Antisemitism is not a momentary lapse in the moral compass of society, nor merely one prejudice among others. It is a recurring phenomenon that reappears with distinct intensity and irrationality across times and cultures, adapting itself to the emotional needs and ideological frameworks of those who harbor it.
In
recent months, the eruption of anti-Israel protests – particularly on
university campuses and in public demonstrations across the Western world – has
starkly revealed how antisemitic symbols, slogans, and ideologies are again
moving from the periphery to the center of societal discourse. While these
movements present themselves as political protests, they often carry
unmistakable echoes of ancient hatreds: Jews as bloodthirsty, cunning, global
manipulators; and Israel as a proxy for the eternal Jewish malevolence. The
veneer of “anti-Zionism” has, in many places, peeled away, revealing the older
and deeper animus beneath.
To
understand this phenomenon with the seriousness and nuance it demands, we must
adopt a multifaceted framework that examines antisemitism across historical,
psychological, societal, and theological dimensions. We must also investigate
how these dimensions interlock, forming a dynamic system in which individuals,
subcultures, and societies collaborate, consciously or unconsciously, in the
perpetuation of hatred.
The
Conceptual Core: What is Antisemitism?
Antisemitism
is not merely dislike or discrimination; it is a worldview. It attributes to
Jews an outsized power, cosmic significance, and inherent malevolence. It is
mythological in its structure: The Jew becomes some sort of symbol – of
modernity, capitalism, communism, decay, immorality, intellectualism, atheism,
or the demonic – depending on the fears and needs of the society in question.
As such, it expresses itself with great adaptability across history. In
medieval Christendom, the Jew was the Christ-killer. In Enlightenment Europe,
the Jew was the rootless rationalist. In Nazi ideology, the Jew became the
racial contaminant and the cultural parasite. Today, in much of the progressive
West, the Jew is the settler-colonialist, the avatar of white supremacy and
imperialism.
Beneath
the changing disguises lies a persistent symbolic function: the Jew as other,
as moral irritant, and ultimately, as scapegoat.
Historical
and Cultural Foundations: The Jew as Symbol
Certain
cultures have long embedded antisemitism within their collective memory and
religious consciousness. In strongly Catholic societies like Poland and
Ireland, antisemitism did not depend on actual contact with Jews. It was
transmitted symbolically through liturgy, doctrine, and folklore. The Jew
became a negative archetype, guilty of deicide, damned by divine rejection, and
unworthy of salvation. As the Catholic theologian Rosemary Ruether observed,
“The mythical Jew…was shaped to serve as the scapegoat for secular industrial
society.”
Similarly,
Islamic antisemitism, while not always present in the same theological form as
Christian antisemitism, has grown in ferocity in modern times, often fusing
with European tropes and nationalist resentments. Today, many strands of
political Islam teach that the destruction of the Jews is a divine imperative,
a prelude to redemption.
These
symbolic configurations of the Jew have cultural staying power, shaping
societies’ reactions to crises. During periods of instability – plagues,
economic collapses, revolutions, and wars – the symbolic Jew is easily revived
and re-targeted. This is not incidental. The hatred is not a transient mood but
an eternal enmity, rooted in the very structure of Esav and Yaakov – two
worldviews that can never reconcile.
The
Psychological Underpinnings: Projection and the Need to Hate
On
the individual level, antisemitism often functions as a psychological defense
mechanism. There are people predisposed to project their internal confusion,
hatred, or sense of inadequacy onto others. This is particularly common among
individuals on the margins of society, “misfits” who feel emotionally
overwhelmed or socially dislocated. They may lack the emotional regulation to
handle ambiguity and chaos and instead resolve their inner tension by
identifying a clear and external “enemy” that must be destroyed.
When
societal norms begin to tolerate or encourage antisemitic expression, when
professors, political figures, or cultural icons endorse it, the social
restraint is lifted, and these unstable individuals are emboldened to act. What
was once marginal becomes acceptable, then mainstream. These individuals do not
operate in isolation; they serve a function within society. They do what others
only fantasize about. They become instruments of the group’s unspoken hatred.
In
this sense, the psychological and the societal are deeply intertwined. The
society gives implicit permission for hatred; the individual acts it out.
Societal
Dimensions: Crisis, Scapegoating, and the Life of the Group
Societies,
like individuals, experience psychological dynamics. They have fears,
anxieties, and needs. During periods of upheaval, such as economic crises,
pandemics, wars, or ideological ruptures, societies search for meaning and for
culprits. The Jews have often served as that focal point of blame.
