Antisemitism
JEW ST 462 /HSTCMP 490
Winter 2026
T/Th 1:30-3:20
LOW 216
Professor Devin Naar
Email: denaar@uw.edu
Office hours: W 2 pm-3 pm (THO 322); and by appointment
“If the Jew did not exist, the anti-Semite would invent him.”
~ Jean-Paul Sartre, Réflexions sur la question juive (translated as Anti-Semite and Jew) (1945)
“Antisemitism is the rumor about the Jews.”
~ Theodor Adorno, Minima Moralia: Reflections from a Damaged Life (1951)
Course Description
What is antisemitism? Merriam-Webster defines it as: “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.” The term may invoke images of Hitler and of the Holocaust, which transpired eighty years ago. Is antisemitism (or anti-Semitism) a thing of the past? Some, in contrast, claim that antisemitism is not only the world’s oldest hatred but also one of the biggest contemporary issues. Approaching the question historically, the claim poses a problem because the term “antisemitism” was coined only in the late nineteenth century. Does that mean that there was no hatred of Jews before the term antisemitism was invented? No, but is does mean that the forms that that kind of hostility has taken and the frameworks, contexts, and ideologies that have shaped it, have changed over time—so much so that scholars disagree over the utility of the term itself; some prefer Judeophobia or make sharp distinctions between premodern anti-Judaism and modern antisemitism. Other scholars suggest that a focus on anti-Judaism helps us understand more than hostility towards Jews but rather reveals how Western society has fundamentally defined itself in relationship—indeed in opposition—to Judaism over the generations as a kind of primordial “other.”
These are some of the questions and themes we will tackle in this course on antisemitism as we explore and discuss anti-Jewish attitudes, actions, policies, violence across history. We will delineate several salient anti-Jewish tropes or accusations made against Jews as they emerged historically: Christ killer, blood libel, money lender, dual loyalty, racial inferior, conspiracy to take over the world, among others.
As the course is not only rooted in the past, there is a present-day dimension as antisemitism and its meaning is hotly contested today, including in the U. S. The White House issued its first plan to combat antisemitism – not in the 1930s – but rather in 2023; presidents of elite universities have lost their jobs following congressional hearings related to antisemitism; the UW, like many other universities, established an antisemitism task force, along with an islamophobia one, and has been the subject of federal investigations. The presidential administration and the New York mayorship have all been embroiled in controversy around claims of antisemitism.
Furthermore, this course does not evaluate antisemitism in isolation but rather analyzes it in relationship to other forms of prejudice, including islamophobia, white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-black racism, and sexism. We will see how antisemitism is linked to, and diverges from, these other systems of oppression. We will also address the most contested contemporary aspects of the debate in considering sources of antisemitism, both from the political right and left; the fraught and contested relationships between antisemitism and anti-Zionism; and various efforts to codify definitions of antisemitism.
Given the sometimes contested nature of some of the material to be discussed in course and in the readings, it is the expectation of this class that all participants engage in conversation with curiosity and respect.
Course Goals and Objectives:
Content
- To understand the development and changes of anti-Jewish attitudes and behaviors across time and geography
- To identify key historical anti-Jewish tropes
- To understand the terms of the contemporary debates over the meanings of antisemitism and the political positions and ideologies of those espousing them
Craft
- To understand how historiographical debates about the meaning and nature of antisemitism have changed and shifted
- To develop skills of close reading and analysis of primary source materials
- To craft well-researched and clearly written assignments
Consciousness
- To consider the impact of the history and contemporary debates about antisemitism on you as an individual, as a member of the UW community, as a resident of Washington state and of the United States, and as a citizen of the world
- To develop your own understandings, utility, and pit falls of various definitions of antisemitism and how they relate to other forms of oppression
- To be able to identify historical anti-Jewish tropes in contemporary political and social media spaces
Requirements and Grades:
- Weekly posts and replies in online Discussion Board: 20 % PLEASE SIGN UP FOR SESSIONS HERE Links to an external site.
A vital component of this class will be our discussion board, a space where we can express our ideas and engage with each other. It is also the place where the instructor can gauge your understanding and investment in our subject, and to follow the dialogue that develops among the members of the class.
