The Roots and Impact of Antisemitism

About This Lesson

In the previous lesson, students began the “We and They” stage of the Facing History scope and sequence by examining the human behavior of creating “in” groups and “out” groups” and by considering the concept of universe of obligation. This lesson introduces antisemitism, a historical example of how humans have created “in” groups and “out” groups. Students will explore the long history of hatred and discrimination against Jews, and they will see how anti-Judaism, a religious prejudice, was transformed in the nineteenth century into antisemitism, a form of racism. Learning about the development of antisemitism will provide students with important context for the worldview of the Nazis. It will also help students recognize and understand the impact of stereotypes and myths about Jews that persist today.

A note on terms:

The term anti-Judaism refers to religious prejudice against Jews before the historical emergence of the concept of race.

The word Semitic does not actually refer to a group of people. It is not a “race” but rather a linguistic term that refers to a group of languages traditionally spoken in the Middle East and parts of Africa, including Amharic, a language spoken in Ethiopia, as well as Hebrew and Arabic. Because there is no such thing as a Semitic race, Facing History & Ourselves uses the alternate spelling antisemitism.

Essential Questions

How can learning about the choices people made during past episodes of injustice, mass violence, or genocide help guide our choices today?

Guiding Questions

• What is antisemitism, and how has it impacted Jews in the past and today?
• What are the consequences when a “single story” is used to exclude a group of people from a society’s universe of obligation?

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to explain how anti-Judaism developed into antisemitism in the nineteenth century.
• Students will consider the present-day implications of longstanding patterns of discrimination and violence against Jews.

Activities

Activity 1: Reflect on the Persistence of Rumors, Lies, and Myths

The history of anti-Judaism and antisemitism is in part a story of rumors, lies, and myths that have persisted over the course of centuries. Begin this lesson by asking students to record their observations about rumors, lies, and myths from their own experiences. Ask students to respond to the following question in their journals:

• How do rumors get started? Why might lies and myths about people persist even after they have been proven wrong? Have you ever helped to spread a rumor that you doubted or knew wasn’t true? Why?

While students should be allowed to keep their own stories of spreading rumors private, you can ask for volunteers to share their more general observations about why rumors and lies can be so persistent.

Activity 2: Explore the History of Antisemitism

Inform students that in this lesson, they are going to learn about antisemitism. Tell them that its most basic definition is “hatred of or hostility toward Jews,” but it is also a form of racism. In this lesson, they will look at history to understand how religious prejudice against Jews evolved into racism.

Give students the handout Overview of Anti-Judaism and Antisemitism.

Instruct students to read the handout with a partner, stopping at each box to annotate the section and answer the text-based questions.

Debrief the reading with students by asking them to share their answers to the questions. Take this opportunity to correct any misunderstandings regarding the history of anti-Judaism and antisemitism.

In the same pairs, ask students to discuss the following questions:

• What do students notice about the history of hatred, discrimination, and violence toward Jews?
• How is antisemitism, which emerged in the 1870s, different from the anti-Judaism that existed before the 1870s? Why is that difference significant?
• How were “single stories” used to exclude Jews from the universe of obligation of individuals and societies? What were the consequences?

Ask the student pairs to share their answers to these questions in a brief class discussion.

Activity 3: Explore the Impact of Antisemitic Myths and Attitudes Today

Have students work in pairs to read and respond to “We Don’t Control America” and Other Myths, Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3. Roughly a third of the groups should work with each of the three excerpts from the reading set.

Each group’s task is to read the assigned excerpt and discuss the following questions:

• How does the myth described affect the writer? How does she respond when confronted with the fact that another person believes a false myth or stereotype about Jews?
• How do you explain why people might believe such myths and stereotypes about Jews? What might it take to overcome these false antisemitic beliefs?

Finish the lesson with a brief whole-group discussion in which each group has the opportunity to share their observations.