The Newest Forms of the Oldest Hatred: Understanding Contemporary Antisemitism with Dr. Jacob Meskin

May 7, 2024 7:00 pm

Tuesdays, May 7, 14, 21 & 28; June 4, 2024
Online Only —Zoom link to be sent upon confirmation of enrollment.

RSVP
Cost: No fee for KS Members; Non-members $100
Please drop off checks at Kerem Shalom or mail to: Rosalie Gerut, c/o Kerem Shalom, PO Box 1646, Concord, MA 01742

A number of dangerous forms of antisemitism are poisoning our contemporary world. Where did they come from? How did they arise? What can we do to counter them?

In this course, we will first briefly examine the ancient and medieval historical contexts of Christian and Islamic religious antijudaism, out of which modern forms of antisemitism have arisen. After that, we will spend most of our time analyzing precisely how movements in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries helped to spawn the notorious and vicious manifestations of antisemitism we are encountering today. In particular, we will be studying: contemporary Islamic antisemitism; radical right-wing and radical left-wing hatred of Jews and Judaism; online antisemitism; antisemitism as a dogmatic truth among academics and on college campuses, and finally, the total denial of any sort of legitimacy to Zionism with a concomitant desire to eliminate the Jews in Israel,

whether through forced expulsion or worse. We will conclude by exploring some proposed strategies for responding to these newest forms of the oldest hatred.

Note: This is a shorter version of the Hebrew College class that was offered earlier this year.