Author Talk with James Loeffler: Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight over Free Speech in Modern America

Has antisemitism always been woven into American history or are we witnessing something fundamentally new? Why do Jews and Israel stand at the center of so many battles over free speech? And can we confront hate speech without sacrificing the freedoms we hold dear?

Drawing on his acclaimed new book, historian James Loeffler tackles these urgent questions head-on, illuminating what our current crisis reveals about the fragility—and resilience—of liberal democracy, and where we might go from here. Loeffler’s presentation will be accompanied by a conversation with journalist, Emily Tamkin.

Presented in partnership with the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies and Moment Magazine.

*This event will be ASL-interpreted.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

James Loeffler is the Felix Posen Professor of Jewish History at Johns Hopkins University, where he directs the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Jewish Studies Program. An award-winning author, his books include Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight over Free Speech in Modern America (2026) and Rooted Cosmopolitans: Jews and Human Rights in the Twentieth Century. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and other publication. In 2025, he received the Rockower Press Award for Excellence in Commentary on Antisemitism. He serves as the Robert Kogod Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.

Emily Tamkin is a journalist focused on Jewish politics and identities and the author of The Influence of Soros, Bad Jews, and a forthcoming work on Holocaust remembrance. She is a contributing columnist at the Forward and writes regularly for a range of publications, including Haaretz, the New Republic, and Slate. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and the Washington Post, among other publications. She is a fellow with the Nexus Task Force. She lives in Washington, DC.