You will be responsible for crafting THREE response posts throughout the course. Please complete the week’s readings prior to crafting your responses. Each post should be 150-300 words. You must post your response by 5 pm PDT the evening before a particular set of texts will be discussed in class.
In addition to the three posts responses, you will also be responsible for at least THREE brief replies of 50-100 words to your classmates’ responses. You may choose to reply to any, and as many, of your classmates’ posts, but at minimum five. Please feel free to develop threads and conversations.
The goals here are to ensure that you are staying engaged with the course material throughout the duration.
In crafting your postings, please be thoughtful and please make a point. Your point should demonstrate that you’ve done the readings, but please do not spend much time reiterating the material. Assume everyone has else has also done the readings and is following the lectures, etc. Instead, reflect critically and thoughtfully on material and make an informed point; consider concluding with a question to generate additional responses from your classmates. See some netiquette tips here.
- Participation and final presentation: 20 %
Each class session becomes an opportunity to participate in discussion about course materials and to earn participation credit. Come to class having read the assigned materials and ready to share comments, questions, analysis, etc. Thoughtfully participate at least once each session.
3. Antisemitism "Journal": 20 %
Minimum three (3) entries over the course of the term, each at approximately 250 words
Pick a news story that deals in one way or another with antisemitism or debates about antisemitism. Select two different articles or perspectives on the issue. Identify, compare, and contrast the perspectives, positions, and/or undergirding ideologies or teleologies of each of the articles/perspectives. Are those involved conceptualizing antisemitism through an "eternalist" or "historicist" lens (and clues in the texts)? What does the news story and the way it is being represented say about the current debates over the meanings of antisemitism or the place of antisemitism in US or world politics and culture today?
Optional: For no more than one (1) of the entries you may analyze social media posts or recount a personal encounter, incident, discussion, or debate that you observed or participated in.
For news sources, consider visiting or subscribing to emails from The Jewish Telegraphic Agency Links to an external site.
The Forward Antisemitism Decoded Links to an external site. Newsletter
ADL Newsletter Links to an external site. (such as campus briefing)
Some podcasts to consider, each, of course with their own perspectives and emphases:
- For Heaven’s Sake Links to an external site.
- Co-hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, Shalom Hartman Institute
- On the Nose Links to an external site.
- Hosted by editorial staff of Jewish Currents
- Ask Haviv Anything Links to an external site.
- Israeli journalist and correspondent for Times of Israel
- Final Projects (40%): Full details TBA
Identify a research question that you would like to delve into over the course of the term related to historical or contemporary antisemitism or debates over antisemitism. Select a topic that is of interest to you. We will discuss the final project as the course gets going. There will be ample opportunity to meet with the instructor to develop your concept, to review sources and argument, and to share and receive feedback on a rough draft. Timeline forthcoming.
Final papers should be 10-12 pages double spaced, size 12 font, 1 inch margins. Please cite sources and use footnotes following Chicago style.
-
- Develop a strong thesis statement in response to the research question you have articulated.
- Draw on at least three primary and/or secondary sources and analyze them with some depth. Draw on these materials as evidence to support your thesis.
- Give your paper a title.
Graduate students: see instructor for information about your final assignment.
Late Assignments: Extensions will be granted on a case by case basis. If you need an extension please inform the instructor prior to the deadline. Late papers will be penalized.
Use of AI (ChatGPT, ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, etc):
Using AI for brainstorming, summarizing, or generating content for discussion posts, presentations, or the final project is not allowed. A key purpose of the course is for students to develop their own ideas, practice critical thinking, and enhance their analytical skills, all of which undergird academic work. If you are unsure about what is or is not permitted, please reach out for clarification. Brainstorming ideas for the final project will be done one-on-one with the course instructor during office hours or other designated times.
Please note that AI systems have been in the news for actually promoting antisemitic ideas, not to mention the general risks involved with AI "hallucinations." Please see some news coverage and responses to the problem: CNN; Links to an external site.Jewish Telegraphic Agency ; Links to an external site.CBS News; Links to an external site.and many other venues. The Nexus Project, one of the groups that has developed a key definition of antisemitism in circulation today, issued an explainer on the problems of AI and antisemitism here Links to an external site.. Even AI agrees that it is not reliable! (as seen in this screenshot response to a Google query about AI and antisemitism):
Course Materials:
All course materials will be accessible in digital format.
