Critical Social Inquiry 0219 - Hating the Jews More than Necessary: Antisemitism

According to a famous quip, antisemitism means "hating the Jews more than necessary." Why hate them at all? Among the most perplexing things about antisemitism is its persistence for over two millennia in a wide variety of settings. After the Holocaust it seemed no longer acceptable. Today, although Jews are more integrated than ever into western society, 73% of US voters see antisemitism as a problem, and 83 percent of Jewish college students report having witnessed or experienced it in the past two years. And yet others on the left as well as right accuse Jews of "weaponizing" the charge for sinister purposes. History is the key to understanding the conflicting views-and perhaps attaining eventual mutual understanding, The course moves from the anti-Judaic teachings of the Christian churches to the rise of modern social, political, and racial antisemitism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and contemporary manifestations and controversies. Keywords:Judaism, Christianity, religion, racism, Holocaust

In/Justice Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time