Israel-Hamas Conflict: Social Media, Terrorism, and Antisemitism

Manhattan Insights

On the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel that involved the killing of small children, the elderly, and hundreds of other vulnerable women and men. In the U.S., the atrocity has sparked both outrage and a disturbing surge in antisemitism and anti-Zionism, particularly on social media and on college campuses across the country. While countless Americans have spoken up in solidarity with the Israeli people, some activist groups and academics rushed to support Hamas in the wake of its massacre of Israeli civilians, creating a sense of fear and dread. Many worry that violent extremists could target Jewish communities across America.

Yael Bar tur joins host Reihan Salam from Tel Aviv. Yael, an accomplished social media strategist, has deep experience in security issues and terrorism, having served as social media director for the NYPD from 2016 to 2020. Earlier in her career, Yael served in the IDF as a press liaison.

Follow Yael on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/yaelbt

This conversation was recorded on Wednesday, October 11

Related readings and notes:

***U.S. student groups expressing support for Hamas***

Chicago: https://twitter.com/zach_kessel/status/1712282150798582066

Columbia: https://twitter.com/AvivaKlompas/status/1712588263133790366

GWU: https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1711765773142614335

Harvard: https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1711153384953348169

NYU: https://twitter.com/zach_kessel/status/1711807838505312586

NYU Law: https://twitter.com/Yair_Rosenberg/status/1711790931299426802