A Two Part Program on Antisemitism: Part 1. The History of Antisemitism with Dr. Jeff Ellison

The Greatest Conspiracy Ever Created

with Dr. Jeff Ellison of Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School

Robert Wistrich has called antisemitism “The World’s Longest Hatred.” Though it can be traced back to the ancient world, it was Christianity that advanced classical anti-Judaism into a more threatening and deadly form, as the Jew was transformed into the Devil. Transforming the Jew into the anti-Christ allowed charges against the Jew to be altered to fit different times and places. Moreover, as the Devil,  the Jew could appear in contradictory forms at the same time.

Antisemitism reached its zenith under the Nazis, who believed that the diabolical Jews were close to world domination. More recently, antisemitism became increasingly complex because of the intersection of antisemitism with the creation of the state of Israel. Today, with the war in Gaza, the West and the Middle East have become hotbeds of antisemitism because of the hard right and left. Antisemitism is a conspiracy theory that will never go away.

Dr. Jeff Ellison received his doctorate in the area of Holocaust education. He has published many peer-reviewed articles and has taught at the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago for the past 30 years. A chapter he wrote for a book about Holocaust education is set to be published next year by Texas A&M.  Most importantly, he is a grandfather of 4.

Thursday, February 1, at 8pm, virtual only. Register here.

Part 2: Antisemitism, an Online Panel with College Students.

Thursday, February 29, 8 PM. Details to come.

See also Israeli-American journalist, commentator, and leading voice in Israeli Yossi Klein Halevi speaking on Israel.