Antisemitism: Understanding it in History & Today

Antisemitism is the longest hatred. While it has common themes that have endured throughout history, it is also highly contextual and adaptive. In order to address the troubling growth in antisemitism across the US and around the globe, we need to understand it historically and as it is manifesting today. The first part of the workshop will examine several images and texts that surface some central motifs that have animated the history of antisemitism and that continue to inflect it today. The second part of the workshop will place these historical motifs into conversation with contemporary expressions of antisemitism in select cases so that we can understand how antisemitic themes and tropes are utilized today. THIS EVENT IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Dean P. Bell is the ninth President and CEO of Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership and a Professor of History. A renowned historian, he has taught at top institutions like DePaul University, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley. Dr. Bell is a leading advocate for Jewish education and has served in key roles in the Midwest Jewish Studies Association and the Association for Jewish Studies.

Dr. Keren E. Fraiman is Spertus Institute’sDean and Chief Academic Officer, alsoserving as Professor of Israel Studies.Previously, she was Director of Research and Evaluation at The iCenter for Israel Education and continues to teach in their fellows program. Dr. Fraiman holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and Security Studies from MIT and a BA from the University of Chicago.