it get lost. Even if they are somebody who, if it was handed to them, they would say, oh, yes, please, I do want this.” – Jonah Platt [10:56]
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Recent Surge in Jewish Engagement: Since October 7, there’s a notable uptick in the desire for Jewish connection, but sustaining it remains tough if needs go unmet.
3. Jewish Life Beyond Traditional Institutions
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Reaching Disengaged Jews:
Jonah details how Jewish organizations are experimenting—innovative events, engaging live programming, and digital platforms—to attract segments less connected to institutional life. “You need to be doing things that people want to go to regardless … all kinds of different programming.” – Jonah Platt [14:53] -
Grassroots Initiatives: Projects such as ‘One Table’ subsidize Shabbat dinners, making Jewish experience more accessible, especially in urban and dispersed communities. “That’s their way of trying to convene and connect. So everybody’s experimenting and trying things.” – Jonah Platt [15:55]
4. Jewishness in American Culture—Hollywood’s Blind Spot
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Historic Concealment:
Haviv and Jonah discuss how early Hollywood, founded by Jewish immigrants, downplayed Jewish identity to “fit in”—a practice that continues at a subconscious level today. “The problem is that it’s now sort of this inherited vibe of Hollywood, which is hide your Jewishness. Don’t dare, you know, spotlight or uplift Jewish stories or Jewish people or Jewish characters. Because they’re going to say we run Hollywood.” – Jonah Platt [21:47] -
Impact of Stereotypes: Jonah points to the damage Hollywood’s selective representation of minorities (including Jews) has had on broader perceptions.
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Current Shifts and Missed Opportunities:
While Jewish comedic self-deprecation is common (Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Adam Sandler), rich, contemporary Jewish stories are rare. He praises recent efforts, e.g., Sandler’s “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” but notes such projects need high commercial merit to be greenlit. “Really the only Jews that have ever sort of been allowed to exist in the pop culture are self deprecating ones … the rest … is missing.” – Jonah Platt [23:04] -
Barriers and Courage:
Many prominent Jews in entertainment avoid public stances on Israel or Jewish issues—out of fear, potential backlash, or inherited caution. Not all, however:
“Jerry Seinfeld … This is what I stand by, deal with it. And when anyone sort of does that, in any context, we respect that. You can’t bully somebody who isn’t going to allow themselves to be bullied.” – Jonah Platt [29:41]
5. Digital Propaganda and the Challenge of Antisemitism
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The “24% Problem”:
Haviv shares alarming poll data showing that 24% of Americans aged 18–22 agree with anti-Jewish statements (e.g., “Jews in the US are more loyal to Israel than America,” “It’s appropriate to boycott Jewish businesses”).
“By the time you get down to 18, the 18 to 22 cohort, it’s 24%... these are questions about American Jews, their power, and whether it’s appropriate to boycott them … 24% of 18 to 22 year old Americans. If I was an American Jew, I think I would be worried.” – Haviv Rettig Gur [36:01] -
Trends and Agency:
Haviv voices real concern: the combination of rising antisemitic sentiment, far-right and far-left radicalization, and the loss of “liberal promise” in American society is shaking longtime Jewish confidence. -
Jonah’s Optimism (and Prescription):
Jonah is cautiously optimistic:- The “24%” is still a minority; 76% are not antisemitic.
- Young adults’ views are malleable as they mature.
- The solution is clear: proactive, public, proud education and normalized Jewish engagement in public spaces. “To me the prescription is clear, which is to start calling this stuff out and being, locked in our sense of moral clarity where we understand what anti Zionist hate looks like and we call it out as such …We start to recognize [propaganda].” – Jonah Platt [38:57]
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Modeling Jewish Pride & Complexity:
Haviv emphasizes the importance of modeling nuanced, confident Jewishness—expressing both pride and critical thought. “Be that pillar of fire. Be that thing that stands before the camp that guides them. … Model complexity, model integrity. That’s. What else can you give your kids?” – Haviv Rettig Gur [32:16]
6. Is a Jewish Cultural Renaissance Underway?
- Explosion in Jewish Creativity:
Haviv marvels at the surge of American Jewish cultural production—music, novels, cookbooks, and digital content—over the past few years, especially among younger generations.
Jonah confirms the vibrancy, citing new books, chef-driven food culture, fiction, and active youth clubs. “For every one of those ideologically captured young people, we’ve got incredible young Jewish leaders who are listening to Jewish music, who are hosting Shabbats at their house, who are the heads of the Jewish club in their high school.” – Jonah Platt [52:20]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Intentional American Jewish Identity:
“It has to be entirely intentional. You have to say, I want this to be part of my life. And here are the various ways I’m going to ensure that it is.” – Jonah Platt [09:09] -
On Hollywood’s Fear:
“It’s not that people are literally having the conversation every day of ‘it’s too Jewy…’ It’s inherited and unexamined and unquestioned. It’s just the way it’s always been.” – Jonah Platt [22:34] -
The Power of Proud Example:
“If you’re not going to stand up for yourself and your people in this moment that we’re in right now, when are you ever doing it in your lifetime?” – Jonah Platt [31:24] -
On Agency and Control:
“Israelis are organized Jews who can shape their world. They feel agency. And so they’re less scared than people who are much safer but not actually in control of their situation. Control is an enormous part of not being scared.” – Haviv Rettig Gur [35:43] -
On Resilience & Optimism:
“The people who are the most ideologically captured are the people who are already sort of the dumbest because they’re young and we’re all dumb when we’re young and we all grow up, you learn and you gain life experience.” – Jonah Platt [44:40] -
On the Beginning of a Sea Change:
“Maybe that’s what the beginning of a movement looks like. If things do get worse, then more American Jews wake up and then eventually you’ve woken up millions of Jews to go out there and fight.” – Haviv Rettig Gur [48:15] -
On Jewish Cultural Vibrancy:
“People are engaged. And Jewish food is another big one. There’s so many Jewish chefs and Israeli chefs who are sort of coming to the fore and playing with that in new ways that make it culturally and contemporary, relevant.” – Jonah Platt [53:23] -
On Hope:
“Ronald Reagan once famously said, there’s nothing wrong with America that can’t be fixed by what’s right with America.” – Haviv Rettig Gur [48:59]
“I love that.” – Jonah Platt [49:07]
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
- [03:29] Genesis and goals of the “Being Jewish” podcast
- [09:09] Intentionality required for Jewish identity in America
- [14:16] How disengaged Jews might reconnect
- [20:20] The erasure of Jewish identity in American, especially Hollywood, culture
- [29:41] Fear and silence among prominent Jews and their allies
- [36:01] The "24% problem" – sharp rise in young American antisemitism
- [38:57] Jonah’s approach to confronting anti-Jewish hate
- [44:34] Sources of optimism: youth, leadership, and creative solutions
- [52:04] A new generation’s Jewish cultural pride and engagement
Concluding Tone
The episode ends on a realistic but hopeful note: while the data and trends are deeply worrying, especially among young Americans, there is mounting evidence of resilience, creativity, and a new spirit of Jewish pride and activism emerging across the American Jewish community. Both guests urge listeners to model courage, complexity, and engagement—and to take heart in the ways that young Jews and allies are beginning to “row in the same direction.”