Antisemitism: The World’s Oldest Hatred

This short course will deal with antisemitism over 2,000 years of history. Throughout the ages, leaders have used antisemitism to divert attention from other crises by creating a scapegoat and uniting their citizens in a common cause, blaming Jews. Participants will consider how antisemitism has surfaced and reinvented itself in history, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly, under Ferdinand and Isabella, Stalin and Hitler.  In addition, we’ll discuss more current-day antisemitism events, including the assault in Charlotte, January 6th, and current world-wide front-page news reports subsequent to the October 7th tragedy in Israel.