Library: Anti-racism Resources: Antisemitism History and Resources

Introduction

The definition of Antisemitism, as put forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA):

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Britannica offers a broader definition of Antisemitism, "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious or racial group", and also provides information on the history of Anti-Semitism | Britannica

The US Government adopted the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia's working definition of Antisemitism in 2010. "Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities." This definition was expanded to include the IRHA's definition in 2016. Most recently, in May 2023, the U.S. government released a comprehensive plan to counter Antisemitism which includes measures by federal agencies and calls to action focused on four pillars: raising awareness, improving security, reversing normalization and building intergroup solidarity. To read more about it you can read here: U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf

What is Antisemitism?

Understanding Antisemitism

American Jewish Commitee (AJC) Translate Hate
Stopping Antisemitism starts with understanding it. Includes an interactive glossary to define some frequently-used antisemitic words and symbols you may find hiding in plain sight—from the internet to pop culture.
Antisemitism 101
What you need to know about the world's oldest hatred.
Antisemitism Training Film
This 11 minute video is part of the Antisemitism Education Initiative on the Berkeley campus. This video charts the history of antisemitism from its origins until today. It tackles the hard questions about different and changing forms of antisemitism, persistent anti-Jewish stereotypes, the complex racial position of Jews in contemporary America, and the precise line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism. While the video stands alone as a valuable tool for antisemitism education, it also provides discussion questions so that it may be a starting point for deeper conversation.
Antisemitism Uncovered
Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era is a comprehensive resource with historical context, fact-based descriptions of prevalent antisemitic myths, contemporary examples and calls-to-action for addressing this hate.
How do you define anti-Semitism?
How do you define anti-Semitism? It’s complicated. The answers reveal a deeply divided Jewish community.
Tips for Engaging and Disengaging on Social Media
Social media is a hotbed of antisemitism, anti-Israel hate, Holocaust denial, and conspiracy theories. Here are some tips on how to engage and disengage in the fight against antisemitism online.

Antisemitism on Campus

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) - Antisemitism on Campus
Jewish college students are facing soaring levels of antisemitism and marginalization. ADL is working proactively to address the historic rise in antisemitic activity and to help Jewish students and allies feel safe on campus.
Antisemitism and Israel Delegitimization on the US Campus
Prof. Miriam Elman puts the phenomenon of antisemitism on US campuses in context and delves into its variegated expressions with concrete policy recommendations of how best to address the challenge.
Dos and Don'ts in Responding to Antisemitism on Campus
This article provides tips on how to respond to experiencing or witnessing antisemitism on campus.
How Can I Be Prepared for Antisemitic and Anti-Israel Bias on Campus? Scenarios and Best Practices
This article provides potential antisemitic scenarios that one might experience on a college campus and makes suggestions on how to handle the situations.

Organizations

American Jewish Congress
For the past century, the American Jewish Congress has worked to promote Jewish rights in America as well as strengthen the ties between the United States and Israel. They are committed to bringing new ideas to both traditional and current problems experienced by American Jews and the State of Israel and they will continue to combat those who threaten world peace and security.
Combat Antisemitism Movement
CAM pioneers global efforts to combat hatred, safeguard Jewish life and address the broader societal impacts of antisemitism. The organization combines civic efforts with grassroots activism and direct interactions with policymakers to mobilize diverse groups through local, national, and international initiatives.
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
To inspire Americans who are unengaged to move off of the sidelines and join us in taking a stand against hate in all its many forms.
Hillel International
Hillel makes a difference for 180,000 Jewish college students in the U.S. and around the world each year. Hillel is the most inclusive, future-forward Jewish campus organization, paving a pathway for college students to celebrate and participate in Jewish life.
The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy
The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) is committed to fighting antisemitism on the battlefield of ideas. ISGAP is dedicated to scholarly research into the origins, processes, and manifestations of global antisemitism and of other forms of prejudice, including various forms of racism, as they relate to policy in an age of globalization. On the basis of this examination of antisemitism and policy, ISGAP disseminates analytical and scholarly materials to help combat hatred and promote understanding.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is the only intergovernmental organization with a mandate focused on addressing contemporary challenges related to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma. We foster education, remembrance, and research about what happened in the past, to build a world without genocide in the future.
Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) represents nearly 400 Jewish communities, raising and distributing over $2 billion annually to support Jewish life locally and globally. As one of the top 10 charities in North America, JFNA advocates for Jewish well-being through philanthropy, social justice, and education while securing public funding for thousands of agencies serving diverse populations.
Shine A Light
Shine A Light is a purpose-driven convening platform for organizations, companies, institutions and individuals to unite in shining a light on antisemitism in all its modern forms.
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a global Jewish human rights activist organization that confronts antisemitism, hate, defends the safety of Israel and Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations through its advocacy and education programs, investigations, research, reporting, media, films, and museums.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on religion or belief
The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief explores the global phenomenon of antisemitism – prejudice against, or hatred of, Jews – and its impact on the right to freedom of religion or belief of Jewish individuals and communities worldwide.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide.

