Students in MTA’s Honors College, an enriched academic program that provides a challenging and comprehensive student experience, were privileged to hear from noted author and MTA alumnus Yair Rosenberg (‘06) last week. A senior writer at Tablet Magazine, Rosenberg shared his experiences combating anti-semitism on digital and social media platforms, which were recently highlighted in his New York Times oped piece, “Confessions of a Digital Nazi Hunter.” He cited his years at MTA as one of the reasons for his success in both writing and public speaking. As an MTA student, he ran a school-wide magazine and was also a member of the debate team. He currently covers religion, culture and politics at Tablet and is authoring a book, “7 Myths About Anti-Semitism.”

Rosenberg discussed how he uses digital campaigns and social experiments to fight cyberhate and raise global awareness about the anti-semitic trolls that have become prevalent on social media platforms. He stressed the importance of striking a balance between censoring these racists and allowing them to continue spreading their propaganda so that people will be aware of the anti-semitism we are facing online today. Rosenberg also fielded questions from students on what it’s like to be a Jewish journalist and how to educate others on the rise of online racism. Students were fascinated by his presentation and felt that this was a valuable learning experience.