Ep 304: The UN, Society, and Antisemitism with Susanne Seperson and guest JD Solomon P1 on hmTv

Podcast Title: The UN, Society, and Antisemitism
Episode 304 (Part 1)
Host: Dr. Susanne Seperson
Guest: J.D. Solomon
Series: hmTv

Description:
In this powerful episode of The UN, Society, and Antisemitism on hmTv, host Dr. Susanne Seperson sits down with author and historian J.D. Solomon to explore antisemitism in early 20th-century America — from the Leo Frank lynching in 1915 to the sensational Leopold and Loeb murder case of 1924, and the rise of Christian nationalism intertwined with the Ku Klux Klan movement.

Solomon, a former journalist and lifelong student of history, shares his personal reflections on growing up Jewish in mid-century America and how subtle prejudice coexisted with systemic exclusion. Together, he and Dr. Seperson trace how antisemitism evolved from overt hate to institutional barriers — and how events like the Leo Frank case still reverberate today.

The discussion sheds light on overlooked figures like Daisy Douglas Barr, the “Imperial Empress” of the Indiana Women’s Klan, whose story reveals the unsettling intersection of religion, politics, and bigotry in American history.

Part 1 ends with a preview of the next episode, where the conversation will turn to Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and the powerful media voices that helped normalize antisemitism in the U.S.

Keywords: antisemitism, American history, Leo Frank, Leopold and Loeb, Ku Klux Klan, Daisy Douglas Barr, Christian nationalism, Jewish experience, hmTv, Susanne Seperson, J.D. Solomon

Transcript

Podcast Title: The UN, Society, and Antisemitism

Episode 304 — Part 1

Host: Dr. Susanne Seperson
Guest: J.D. Solomon
Series: hmTv

[00:00:32,079]

Susanne Seperson:
Hello, and thank you for joining me today. I'm your host, Dr. Susanne Blyeber Seperson, and this is our 11th episode of the podcast Antisemitism and the United Nations and in Society on hmTv.

It is my pleasure to introduce our guest, Mr. J.D. Solomon — a writer of historical fiction, as well as a medical book written with his father, Dr. Yale Solomon, on macular degeneration.

He wrote the historical novel The Tenin Killings in 2008, based on one of his wife’s ancestors — an Irish immigrant who served as a Union officer in the Civil War. And most recently, he authored a historical novel called Home News: A Novel of 1928, about events in his hometown of Bay Shore, Long Island, New York. It’s set in the Jazz Age — filled with bootleggers, cops, and news reporters.

As a student of history, our discussion today will focus on antisemitism in America in the early 20th century and the responses by the Jewish community and its supporters — and a few notorious cases involving Jews, some well known and some less so.

So now, it’s indeed my honor to welcome Mr. J.D. Solomon.

Susanne:
Let’s start with some questions about your background, if I may. Could you tell us a little about where you grew up, your family, and what in your background influenced your career path?

J.D. Solomon:
Most of my career was as a journalist and editor. I started in daily journalism, working in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. Then I took a detour into educational publishing and ultimately ended up back in journalism — this time in education journalism.

I was the editor of two sister publications: one serving K–12 school administrators, and another serving college and university presidents and administrators.

I’ve always been a student and lover of history. I wrote The Tenin Killings while still working, and Home News came later as a retirement project.

Since then, I’ve found myself giving historical true crime presentations to senior groups here in New Jersey — often two or three times a week — on cases like the Lindbergh kidnapping, Leopold and Loeb, and others. It all came together quite serendipitously and worked out just the way I hoped.

Susanne:
I’m looking forward to hearing about those true crime stories — especially those connected to Jewish themes. But first, did you personally experience any antisemitism while growing up?

J.D. Solomon:
Nothing serious, really. The community I’m from — Bay Shore — was and still is quite diverse. We had two very strong Jewish congregations, one Conservative and one Reform.

The closest thing I experienced was the local country club that, for years, didn’t accept Jews. My father, who was an ophthalmologist in Bay Shore, had colleagues who were members, but he wasn’t. His attitude was, “To hell with them — we don’t need them.”

Later, I experienced one overt moment — in a newsroom in Westchester County, New York. A colleague used the phrase “trying to jew me down” during a phone call. She didn’t even realize it was offensive. I debated whether to say something, but decided not to — though it certainly stuck with me.

In college, I also met people from small New England towns who had never met a Jew before. That surprised me — it was an eye-opener, but not hostile.