Research on Antisemitism

The Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all." Now the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency, ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights to all.
Antisemitism in the United States: A Critical Look at the Data, Monitoring, and Measurement
Tom Eshed, a research assistant at the INSS project on “Contemporary Antisemitism in the United States,” examines how various government entities, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations collect and monitor data about antisemitism in the United States. He analyzes the advantages and shortcomings of each method and suggests how to responsibly use the various monitoring tools.
Center for Antisemitism Research
ADL Center for Antisemitism Research advances the global field of antisemitism research, seeking answers to the questions foundational to understanding, preventing and reducing antisemitism.
Decoding Antisemitism Research Project
Decoding Antisemitism: An AI-driven Study on Hate Speech and Imagery Online
The pilot project “Decoding Antisemitism,” carried out by researchers at the Centre for Research on Antisemitism (ZfA, TU Berlin) in collaboration with HTW Berlin, University of Michigan—School of Information, Cardiff’s HateLab and King’s College London, and examines explicit and implicit antisemitism on leading social media.
The International Institute for Education and Research on Antisemitism
Follow programs, conferences, and other work relating to antisemitism.

Additional Resources

Books and Ebooks

Antisemitism in America by Chuck Schumer
ISBN: 9781538771624
Publication Date: 2025-03-18
In an urgent and personal new book, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sheds light on the Jewish American experience and sounds the alarm about the troubling resurgence of antisemitism. When it comes to the history of the Jewish people, there is a national and global crisis of misunderstanding. This lack of knowledge feeds demons of ignorance, hatred, and violence. ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA: A WARNING is an urgent work of nonfiction that illuminates the Jewish experience and the prejudices both hidden and overt that have led to the chronic persecution of the Jewish people. By placing antisemitism in its proper historical context, and drawing from Senator Schumer's own life, the book informs Americans' understanding of the causes of the recent swell of antisemitic rhetoric and violence in our country. In very personal terms, it will engage with debates over the purpose and meaning of Israel, and help draw a line between legitimate criticism of its government and when criticism of Israel as a Jewish homeland verges into antisemitism. This book is a warning, informed by the lessons of history, about what can happen when the "world's oldest hatred" is allowed to rise, unchecked.
Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate by Alvin H. Rosenfeld (Editor)
ISBN: 9780253058133
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
Today's highly fraught historical moment brings a resurgence of antisemitism. Antisemitic incidents of all kinds are on the rise across the world, including hate speech, the spread of neo-Nazi graffiti and other forms of verbal and written threats, the defacement of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, and acts of murderous terror. Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate is an edited collection of 18 essays that address antisemitism in its new and resurgent forms. Against a backdrop of concerning political developments such as rising nationalism and illiberalism on the right, new forms of intolerance and anti-liberal movements on the left, and militant deeds and demands by Islamic extremists, the contributors to this timely and necessary volume seek to better understand and effectively contend with today's antisemitism.
The New Antisemitism by Shalom Lappin
ISBN: 9781509558568
Publication Date: 2024-09-04
Generations raised after the Second World War took for granted a world of stability and prosperity, and with it the waning of ancient hatreds. Recent decades have been more sobering. Instability and extremism have returned in force. As Shalom Lappin explains in this worrying book, an upsurge of antisemitism across the political spectrum has accompanied them. Recent events in the Middle East have transformed it into a tidal wave. Lappin explores in particular the disturbing correlation between the expansion of economic globalization and the return of the anti-Jewish ideas that we thought had been consigned to the past. He examines this relationship within the context of the assault on democracy and social cohesion that anti-globalist reactions have launched in different parts of the world. To understand contemporary antisemitism, Lappin argues, it is essential to recognize the way in which its antecedents have become deeply embedded in Western and Middle Eastern cultures over millennia. This allows hostility to Jews to cross political boundaries easily, left and right, in a way that other forms of racism do not. Combatting antisemitism effectively requires a new progressive politics that addresses its root causes. The New Antisemitism is crucial reading for anyone concerned with the social pathologies unleashed by our current economic and political discontents.
Safety Through Solidarity by Shane Burley; Ben Lorber
ISBN: 9781685890919
Publication Date: 2024-06-04
From online trolling of Jews by the 'alt-right' to synagogue shootings by white nationalists to the spread of QAnon and George Soros conspiracy theories, antisemitism is a fixture of U.S. politics today. Its rise is part and parcel of growing exclusionary nationalist movements - putting multiracial democracy itself at risk. At the same time, conversations about antisemitism are more polarized than ever. How is antisemitism connected to anti-Blackness, xenophobia, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, and other forms of oppression? How do we build the coalitions and movements we need to fight it all together? Why is it important to distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israel's oppression of Palestinians and antisemitism? Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Lorber and Burley help the reader understand how antisemitism works, what's at stake in contemporary debates, and how we can build true safety in solidarity.
Saying No to Hate by Norman H. Finkelstein
ISBN: 9780827619203
Publication Date: 2024-05-01
2024 National Jewish Book Award Finalist in Education and Jewish Identity Saying No to Hate grounds readers contextually in the history of antisemitism in America by emphasizing the legal, political, educational, communal, and other strategies American Jews have used through the centuries to address high-profile threats. Norman H. Finkelstein shows how antisemitism has long functioned in America in systemic, structural, and interpersonal ways, from missionaries, the KKK, and American Nazis to employment discrimination, social media attacks, and QAnon. He explains how historic antisemitic events such as General Ulysses S. Grant's General Order No. 11 (1862); the Massena, New York blood libel (1928); and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue (2018) galvanized the Jewish community. Finkelstein shines light on Jews such as Louis Brandeis and Admiral Hyman Rickover who succeeded despite discrimination and on individuals and organizations that have tackled legal and security affairs, from the passage of Maryland's Jew Bill (1826) to groups helping Jewish institutions better protect themselves from active shooter threats. Far from a victim narrative, Saying No to Hate is as much about Jewish resilience and ingenuity as it is about hatred. Engaging high school students and adults with personal narratives, it prepares each of us to recognize, understand, and confront injustice and hatred today, in the Jewish community and beyond.
We Need to Talk about Antisemitism by Diana Fersko
ISBN: 9781541601949
Publication Date: 2023-08-29
A millennial rabbi explores why we're reluctant to discuss antisemitism--and empowers us to fight against it Antisemitism is on the rise in America, in cities and rural areas, in red states and blue states, and in guises both subtle and terrifyingly overt. Rabbi Diana Fersko is used to having difficult conversations with members of her congregation about the issues they face--from the threat of violence to microaggressions and identity denial. In We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, she gives all of us the ultimate guide to modern antisemitism in its many forms. Exploring topics like vile myths about Jewish people and the intersection of antisemitism with other forms of discrimination, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism gives readers the tools they need to understand the state of antisemitism today. Fersko shows Jews and non-Jews alike how to speak up and come together, spreading a message of solidarity and hope. This is a timely read for anyone passionate about fighting for social justice.

