The Return of Anti-Semitism to Mainstream Political Discourse: Europe and U.S

INSS research associate Adi Kantor and Ambassador Dan Shapiro, distinguished visiting fellow at INSS, discuss the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism worldwide and its return to mainstream political and social discourses, both in European parliaments and in the United States. Anti-Semitism is not a new phenomenon: it has always been part of the “cultural code” of both classical and modern societies. Nevertheless, today it has new manifestations and characteristics that have direct influence on the State of Israel and its national security, as well as on Jewish communities throughout the world. What are the reasons for the return of anti-Semitism today? How does the rise of populism, anti-globalism, and extremism, both from left and from right, contribute to the phenomenon? What is new in right wing extremism, and why is it so dangerous today? How do the relations between right wing populist and anti-Semitic parties in Europe and right wing parties in Israel affect the rise of extremism and anti-Semitism, and how do they damage the relations with Jewish communities and their support for Israel? What should Israeli’s policy be toward this issue, both in the US and in the European context? These are some of the issues discussed in this podcast.