Susanne:
I know the Bay Shore area well — I taught at Dowling College for many years. You’re right; it’s a diverse community. And as young people, we often don’t conceptualize discrimination until we have more life experience and context.

So let’s go there — to the historical context. The post-war phenomenon of antisemitism was very different from the pre-war period. Before World War II, antisemitism in America was often overt — even institutionalized. Let’s explore that.

J.D. Solomon:
Yes, absolutely. In the early 20th century, it was socially acceptable — even fashionable — to be antisemitic. You had visible, overt hate, but also systemic, invisible discrimination.

Elite universities had quotas for Jewish students. White-shoe law firms, banks, and hospitals wouldn’t hire Jews. That persisted into the 1950s and 60s.

World War II was a major turning point — a delineating moment in how American Jews experienced antisemitism.

Susanne:
Let’s take this chronologically, beginning with some of the most notable criminal cases involving antisemitism — starting with the Leo Frank case in Georgia.

For our audience: Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent, was lynched by an antisemitic mob on August 16, 1915, accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl named Mary Phagan.

Would you continue the story from there?

J.D. Solomon:
That case still reverberates today. The media coverage was brutal — yellow journalism was rampant, with papers owned by Hearst and Pulitzer referring to him constantly as “the Jew.”

The trial was a travesty of justice. Frank was convicted, sentenced to death, and later had his sentence commuted to life in prison by the governor — who was then politically ruined for doing so.

A mob broke into the prison, dragged Frank out, and lynched him within sight of the victim’s home. Those same men later met on Stone Mountain, Georgia, and re-founded the modern Ku Klux Klan.

The case also inspired the creation of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Even now, far-right influencers online use that case to peddle revisionist antisemitism. Historians overwhelmingly agree that Frank was wrongly convicted — but the damage was done.

Susanne:
When I hear about such cases, I can’t help but feel that crimes involving Jews — even as victims — are weaponized to stain an entire people. And in Leo Frank’s case, that’s exactly what happened.

Let’s move nine years later — to the Leopold and Loeb case in Chicago, another shocking murder.

J.D. Solomon:
Yes. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb — both from wealthy Jewish families — murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks just to prove they could commit “the perfect crime.”

It was horrifying, but unlike the Leo Frank case, it didn’t spark antisemitism. Possibly because the victim himself was Jewish. Clarence Darrow defended them and saved them from the death penalty, but they were both sentenced to life.

The case reflected the moral confusion of the Jazz Age — a sense that modern youth had lost its compass — but not a wave of anti-Jewish hatred.

Susanne:
Fascinating. I didn’t realize they were lovers — that adds another layer of shame and complexity, especially in that era. Leopold was ultimately murdered in prison, and Loeb later moved to Puerto Rico, where he became an ornithologist and died in 1976.

Still, there was no antisemitic backlash — very different from Leo Frank’s case. Geography, class, and the identity of the victim all likely played a role.

Now, you’ve mentioned some of the figures you lecture about — one that caught my attention was Daisy Douglas Barr. We rarely hear about women in the KKK. Tell us about her.

J.D. Solomon:
Daisy Barr was part of the early 20th-century Christian revivalist movement — a charismatic preacher who fused evangelical Christianity with Klan ideology.

She became the “Imperial Empress” of the Indiana Women’s Klan and a national spokesperson linking Christian nationalism and white supremacy.

She led rallies with thousands in attendance and openly called for a “Christian America.” While not all revivalist preachers were antisemitic, the underlying question was clear — where did Jews fit in a “Christian nation”?

The Klan had their answer: they didn’t. They boycotted Jewish businesses and excluded Jews from universities and politics — not just in the South, but throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast.

By the 1920s, one in five eligible white Protestant men were members or sympathizers of the Klan. It was massive.

Susanne:
Incredible — and chilling. Daisy Barr’s story is especially striking because she was also a Quaker minister and vice chair of Indiana’s Republican Committee. It’s almost schizophrenic — a blend of religious fervor and bigotry.

Ultimately, she lost her positions and influence.

Well, this is a good place to pause. In our next episode, we’ll explore Father Charles Coughlin — one of America’s first mass-media influencers — and his alliance with Henry Ford.

There’s a long and disturbing history of antisemitism in America that many are unaware of, and I look forward to continuing this conversation.

Mr. Solomon, thank you for joining me today and for sharing your historical insights.

To our listeners — thank you for tuning in to Antisemitism, the UN, and Society on hmTv. Until next time — make it our time. Take care, and be well.

[End of Episode 304 – Part 1]