Antisemitism – What It Is

A Template of Demonization 

While expressions of anti-Jewish persecution throughout history have varied, “the basic patterns of prejudice have remained remarkably consistent”.^[1][1] Robert S.Wistrich, A Lethal Obsession, Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to Global Jihad, New York, Random House,(Kindle Edition) Wistrich Location 1565 This consistency in widely disparate cultural, theological and societal circumstances points to antisemitism’s unique construct as a prejudice. 

Rather than a prepackaged catechism of specific malign perceptions limited to a given place, time or culture, antisemitism is a more of a framework, a platform, an equation of sorts, that is not timebound – and once integrated into the fabric of a culture can accommodate any number of variables to suit a given context in different places and times, while maintaining its essential integrity as a template. Goldhagen, who has written extensively on antisemitism, has termed this template the “foundational antisemitic paradigm”.^[2][2] P Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. The Devil That Never Dies (p. 7ff). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition. In one formulation or another, be it theological, secular, philosophical, racial or political, this paradigm over the millennia has framed Jews as a people, or their Judaic creed, or their national identity, or the very quality of Jewishness however defined, as irreparably fundamentally and essentially alien and insidious, corrupting and diabolical, powerful and insatiable, and thus immensely dangerous to the non-Jewish world and its values. While the details regarding the peril and malevolence attributed to the Jewishness of the Jews by antisemites may vary and evolve, the underlying conceptual construct of the various manifestations of this foundational paradigm always remains intact.

Uniquely Adaptable 

This template of demonization allows for antisemitism’s seemingly inexhaustible capacity for adaptation and renewal, and accounts for its the presence in a remarkably broad array of cultural, religious, or political frameworks.  The paradigm adapts itself to the configuration of evil as defined in any given time or circumstance, constantly reinventing itself to suit the changing landscapes of human development. As such, antisemitism is a construct never rendered obsolete by the crucible of time nor eroded by progress or other mitigating factors that might impact, dilute or eliminate other forms of prejudice: “While conceptions of the world, and humanity in its many aspects … have come and gone and, … have undergone such fundamental internal changes as to become unrecognizably new—antisemitism has maintained its core demonology, at least in several of its powerful strains.”^[3][3] Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. The Devil That Never Dies (p. 5-6). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

A Rare Hybrid of Prejudice

While founded on a unique and unparalleled template of demonization, antisemitism has other characteristics that make it distinctive as a category of prejudice that are important to understanding it is as a phenomenon.  Goldhagen notes another distinguishing feature of the dynamic of antisemitism. While often spoken of interchangeably, dehumanizing, and demonizing prejudices are distinct categories of behaviour and rarely coincide. But when the imputed malevolence of the demonized group “is deemed to be part of their essence” biologically or spiritually, it becomes an immutable and inherent characteristic. Antisemitism is such a hybrid prejudice, representing the “most historically common and spectacular instance of simultaneous dehumanization and demonization of a people….”^[4][4] Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. The Devil That Never Dies (p. 59). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition

Continue Reading:Creation of the Antisemitic Mind

Click Here