Getting a Sense of History: Patterns and Paradigms
6 Accusations Waged against the Jews
Anti-Zionism and Language of Antisemites
Do Intentions Matter?
Israel as the Global Villain
The Canary in the Coal Mine: Antisemitism as an Alarm System
Exit Cards: Reinforcing the Lesson’s Objectives
List of Key Terms
Guiding Questions
In this lesson, students will learn the many forms hatred of the Jews takes to help identify contemporary antisemitism and ideologies that fuel this hatred. As you begin teaching this lesson, please find a few guiding questions below that will help you frame the discussion and telegraph to your students key topics that will be explored throughout the lesson.
*Is antisemitism different from other hatreds?
*Why do you think the Jews have found themselves the perennial targets of hatred?
*Can a hatred specific to a group of people change over time?
*Are there any particular ideologies that fuel antisemitism?
*How can we explain that at a time where there is more “tolerance” and “inclusivity” in institutions of higher learning, antisemitism is surging? Is the appearance of antisemitism telling us something about the overall health of these institutions?
LESSON OVERVIEW
Grade: High School
Subject: History & Civics
Length 60 minutes
Antisemitism is one of the most complicated and misunderstood forms of hatred, mainly because it can adapt to different social contexts and present itself differently. At its core, antisemitism is an ideology that views Jews as whatever is vile in the world. To save the world, “the Jew” must be exterminated. It is for this reason that the German-Jewish writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote that, unlike many other forms of hatred, “antisemitism is genocidal.”
This lesson is broken into several parts to scaffold concepts, such as the history of ideas, historical patterns, and paradigm shifts, to examine case studies of historical and contemporary antisemitism.
Lesson Objectives:
Provide an overview of Jew-hatred through three distinct eras: anti-Judaism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Zionism
When is it antisemitism? Leading accusations waged against the Jews
Why are Jews cast as the villain? Antisemitism as a lethal ideology
Hook
Russian-speaking Jewish journalist and author Vasily Grossman, who lived in the Soviet Union, wrote much about the hatred of the Jews. Read the quote below from Grossman’s larger work on antisemitism and discuss.
What do you think Grossman is trying to tell us?
Can you think of some examples from history where Jews were blamed for crimes committed by those who accused them of these sins?
How about today? Can you think of some examples today?
Does this mean you cannot criticize the Jewish people?
Case Study: How can antisemitism present itself today?
Discussion Questions:
Who is being depicted as committing a crime?
Who is the victim?
Aren’t children dying as a result of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs?
Isn’t this just a criticism of reckless violence?
What do you think about the image on the left? Is it antisemitic? How so?
Have you ever heard of Blood Libel? Do you see it here?
Getting a Sense for History: Patterns and Paradigms
Begin by asking, “When do you think hatred of Jews as a people began?”
Note to the educator: students may provide different answers (i.e., Nazi Germany, in Egypt where the Jewish people were enslaved, the birth of Christianity). The goal is to demonstrate that all these answers are not wrong and thus show that antisemitism has existed at different points in history. Next, the teacher presents to students that hatred of the Jews has been deemed “the longest hatred” by the leading historian on antisemitism, Robert Wistrich. And because it is the “longest hatred,” it is also the most durable. Why is that? How has antisemitism successfully permeated different civilizations?
Thinking in Paradigms
Look at the image below. What do you notice? Why is “Jew-hatred” at the very top? Why do you think there are three terms for “Jew-hatred?” What do you think the word “violate” is doing here?
Note to the teacher: After asking some preliminary questions (see above), it is important to explain that this image demonstrates that there are three distinct eras of Jew-hatred. Each era views the Jew as the violator. Put differently, the Jews collectively are seen as those who violate the tenets of what a given civilization cares most deeply about. In the era of “Judeophobia” or “Anti-Judaism,” the Jews were accused of killing Christ and, most importantly, of violating the belief system of Christianity by not getting on the “salvation train.” In the era of “Antisemitism,” the Jews are no longer seen as violating religious tenets but rather the purity of race. Today, in the era of “Anti-Zionism,” the Jews are seen as violating what our civilization cares most deeply about: human rights.
Logical Fallacy: Like all other people, Jewish people are not impervious to criticism. While it is accurate that when Christianity was growing throughout the Middle Ages, Jews did not accept Jesus Christ and did very much pose a threat to church fathers eager to show that the New Testament was the natural continuation of the Bible, the demonization of Jews collectively and blaming them for the world’s ill is when we are dealing with antisemitism. Similarly, while many Jews were, indeed, part of the Bolshevik revolution and thus communists, the Nazi vilification of Jews as communists and as war-mongers is when antisemitism manifests. Finally, Israel, the synecdoche for the Jewish people, does engage in defensive warfare. Civilian casualties are a direct result of war. However, we know we are dealing with antisemitism when Israel is blamed for the evils of the world.
6 Accusations Waged Against the Jews: Antisemitism as a Virus
As we see, antisemitism can evolve and mutate. This is similar to a virus because viruses can mutate, making it difficult to cure. However, when developing vaccines, virologists found that identifying the DNA/ RNA sequence of each virus is critical to eradicating a virus.
Thinking like a virologist: if antisemitism is a virus, what would its distinct DNA sequence be?
Let’s examine the 6 Accusations Together.
Blood Libel: Blood Libel originates in England in the late 12th century with the murder of a Christian child called William of Norwich who went missing in the town of Norwich, was killed, crucified, and his blood drained. Norwich, at that time, was heavily populated by Jews. A monk traveling to Norwich after hearing the story of William wrote a book, a hagiography. He inserted the lie that Jews kidnapped young William, murdered him, and used his blood for Jewish rituals. This particular trope or accusation has been one of the most powerful lies told about the Jewish people. Below are examples of blood libel that span different countries and times.