Class Schedule
The course syllabus is a living document; readings may be altered. When changes are made, students will be alerted via Canvas Announcements.
- 1/6: Welcome and Introduction
- 1/8: Key Terms and Frameworks: Anti-Judaism, Judeophobia, Anti[-]Semitism
- David Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition, intro: “Thinking about Judaism, or the Judaism of Thought,” 2013, 1-12. PDF of intro here
; availabale via archive.org here Links to an external site..
- Jonathan Judaken, American Historical Review Roundtable: Re-Thinking Anti-Semitism, “Introduction,”
American Historical Review 2018, 1122-1138.
- David Feldman, “Toward a History of the Term ‘Anti-Semitism,’”
American Historical Review, 2018, 1139-1150.
- 1/13: Interlocking and Diverging Systems of Oppression
- Ella Shohat, "Rethinking Jews and Muslims: Quincentennial Reflections(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site."
- James Pasto, " Islam's 'Strange Secret Sharer': Orientalism, Judaism and the Jewish Question
," Comparative Studies in Society and History 40 (1998): 437-474.
- Claudia Bruns, “ Toward a Transnational History of Racism
,” Chapter 6 of Racism in the Modern World
- Eric K. Ward, “Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism animates white nationalism,” Political Research Associates, June 29, 2017: https://politicalresearch.org/2017/06/29/skin-in-the-game-how-antisemitism-animates-white-nationalism Links to an external site.
4. 1/15: Foundations: Antiquity and Early Christianity
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch 2.: “Early Christianity.” pdf here
Alternative or additional scholarly readings:
- Adele Reinhartz, “New Testament Origins of Christian Anti-Judaism”, The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism, 42–56
- Magda Teter, "The Catholic Church," Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism, Sol Goldberg, Scott Ury, and Keith Ian Weiser, Palgrave Critical Studies of Antisemitism and Racism (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), 65-78.
primary sources:
- John 18-19 re Judas the traitor (here is one translation Links to an external site.; if you prefer a different translation, please read it)
- Augustine, Treatise Against the Jews aka In Answer to the Jews, 391-414.
- “Nostra Aetate”, OCTOBER 28, 1965, https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html Links to an external site.
5. 1/20: Medieval Tropes and Persecutions
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch 5: “‘The Revenge of the Savior: Jews and Power in Medieval Europe,” 183-216.
Alternative or additional scholarly readings:
- Emily Rose, " Crusades, Blood Libels, and Popular Violence
," in The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism, 194-212.
primary sources:
- Jacob Rader Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World (together in one pdf)
:
- The Crusaders in Mayence, 1096, p. 115-120
- The Accusation of Ritual Murder of St. William of Norwich, 1144, p. 121-126
- The Ritual Murder Accusation at Blois, 1171, 127-130.
- Jacob Rader Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World:
- T he Black Death and the Jews
, 1348-1349, 43-47.
- T
6. 1/22: Inquisition and Reformation
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch 6: “The Extinction of Spain’s Jews and the Birth of its Inquisition,” 217-245
.
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch 7: “Reformation and its Consequences,” 246-268.
Alternative or additional scholarly readings:
- Debra Kaplan, " Martin Luther and the Reformation,"
in The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism, 273-290.
primary sources:
- Decree of Expulsion of the Jews from Spain, 1492 Links to an external site.
- Martin Luther, The Jews and Their Lies (excerpt)
7. 1/27: Shakespeare and the Renaissance
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch 8: “‘Which is the merchant here, and which is the Jew?’: Acting Jewish in Shakespeare’s England,” 269-299
- Susannah Heschel, "The Merchant of Venice and the Theological Construction of Christian Europe,"
in Lauren B. Strauss and Michael Brenner, eds., Mediating Modernity: Challenges and Trends in the Jewish Encounter with the Modern World (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2008), 74‐92.
primary sources:
- Shakespeare, Shylock (excerpt)
8. 1/29: Enlightenment and Emancipation
- Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism, ch. 10 " Enlightenment Revolts against Judaism," 325-360
.
Alternative or additional scholarly readings:
- Allen Arkush, "The Enlightenment and Its Negative Consequences,"
in The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism, 291-306
Primary Sources:
- Christian Wilhelm Dohm’s “ Concerning the Amelioration of the Civil Status of the Jews” (1781),
The Jew in the Modern World, 27-34.
