Is anti-Semitism the same or different in America today as in the past? My conclusion is yes, and no. My study is Pittsburgh’s ongoing public response to the Tree of Life tragedy. Most of my material—both pictures and text—is digitally obtained (digital ethnography) as I currently live away from the city. However, I was born and raised in Squirrel Hill not far from the Tree of Life synagogue. I therefore have personal knowledge of the community. I have visited “the ‘Burgh’” several times since the shootings, walking the streets, interviewing shop owners, speaking with police, and visiting at the Tree of Life as well as my family’s old synagogue, Temple Rodef Shalom. My central finding is that Pittsburgh’s non-Jewish community—religious, civic, sports, political, and local media—is attempting to “pushback” against anti-Semitism in a powerful, and for some, a surprising way. I am particularly interested in showing that this new response could be seen as a social action oriented one meant to help combat anti-Semitism and its concomitant crimes. As the general community continues to articulate an anti anti-Semitic message, I would argue we are witnessing an important, newly emergent American cultural event.
About the presenterPeter Gluck
PhD, Social Work and American Culture, University of Michigan MSW, Masters in Anthropology, Masters in Hebrew Literature