World Domination: The accusation that Jews are part of a secret cabal that controls the world originates from Tsarist Russia. Tsar Nicolas II compelled his henchmen to write a book, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a text that proved the Jewish people’s secret plan to take over key positions of power across the world to overthrow regimes. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was proved to be a forgery. Nevertheless, as in the case of Blood Libel, this false accusation spread quickly. Below are examples of the lie that Jews control the world that spans different countries and times.
Demonization: The accusation that Jews work for the devil or are themselves demons originates from Christian sources during the Medieval period. This particular accusation views Jews as having supernatural powers. As such, Jews can “hypnotize” the non-Jews and trick them. This particular accusation is what differentiates antisemitism from racism, as racists view certain groups of people as being sub-human. Below are examples of the lie that Jews control the world that spans different places around the world and times.
Note to the educator: in the modern period, demonization has evolved to accusing Israel of being an Apartheid state and Zionism as racism. Why? Because if you ask a person in the twenty-first century what is most evil, they would say “racism” and “apartheid.”
Dual Loyalty: Living as a minority people in host countries, Jews have historically found themselves in the precarious position of having to pledge their loyalty to the host country. Because non-Jews view Jews as the “other” and, more importantly, as constituting a distincit people/ nation, non-Jews continue to be suspicious of Jews. Below are examples of the dual loyalty accusation.
Dehumanization: This is the accusation that is most similar to racism and was operational under the Nazi Regime. Below are examples of the demonization of Jews that span different countries and times.
Money and Greed: Forced into positions of money lenders in the 12 century in England, Jews have thus historically been associated with money and corruption. Additionally, because Judas sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver, Jews came to be associated with money and the idea that they are untrustworthy, for they can “sell you out.” Below are examples of accusing Jews of being greedy and controlling institutions and their economy.
Anti-Zionism and the Language of Antisemites
Take a look at some of the images below that often appear in anti-Zionist spaces. What do you see? Can you see any of the tropes and accusations above?
Show students this image and ask them if they think these tweets are antisemitic.
Next, show students that the above image is not real. The actual tweets say:
Do Intentions Matter?
Ask students: if you found out that there is a people on this earth that are evil, untrustworthy, demonic, and illegitimate, what would you do with such a people? What do you think must be done with an apartheid regime/ country? How about a Nazi state?
Israel as the Global Villain
Why do people need a villain? Why do you think, historically, the Jews have filled this role?
Begin by asking students what they think is the most evil thing to be today. Next, remind students of the paradigm earlier in the lesson that demonstrates that in each era of antisemitism, the Jew was seen as the violator of the world’s order.
Look at the image below. How is Israel portrayed? Is Israel synonymous with Jew in this image? How so? What is Israel guilty of? Would you say this sin is among the top sins human rights advocates fight against? How does accusing Israel of committing the worst crimes against humanity fit into the larger paradigm of antisemitism?
Note to teacher: accusing Israel of being a settler-colonial state is factually incorrect. Like Blood Libel and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the accusation of Israeli occupation is another lie in the many lies waged against the Jewish people to demonize them. To learn more about Israel and colonialism, please click the following source, as well as a longer article outlining the birth of countries from mandates after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
What about this cartoon below that appeared in the state-run Qatari digital newspaper? How does this image portray Jews? Do you see any of the 6 accusations? Why do you think the Jew-devil responds, “colonies on earth” to the pope? How does this image relate to the image above that accuses Israel of being colonialist?
The Canary in the Coal Mine: Antisemitism as an Alarm System
The Jew has often been called the “canary in the coal mine” because the threat to Jews is a threat to all of humanity. Moreover, where antisemitism erupts, a much graver threat to civilization exists. What do you think about this? Can you think of countries that once had or still have high levels of antisemitism? Is the antisemitism an indicator of a system breakdown?
Exit Cards
Activity 1: To conclude the lesson, the teacher may provide a few case studies of modern examples of antisemitism and ask students to work in groups and explain why each case study is an example of antisemitism.
Activity 2: What is something you learned today? Were you presented with a new idea? Did some of your previous beliefs about antisemitism change? How so?
Activity 3: Criticism of Jewish people vs antisemitism. When is criticism legitimate? When does it become antisemitism?
List of Key Terms
Anti-Judaism: This was the term used in Medieval Europe to describe hatred for the Jews and was rooted in hatred of the Jewish religion.
Anti-Semitism: the term “anti-Semitism” was coined in Germany in the 1880s by a German politician, Wilhelm Marr. A German nationalist, Marr viewed Jews as a political threat to the German character. “Anti-Semitism” is rooted in the hatred of the Jewish race.
Anti-Zionism: Unlike the term “anti-Semitism,” which can be traced to a single figure who created the term, the term “Anti-Zionism” does not have an author. It was first used in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin as part of a growing antisemitic campaign that viewed Jews as a threat to Soviet ideals. “Anti-Zionism” is rooted in the hatred of the Jewish national origins.
Racism: the belief that a group of people are sub-human.
Trope: a common and sometimes overused theme. Trope is a term usually used in literature to describe specific literary devices that, over time, become tropes. For example, in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says, “Juliet is the sun!” This is a trope. Specifically, it's a type of trope called a metaphor.
Blood Libel: the accusation that Jews are guilty of ritually killing non-Jewish children;
Genocide: the intentional aim to eradicate an entire group of people.
Canary in the coal mine: an idiom that means an early indicator of potential danger or failure. Jews have historically been compared to a canary in the coal mine.
This lesson was created by Naya Lekht. All rights reserved.
