{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Jewish Studies","slug":"new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327","podcast_index_feed_id":313327,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT1748646590","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/religion-faith/jewish-studies/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/39a56132-ef86-11e8-b21b-1b19c77002c7/image/60cca3664f8db6504a688566b559fc80.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1494,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T16:20:23.309680+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327"},"episode":{"title":"Jeffrey A. Marx, \"Jewish Firebugs: Arson and Antisemitism from the Civil War to World War I\" (NYU Press, 2026)","slug":"jeffrey-a-marx-jewish-firebugs-arson-and-antisemitism-from-the-civil-war-to-world-war-i-nyu-press-2026","published_at":"2026-07-13T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327/jeffrey-a-marx-jewish-firebugs-arson-and-antisemitism-from-the-civil-war-to-world-war-i-nyu-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK8480706145.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK8480706145.mp3","summary":"Why were Jews once stereotyped as America's arsonists? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with historian Jeffrey Marx to discuss his fascinating book Jewish Firebugs: Arson and Antisemitism from the Civil War to World War I (NYU Press, 2026), which uncovers a little-known chapter in the history of American antisemitism. In the decades after the American Civil War, major insurance companies instructed agents to deny fire insurance to Jewish customers, claiming they were uniquely prone to arson. That accusation quickly spread beyond the insurance industry, finding its way into newspapers, cartoons, vaudeville, popular songs, and silent films, helping to cement the image of the \"Jewish firebug\" in the American imagination. Drawing on fire department records, insurance files, trial transcripts, newspapers, and other archival sources, Marx untangles the complicated relationship between stereotype and reality. He explores why some Jewish immigrants became involved in organized arson schemes, how insurance companies often enabled those crimes for their own financial interests, and why Jews became the only ethnic group in America burdened with this particular accusation. The result is a nuanced history that reveals as much about immigrant life, poverty, and urban America as it does about the enduring power of antisemitic myths. Together, Marx and Katz examine how stereotypes are created, why they persist long after the facts have faded, and what this forgotten episode teaches us about the history—and continuing evolution—of antisemitism in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies","meta_description":"Why were Jews once stereotyped as America's arsonists? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with historian Jeffrey Marx to discuss his fascinating b…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2307,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327/episodes/jeffrey-a-marx-jewish-firebugs-arson-and-antisemitism-from-the-civil-war-to-world-war-i-nyu-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-jewish-studies-313327/jeffrey-a-marx-jewish-firebugs-arson-and-antisemitism-from-the-civil-war-to-world-war-i-nyu-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}