Sonic Antisemitism: Auditory Mechanisms of Hate on Social Media

November 13th @ 2 PM, Royce Hall, UCLA

This talk examines how antisemitism is transmitted and amplified through sound on contemporary social media platforms. Moving beyond explicit hate speech, it focuses on how music, ambient audio, and meme-based sound are used to evoke affective responses and circulate antisemitic messages in ways that are often subtle, participatory, and algorithmically reinforced. A five-part framework—comprising direct reference, emotive suggestion, contextual juxtaposition, sonic dog whistles, and sonic-visual convergence—offers a method for identifying and analyzing these mechanisms. Through close readings of sound-driven content across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the talk highlights the role of listening habits, platform design, and aesthetic trends in shaping how hate is encountered, engaged with, and normalized in digital culture. This approach reframes the politics of antisemitism through the ear, drawing attention to the often-overlooked sonic dimensions of online harm.

"Acts of Translation: Personal Stories in a Post-Survivor World"

February 28-March 2, 2026

The Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University (HEFNU) and Loyola Marymount University are pleased to announce the Spring 2026 Regional Institute on “Acts of Translation: Personal Stories in a Post-survivor World,” which will take place February 28-March 2, 2026, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

This HEFNU Regional Institute explores the complex state of Holocaust memory, particularly focusing on its (necessary) translation over time in graphic novels, film, theatre, the digital landscape, and material culture. The Institute recognizes that Holocaust memory neither recedes into the past nor remains static; rather, it functions as a powerful reference point in the present, shaping contemporary discussions on a host of related (and sometimes unrelated) topics. With an interest in examining digital futures and innovative art and media, coupled with pedagogical demonstrations, the Institute will unpack ways of translating Holocaust memory for new generations. The fading of first-hand testimonies, coupled with the rise of digital technology, has further complicated Holocaust memory, making acts of translation necessary to convey personal stories in a post-survivor world.

Central to the Institute is exploring the translation of various acts of testimony into something useful and effective for public/classroom interactions. With access to local resources such as the Shoah Foundation, the Museum of Tolerance, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, UCLA, USC and a number of other universities, institutes, libraries, and their associated experts, participants will find the process of making meaning from diverse sources a profound takeaway. Moreover, with close access to local histories of survivors, emphasis will be placed on ethical and effective strategies for interpreting and presenting these and other personal narratives to diverse audiences.

The Institute aims to be helpful to fellows looking to develop a course in Holocaust memory, as well as those who wish to add a module on memory to their surveys of Holocaust history. 

Doris Bergen (University of Toronto) will deliver the keynote. Teaching faculty include:  

• Victoria Aarons (Trinity University): Graphic novels

• Michael Berenbaum (AJU): Film

• Aomar Boum (UCLA): Graphic Novelist

• Anna Hajkova (University of Warwick): The Amazing Life of Margot Heuman

• Kathryn Huether (UCLA): Soundscapes

• Todd Presner (UCLA): Digital Humanities tools and survivor testimonies

• Svetlana Ushakova (Shoah Foundation): Dimensions in Testimony

Symposium on Sound and Hate Studies

April 10, 2026

This half-day symposium at UCLA will explore the intersection of sound and hate, focusing on how auditory experiences can propagate, resist, and reflect social animosities. Through discussions and lectures, the event will present unique perspectives on various forms of hate from the lens of sound studies, drawing on diverse fields to examine a wide range of social animosities. The symposium aims to deepen the understanding of how sound influences, challenges, and shapes the dynamics of hate in society