(Jewish Group) A Perfect Storm of Antisemitism

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

The world currently faces “a perfect storm of antisemitism,” writer and Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt told some 250 people at Tufts on September 17.

Lipstadt, the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, has written six books, including her most recent, Antisemitism: Here and Now, published in January. Her talk was part of the School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series.

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Antisemitism overlaps with other prejudices, but has its own unique template. Some people claim they know antisemitism when they encounter it, yet can’t define it, Lipstadt told the audience. “But actually you can define antisemitism,” she said. Antisemitism connects Jews with three key characteristics: money or financial power; the power to use those finances in “a nefarious, deleterious, malicious way”; and cunning—intelligence used nefariously. “You want to know if someone is just being obnoxious or if they’re engaging in antisemitism, and you can sort of look for this template—it generally applies,” she said.

By contrast, racists see people of color as lesser than them, Lipstadt said. “So the racist punches down. The antisemite, who is generally the same person as a racist . . . looks at the Jew and sees someone who is wealthier than, smarter than—but in a cunning way, more evil than,” she explained. “So the antisemite punches up.”

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I have read this book. It is a good source of information, despite a few setbacks, namely the formatting; which is her writing and responding to a student and friend. It was a bit odd, but getting past that, it was very informative. Give it a whirl.