- Johann David Michaelis, “Argument Against Dohm” (1782), The Jew in the Modern World, 36-38 (in same pdf as Dohm above)
9. 2/3: The Jewish Question, Racial Antisemitism, and Conspiracy
Albert S. Lindemann, The Jew Accused: Three Anti-Semitic Affairs – Dreyfus, Beilis, Frank 1894-1915 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), pp. 79-128. This chapter, on the Dreyfus affair, can be read via archive.org here Links to an external site.. You can access this for free. Intro available here
.
Emile Zola,“J’Accuse: Letter to the President of the Republic,” Links to an external site.
- Selections from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, English translation
- Bronner, Stephen Eric, A Rumor about the Jews: Reflections on Antisemitism and the Protocols of the learned elders of Zion (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000). Chapter 4: "The Tale of a Forgery: Inventing the Protocols," 71–82.
(The full book can be accessed online via UW library Links to an external site.)
10. 2/5: Wars and Genocide
- Saul Friendlander, "Redemptive Anti-Semitism,"
chapter 3 of Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1933-1945, pp. 73-112.
- Alex Ross,
"How American Racism Influenced Hitler,"
The New Yorker, April 21, 2018.
primary sources:
- Hitler, Mein Kampf, excerpt
- Nuremberg Laws--peruse selections here
, pp. 723-733.
- These are two accounts by the same author - a Greek Orthodox Christian in Salonica (Thessaloniki), Greece - recalling the fate of the Jews in his city during the Nazi occupation. How does each account depict relations between Jews and their Christian neighbors? When the author's Jewish neighbors are removed from the area, both accounts indicate that the homes owned by Jews were pillaged, but each account suggests a different group was responsible. Which is true? Did those neighbors pillage the Jews' homes due to antisemitism or other causes?
-
- George Ioannou, “ The Bed,”
The Literary Review 16, no. 3 (Spring 1973): 303-308
- George [Yorgos] Ioannou, “ And it came to pass...”
in Refugee Capital (Athens: Kedros, 1997), 85-102
- George Ioannou, “
-
11. 2/10: American Exceptionalism?
- Jonathan Sarna, " Antisemitism in America, 1654-2020,"
in The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism, 392-411.
primary sources
- The Leo Frank Case—newspaper coverage here (peruse articles Links to an external site.)
- Henry Ford, The International Jew (1920),
ch. 8: "Does a Jewish World Problem Exist?", pp. 85-95.
- James Baldwin, “Negroes are Anti-Semitic Because They’re Anti-White Links to an external site.,” The New York Times (9 April 1967)
- Shaare Tefila Congregation v. Cobb, 481 U.S. 615 (1987) Links to an external site.
- Optional: You can listen to a recording of the oral arguments (about 1 hr) or read the full transcript here Links to an external site.
12. 2/12: From "Jewish Antisemitism" to "Ashkenormativity"?
- Devin E. Naar, "Our White Supremacy Problem," Jewish Currents, 2019: https://jewishcurrents.org/our-white-supremacy-problem Links to an external site.
- Sarah Bunin Benor on "Ashkenormativity" https://www.jta.org/2024/05/02/ideas/im-a-jewish-linguist-and-unlike-some-in-congress-i-think-ashkenormativity-is-a-perfectly-fine-word Links to an external site.
Primary sources:
- Louis Hacker, "The Communal Life of the Sephardic Jews in New York City,"
1926
- "Seattle Sephardim and the Ladino Language," Jewish Transcript, March 23, 1928
- Robert Benveniste, "Local Sephardic Leader Answers Charges of Inactivity Made Against Group,"
Jewish Transcript, April 13, 1928.
13. 2/17: Antisemitism in Muslim Societies
- Daniel J. Schroeter, “Islamic Anti-Semitism” in Historical Discourse
, American Historical Review 123, Issue 4, October 2018, 1172–1189.
- Ethan B. Katz, “An Imperial Entanglement: Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Colonialism,”
American Historical Review 123, Issue 4, October 2018, 1190–1209.
