LibGuides: We Need To Talk : Anti-Semitism

What is Anti- Semitism?

Anti-semitism is the belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.

Anti-Semitism is not a right-wing issue. It's not a left-wing issue. It's a problem in and of itself. It's unique, in that no matter where someone is on the ideological spectrum, they're able to manipulate anti-Semitic tropes to make a point if they want to.

In a variety of ways throughout history, Jews have been embroiled in a mixture of criticism, punishment, and disregard for humanity as they maintain their cultural, social and religious identities — in connection with non-adoption of the values and the way of life of the non-Jewish societies in which they lived.

Some would point to Biblical times, the World Wars, or the Holocaust as the last time they have thought about blatantly Anti-semitic actions toward this community, but there have been resurgences in Anti-semitism in a much more recent America. Please join us for this iteration of We Need to Talk, where we will discuss some of the pernicious ways modern Anti-semitism affects this group.

Nevada Jewish Support Organizations

Jewish Family Services JFSA is here to serve everyone, all faiths, races, ages & incomes and are dedicated to helping people in our community face some of life's most pressing challenges and we do it with compassion, commitment, and care.
Jewish Nevada Jewish Nevada works diligently to build a vibrant community and sustain Jewish life throughout Nevada, Israel, and around the world. We are committed to the values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world); Tzedakah (righteousness and philanthropy); and G’milut Hasadim (acts of kindness and service).
Anti-Defamation League Nevada ADL is a leading anti-hate organization that was founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry. Today, ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur and continues to fight all forms of hate. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. Jewish Nevada is Here for Good Jewish Nevada works diligently to build a vibrant community and sustain Jewish life throughout Nevada, Israel, and around the world. We are committed to the values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world); Tzedakah (righteousness and philanthropy); and G’milut Hasadim (acts of kindness and service).

Nevada Holocaust Education Bill Signed Into Law

What is Assembly Bill 231?
Assembly bill 231 is a bipartisan piece of legislation sponsored by Assemblywomen Lesley Cohen and Lisa Krasner and supported by Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall.

The bill will establish an educational committee within the Nevada Department of Education to evaluate curriculum standards, inventory classroom materials, and assess instructor training needs.

In addition to education relating to the Holocaust, the bill also addresses other genocides such as the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, Guatemalan and Rwandan genocides.

News You Can Use

Defining Anti-Semitism: The US Dept of State
On May 26, 2016, the 31 member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), of which the United States is a member, adopted a non-legally binding “working definition” of anti-Semitism at its plenary in Bucharest. This definition is consistent with and builds upon the information contained in the 2010 State Department definition. As a member of IHRA, the United States now uses this working definition and has encouraged other governments and international organizations to use it as well.
1 in 4 American Jews experienced Anti-Semitism in the Last Year
An outbreak in violence between Israel and Hamas in the spring saw an uptick in antisemitic hate crimes thousands of miles away in the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League said it received 193 reports of possible antisemitic violence in the week that the fighting began, a nearly 50% increase from the week prior. Hate crimes against Muslims also grew in the days after the violence in Gaza.

The report also highlights a stark divide between the number of Jews who believe antisemitism is a problem in the U.S. versus the rest of the population. Some 90% of American Jews think antisemitism is a problem in the country, while just 60% of the general population said the same.
The State of Antisemitism in America
This is the largest-ever surveys of American Jews and the U.S. general public on antisemitism in America. The report shows deep anxiety among American Jews and divergent views among the general public about the severity of antisemitism in the United States. Parallel surveys of American Jews and the U.S. general public provide a unique opportunity to understand the impact of rising Jewish discrimination in America.

Research Highlighting Jewish American Identities

Do Jews Feel Like Outsiders in America? The Impact of Anti-Semitism, Friendships, and Religious Geography
Although the effects of discrimination on feeling like an outsider are unsurprising, the smaller but persistent effect of geographic context deserves more attention. Jews feel less like outsiders when they live in places where they can and do have more contact with other Jews. The increased within-group ties that are possible in areas of greater Jewish concentration appear to facilitate psychological integration into the larger community.
Jewish Identity: The Experience of White Jewish Americans Parenting in Interracial Interfaith Relationships
This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of 10 White, Jewish parents whose children are multiracial and partners are non-Jewish, people of color. Twelve major themes were identified and classified in the following four categories: (a) Being in a multicultural family involves facing microaggressions, (b) Being in a multiracial family involves differences of racial and social identity, (c) Unique differences in White, Jewish interracial, interfaith relationships, and (d) Ethnic pride is passed from one generation to the next. The author discusses previous literature which has examined the history of Jewish people, Jewish identity, Jewish exogamy, multiracial families, and parenting across cultures.

Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations Documentary

Wisdom From the Stacks

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss
ISBN: 9780593136058
Publication Date: 2019-09-10
This tome delivers an urgent wake-up call to all Americans exposing the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in this country--and explains what we can do to defeat it.

America has been, even with all its flaws, a new Jerusalem for the Jewish people. But now it too has become a place where the physical fear of violent assault, the moral fear of ideological vilification, and the political fear of resurgent fascism and populism. This is not a far right or far left problem, it is an issue of humanity.
Feasting and Fasting by Aaron S. Gross (Editor); Jody Myers (Editor); Jordan D. Rosenblum (Editor); Hasia R. Diner (Foreword by); Jonathan Safran Foer (Afterword by)
ISBN: 9781479899333
Publication Date: 2020-01-07
To get to know a people, a history, you have to learn and understand their food traditions. How do the charged ethical debates about how food choices reflect competing values about community, animals, the natural world and the very meaning of being human?
Antisemitism on the Rise by Ari Kohen (Editor); Gerald J. Steinacher (Editor)
ISBN: 1496226046
Publication Date: 2021-10-01
Tragically, today's global culture is rife with violent bigotry, nationalism, and antisemitism. Its resurgence is grounded in attitudes and values from the 1930s and the 1940s in Europe and the United States.
Antisemitism on the Rise is a collection of essays regarding two key moments in antisemitic history: the interwar period and today. Within its pages are important examples & research findings that have become increasingly vital given the recent rise of white supremacist movements, some of which have had an insidious undercurrent of Anti-semitism.

We Need To Talk : Anti-Semitism

Our Panelists