1900 Women

Ayn Rand (born Alisa Rosenbaum) faced antisemitism in the U.S., which she described as the only time she felt Jewish, though she often concealed her background to assimilate. She denounced antisemitism and broke with personal associates who expressed anti-Semitic views, despite rarely mentioning it in her public, largely secular, and individualist-focused work. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key details regarding Rand and antisemitism:

• Personal Experiences: Rand is reported to have said, "the only time I'm Jewish is when I hear anti-Semitism".

• Broken Friendships: She cut ties with her friend and author Isabel Paterson after Paterson stated, "I don't like Jewish intellectuals".

• Concealment and Context: While she rarely addressed her Jewishness publically, new research notes that she faced rampant antisemitism during the interwar period and that her focus on individualism was a defense against tribalism.

• Antisemitic Attacks: She was disturbed by antisemitic literature and once referenced an, "obscene antisemitic 'poem' calling for the killing of Jews," as well as "an obscene utterance, praising Hitler's atrocities" that she had seen, notes a report on a new biography from Alexandra Popoff. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

For more on her life and personal,, take a look at the study on her life and work by Alexandra Popoff and the discussion of her background and impact from Stephen Kirchn