Why Antizionism is the new Antisemitism: A PhD’s urgent call to educators

In this powerful episode of IsraelCast, host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Dr. Naya Lekht, a leading scholar, educator, and writer who is reshaping how we understand Zionism, Jewish identity, and today’s wave of antizionism. Drawing on her background as a Soviet-born Jew and her PhD research on how the USSR erased Holocaust memory and reshaped Jewish identity, Naya explains why antizionism is not “just politics” but the newest form of Jew hatred—and how the slogans shouted on campuses and streets today were carefully engineered in Moscow decades ago.

Naya and Steven explore why Zionism is not a political accessory but a core pillar of Jewish identity, alongside Torah and peoplehood, and how Jewish education has too often reduced it to a partisan issue instead of a birthright. Naya introduces her groundbreaking initiative, Stop Anti-Zionism, and its historic declaration naming anti-Zionism as today’s antisemitism, as well as her podcast, Don’t Know Much About, which unpacks history, geopolitics, and contemporary movements through an unapologetically pro-Israel lens.

Dr. Naya Lekht is a leading scholar, educator, and writer whose work brings clarity and urgency to understanding anti-Jewish hatred. She earned her PhD in Russian Literature from UCLA, uncovering how the Soviet regime suppressed Holocaust memory and reshaped Jewish identity. Today, she partners with schools nationwide to develop rigorous curricula on Israel, the Middle East, and Jewish identity, empowering students to think critically and engage confidently. Named a 2024 Zionist “ViZionary” by the Jerusalem Post and Jewish National Fund-USA, she recently launched Stop Anti-Zionism and hosts the podcast “Don’t Know Much About,” exploring history, geopolitics, and contemporary movements