Deborah Lipstadt: Combating Antisemitism in the U.S. and a World in Crisis

US Special Envoy For Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt Interview

Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, brings extensive experience and credentials to her role. Her expertise as a Holocaust historian has garnered accolades and a victory in a libel lawsuit against David Irving, a Holocaust denier who sued Lipstadt for defamation.

Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023, Lipstadt spoke with TIME about the evolving nature of her job and her perspective on the global response to the conflict. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You are the President’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. How’s it going? I’m quite busy, and I actually hope for a decline in the amount of antisemitism I see.

Does that mean your job has gotten easier or harder in the past year? When I first took office, I emphasized the need for people to take anti­semitism seriously. The notion that “Jews have it made” was a common sentiment I encountered. Now, I hear more from people who are concerned about their safety, like advising their 12-year-old grandson wearing a kippah to wear a baseball cap for protection, even in places like the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

You grew up when Israel was the underdog. Whole generations have known it first as an occupier. I was in Israel during the Six-Day War. I was a child then, and we were uncertain about the future. Israel’s public image has changed dramatically since then. However, there remains a significant amount of hatred directed at Israel from various entities who wish to see its downfall.

How can one distinguish between criticizing Israel and being antisemitic? Holding all Jews responsible for actions taken by the Israeli government is antisemitism. But if criticizing Israel’s policies constituted antisemitism, then the hundreds of thousands of Israelis protesting in the streets on Saturday nights would be antisemites.

Your academic work is centered on the Holocaust. Is hearing what’s happening in Gaza described as a genocide triggering in any way? There is a specific definition of genocide. We can acknowledge the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, recognizing that many residents are not supporters of Hamas. The suffering is immense and seemingly unending, but it doesn’t constitute a genocide.

Between what happened in Israel on Oct. 7 and in Gaza afterward, sometimes it can seem like the traumas are in competition. There are certainly competing traumas. However, I don’t engage in comparing suffering. Having two impacted molars doesn’t make your one molar feel better. I don’t think it’s productive. We are talking about responding to an attack. The 1,200 deaths on Oct. 7 are equivalent to 48,000 American deaths in proportion to our population. If anyone had suggested we remain silent after 9/11 and not retaliate, it would have been unthinkable. If someone attacks, you have to respond.

Did you just say we? That’s right. You raise a good point. I was speaking as an envoy for Joe Biden, who flew to Israel after the attack, and also as a Jew.

Do you think Jewish people in general feel as if their fate is attached to Israel’s? Some Jews do. Some Jews believe that if anything were to happen to Israel, they would be less safe in the world. Many Jews feel this way.

Does it work the other way? If ­Israel is delegitimized—a big word inside Israel—are Jews more vulnerable? I think so, in many places. We must also consider the situation with the Uighurs. You want to talk about a genocide? Talk about the genocide of the Uighurs.

That’s not happening on camera though, is it? The Chinese government has ensured that. But if someone were to find a group of Chinese nationals and beat them up [in retaliation], we would be appalled.

Rachel Weisz played you in Denial, the movie about your being sued for libel by a Holocaust denier. Are you still in touch? We email each other. After I was appointed envoy, she told the producers they needed to call her “ambassador.” She took the role very seriously. Her father escaped Hungary, and her mother was born in Vienna to a Jewish father, and they had to flee. So she approached the role personally.