In this episode of the Jewish futurism Lab, Mike Wirth sits down with Kara Jesella, feminist scholar and Fellow at the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, to discuss her new book, Feminist Antisemitism: An Intellectual History.
Kara traces how antipathy toward Jews became embedded in feminist thought from the 1960s to today. They explore the 1975 UN women’s conference as a turning point, the rise of “white feminism” and “carceral feminism” as labels used to dismiss Jewish women’s concerns, and how postmodern theory reshaped who counts as oppressed.
The conversation covers Jewish liberation in the diaspora, the loss of “agency” in academic feminism, and the role of art, culture, and consciousness-raising in rebuilding Jewish feminist solidarity. Kara also shares insights on under-recognized Jewish artists like Mierle Laderman Ukeles and discusses grassroots models like the UK’s Feminists Against Antisemitism as blueprints for coalition building in America.
Together, they ask what a feminism that centers historical accuracy, Jewish belonging, and individual agency might look like, and what that means for the future of feminism.
Ways to Connect with Kara:
Website: https://
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Facebook: https://www.