This
was true in the Middle Ages, when Jews were accused of poisoning wells during
the plague. It was true after World War I, when the myth of the Jewish “stab in
the back” took hold in Germany. And it is true today, when Israel is portrayed
as the world’s moral cancer, the obstacle to utopia.
We
must recognize that societies select their scapegoats with care. The Jews are a
particularly potent symbol because of what they represent: not only historical
continuity and moral particularism but also covenantal responsibility. These
ideas irritate societies that are built on relativism, hedonism, or
universalist utopias. In such societies, the existence of Jews is a living
rebuke.
Theological
and Metaphysical Dimensions: The Angel of Edom
The
hatred of the Jew is not just psychological or social – it is metaphysical. The
Midrash tells us that the angel of Edom, who represents the force of
antisemitism, will one day seek refuge from punishment for the evil done to the
Jewish people. But there is no refuge for him because his crimes were willful,
not accidental. He symbolizes a spiritual principle: a cosmic force that renews
itself in each generation, opposing the Jewish mission and seeking to destroy
it.
Yeshayahu
63:4 describes, “The one coming from Edom, with blood-stained garments” – “Why
is Your clothing red and your attire like that of one who trod in a wine
press?” G-d will punish Edom and the angel of Edom. At the end of the day, he
must answer for his crimes. This figure, according to the Talmud (Makkot 12a),
cannot be forgiven. His enmity is too ancient, too conscious.“For a day
of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption has arrived.”
This
theological tradition helps us frame antisemitism not only as a human pathology
but as a manifestation of cosmic conflict. There is something in the world that
resists redemption, and the Jew stands in its way.
Contemporary
Expressions: The University and the New Mob
In
recent years, particularly since the October 7th Hamas massacre,
antisemitism has become glaringly visible on university campuses, in
progressive circles, and across social media. Demonstrations have turned into
riots; chants have turned into threats. Jewish students are being harassed and
physically threatened – often in the name of “justice” and “freedom.”
But
justice for whom? Freedom from what? The rhetoric reveals a frightening
regression to myth. Jews are accused of genocide, of controlling the media, of
corrupting the world order. The “Zionist” has become a new word for “Jew,” just
as in older times “Christ-killer” or “moneylender” functioned as code.
This
is not just political critique. It is scapegoating wrapped in moral language.
The
university, once a bastion of liberal thought, has become a place where
antisemitism thrives in the guise of anti-imperialism. The hatred is not about
Israeli policy; it is about Jewish existence. Israel is hated not because of
what it does but because of what it is: a Jewish state, rooted in a particular
history and a unique covenant. It is this Jewish specificity, this refusal to
dissolve into the world, that the new mobs cannot tolerate.
Toward
a Jewish Understanding: Memory, Mission, and the Eternal People
How
should we understand all this as Jews? We must recognize that antisemitism is
not merely a misfortune – it is also a signal. It reminds us of who we are and
what we represent. We are a people with a mission, and the world resists that
mission.
“In
every generation, they rise up to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He,
saves us….” That is not only a statement of faith; it is a statement of
history.
We
must study antisemitism not to fall into despair but to understand our place in
the world. The Jew is not simply a victim; he is also a sign, a moral irritant,
a spiritual survivor, a bearer of memory and hope. We must carry that memory
with courage, knowing that hatred of the Jew is not our shame, but the world’s
failure.
And
yet we are not without power. The existence of the State of Israel, the renewal
of Jewish life, and the clarity of our tradition all testify to the vitality of
the Jewish people. Against the angel of Edom stands the voice of Yaakov, who
remembers, who prays, and who teaches his children to live.
In
the face of antisemitism, our response must be not only protest and
self-defense – but also depth, memory, and faith. We are not defined by their
hatred. We are defined by our covenant.
“For a
day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption has arrived.”
(Isaiah 63:4) Let us not forget: Redemption is not only a future hope. It
is already unfolding in the ability to see, to name, and to stand.
Dr.
Menahem Krakowski has semicha from YU, a Ph.D. in psychology from Fordham
University, and an M.D. from Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He did a
psychiatry residency at NYU and Bellevue. At present, he works as a senior
Research Psychiatrist at the Nathan Kline Psychiatry Research Institute which
is affiliated with NYU Medical School.