Journals and Articles

Suggested Scholarly Journals:

Antisemitism Studies
Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Journal for the Study of Antisemitism
Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism

Example Scholarly Articles:

Bailard C.S., Graham M.H., Gross K., Porter E., Tromble R. (2024) Combating Hateful Attitudes and Online Browsing Behavior: The Case of Antisemitism. Journal of Experimental Political Science,11(3):300-313. https://doi:10.1017/XPS.2023.32
Cooper, M. (2024). “Hate Has No Place on Our Campuses.” Liberal Education, 110(1), 28–35.
Creese, J. (2024). “We’re alone in this together”: the anthropology of fear and Jewish attitudes to antisemitism. Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 23(1), 5–25. https://doi-org.scsu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14725886.2022.2142774
Feldman, N. (2024). The New Antisemitism. TIME Magazine, 203(7/8), 34–41.
Gordon, N. (2023). On antisemitism and human rights. The International Journal of Human Rights, 28(4), 578–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2023.2281436
Hersh, E., & Royden, L. (2023). Antisemitic Attitudes Across the Ideological Spectrum. Political Research Quarterly, 76(2), 697-711. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129221111081
LaFreniere Tamez, H. D., Anastasio, N., & Perliger, A. (2023). Explaining the Rise of Antisemitism in the United States. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 1–22. https://doi-org.scsu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/1057610x.2023.2297317

Essays, Op-Eds, Letters, & Speeches

Antisemitism: A Guide for the Perplexed - Bret Stephens - The New York Times, 2023
Removing a Hyphen Won't Stop Ant-Semitism - Yair Rosenberg - The Atlantic, 2021
The Problem With Defining Antisemitism - Eyal Press - The New Yorker, 2024
The Year American Jews Woke Up - Bret Stephens - The New York Times, 2024
Where Does Antisemitism come From? - Isaac Chotiner - The New Yorker, 2023
Why So Many People Still Don't Understand Anti-Semitism - Yair Rosenberg - The Atlantic, 2022

Podcasts

36 Minutes on Antisemitism

This podcast, hosted by Dr. Omar Mohammed, explores the contemporary dynamics of antisemitism across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The series engages with practitioners, policymakers, and scholars dedicated to studying and combating antisemitism.

Jewish Questions

This podcast is funded by the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies' and explores issues that matter now in Jewish life, politics, history and culture — from a scholarly perspective.

People of the Pod

People of the Pod is an award-winning podcast analyzing global affairs through a Jewish lens, brought to you by the American Jewish Committee. Host Manya Brachear Pashman examines current events, the people driving them, and what it all means for America, Israel, and the Jewish people.

Voices on Antisemitism

This podcast features a broad range of perspectives about antisemitism and hatred.

Videos/Media