(New York, N.Y.) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) published new reports today that chronicle the historic roots of anti-Semitism, its persistent themes, and its modern manifestations. CEP’s Anti-Semitism resource is comprised of two reports, which provide a basis for understanding modern anti-Semitism, its resurgence in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and how historic tropes are re-packaged to fit into mainstream political discourse.
“The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and its 11 contemporary examples provides institutions and individuals with guidance to help clearly identify and ultimately combat anti-Semitism,” said CEP Executive Director David Ibsen. “We must also work to better understand the origins of anti-Semitism and why it appeals to so many.”
The commonality among anti-Semitism on the far left, the far right, radical Islamism, and Christian anti-Semitism is a manufactured fear of perceived Jewish power and the need to defend against it. For those who feel insecure in their current place in the modern world, and especially for those who wish to manipulate unease to gain power, the Jew continues to be a convenient target.
“To understand the modern incarnation of anti-Semitism requires an examination of the roots and evolution of institutional anti-Semitism and how it led to events such as the Spanish Inquisition and the Holocaust. Understandings its origins and the violence it has borne throughout history is essential to slowing its surge in popularity,” said report author CEP Senior Research Analyst Josh Lipowsky. “This hatred is evident on both the far left and the far right. It has fueled attacks by individuals, terror groups, and state sponsors of terror.”
To read the full CEP resource on Anti-Semitism, please click here.
To read the report Anti-Semitism: A History, please click here.
To read the report Anti-Semitism Resurgent: Manifestations of Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century, please click here.
To read Josh Lipowsky’s op-ed in the Times of Israel, “The Power Struggle of Anti-Semitism,” please click here.