- Matti Bunzl, “ Between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: Some thoughts on the new Europe
,” American Ethnologist 32 (Nov. 2005) 4, 499–
- John Bowen, "Commentary on Bunzl,"
American Ethnologist 32 (Nov. 2005) 4, 524–
primary sources:
- A Blood Libel on the Island of Rhodes
, Ottoman Empire, 1840
- Hammas Charter Links to an external site., 1988
14. 2/19: “New Antisemitism” and the Question of Anti-Zionism
- James Loeffler, “Anti-Zionism,”
in Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism, ed. Sol Goldberg, Scott Ury, and Keith Ian Weiser, Palgrave Critical Studies of Antisemitism and Racism (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), 39–52.
- Natan Sharansky, “3D Test of Anti-Semitism: Demonization, Double Standards, Delegitimization,” Jewish Political Studies Review 16, 3-4 (Fall 2004): https://jcpa.org/article/3d-test-of-anti-semitism-demonization-double-standards-delegitimization/ Links to an external site.
- Kenneth L Marcus, “Jurisprudence of the New Anti-Semitism,” Wake Forest Law Review, Vol 44, p. 101 et seq, 2009: https://wakeforestlawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Marcus_LawReview_01.09.pdf Links to an external site.
- Shane Burley, “Interrogating the ‘New Antisemitism,’” Jewish Currents, https://jewishcurrents.org/interrogating-the-new-antisemitism Links to an external site.
- Dirk Moses, “The German Catechism,” https://geschichtedergegenwart.ch/the-german-catechism/ Links to an external site.
15. 2/24: Competing Definitions of Antisemitism
- International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism (2016), https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism Links to an external site.
- Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (2020), https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/ Links to an external site.
- Nexus Definition of Antisemitism (2021), https://israelandantisemitism.com/the-nexus-document/ Links to an external site.
- “Statement of Israel/Palestine by Scholars of Jewish Studies and Israel Studies,” May 21, 2021, https://israelpalestinejs.weebly.com/ Links to an external site.
- Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy, “The Un-Jews: The Jewish attempt to cancel Israel and Jewish peoplehood,” Tablet Magazine, June 15, 2021: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/the-un-jews-natan-sharansky Links to an external site.
16. 2/26: The University as Contested Space
- University of Washington Antisemitism and Islamophobia Task Force Report Links to an external site. (focus on antisemitism section, which begins on p. 55, but please also at least take a look at the Islamophobia section).
- University of Washington Jewish Alliance Critique of the Antisemitism Task Force Report, Links to an external site. October 14, 2024
- Emily Alhadeff, "When Judaism Gets Weaponized Links to an external site.," The Cholent, November 1, 2024 (please note that the author misattributes the critique of the task force to "Jewish Studies faculty;" but the critique was actually written by Jewish members of the UW community, including faculty, staff, and graduate students, some of whom are members of Jewish Studies, but most not).
- University of Washington leadership responses to Task Force report here Links to an external site.
Additional readings:
- "Should outsiders step in to address campus antisemitism? The question is dividing Jews at the U of Washington Links to an external site.," Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 29, 2024
- Peter Beinart,"The Perils of Universities' Unscholarly Antisemitism Reports Links to an external site.," Jewish Currents, February 14, 2025
- Cary Nelson, "Mindless: What Happened to Universities? Jewish Quarterly, March 2025.
- Arno Rosenfeld, "Why legal settlements can't solve the campus crisis," Links to an external site. The Forward, July 30, 2025,
- "Trump administration launches antisemitism probe into UW following protest, Links to an external site." KUOW, May 6. 2025
- " University of Washington to host radical anti-Israel activists at Palestinian advocacy conference, Jewish Insider,
January 22, 2026.
17. 3/3 National Debates
- Arno Rosenfeld, "Project Esther created a blueprint for Trump tp fight antisemitism. The 'Shofar Report' is a liberal response,"The Forward, October 14, 2025.
- Project Esther: A National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism (2024)
- The Shofar Report: A Call to Defend Democracy and Confront Antisemitism (2025)
Additional readings:
- compare Project Esther and The Shofar Report, both produced after October 7, 2023, to the Biden administration's earlier "U. S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism," May 2023--the first such national plan to combat antisemitism.
- 3/5: Debates over Teaching antisemitism Today
Readings TBD
- 3/10: Final Presentations
- 3/12: Final presentations and Conclusion