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Addressing Anti-Semitic Stereotypes and Prejudice Addressing Anti-Semitic Stereotypes and Prejudice Teaching Aid 3 1. Increasing Knowledge about Jews and Judaism 2. Overcoming Unconscious Biases 3. Addressing Anti-Semitic Stereotypes and Prejudice 4. Challenging Conspiracy Theories 5. Teaching about Anti-Semitism through Holocaust Education 6. Addressing Holocaust Denial, Distortion and Trivialization 7. Anti-Semitism and National Memory Discourse 8. Dealing with Anti-Semitic Incidents 9. Dealing with Online Anti-Semitism 10. Anti-Semitism and the Situation in the Middle East Addressing Anti-Semitic Stereotypes and Prejudice Striving for equity, inclusion Stereotypes of the Jewish peo- behaving prejudicially toward and opportunity for all is a uni- ple and their communities have Jewish classmates; and versal goal. By incorporating permeated European history for each individual’s unique talents thousands of years. They con- • Anti-Semitic stereotypes may and identities, society is better tribute to a negative image of be reflected in the literature, able to ensure a prosperous Jewry that has the potential to religious texts, art or histor- future. However, with diversi- foster prejudiced attitudes and ic sources being used in the ty often comes a series of gener- behaviours towards Jewish peo- school. alizations and stereotypes that ple in the community. can be hurtful. A stereotype The purpose of this teaching aid is an oversimplified image of Stereotypes against Jews can is to provide an overview of the a certain group of people. People enter the classroom in differ- role and function of stereotypes, often laugh about or dismiss ste- ent ways that include, but are a summary and “debunking” of reotypes. However, stereotypes not limited to, the following: the most common stereotypes encourage prejudice and pose and myths against Jews, and a danger to the classroom envi- • Students might repeat an concrete suggestions as to how ronment.1 They can lead to neg- anti-Semitic stereotype or teachers might address them in ative repercussions and facili- prejudiced view they have their classrooms. tate hate. heard and then act upon it by 1 Addressing Anti-Semitism through Education: Guidelines for Policymakers (Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR, 2018), p. 41, <https://www.osce. org/odihr/383089>. 1 Bias refers to an “inclination Background or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.” Discrimination is the “unjust or prejudicial treatment of dif- ferent categories of people.” SOURCE: Concise Oxford Eng- lish Dictionary, ninth edition Stereotype refers to an “over- simplified image of a certain Stereotyping, bias and preju- greater political and economic group of people.” dice are natural human phe- independence. nomena. People may choose Prejudice is a “feeling about to believe stereotypes to help For thousands of years, anti-Jew- a group of people or an individ- simplify the complexity of the ish images, notions and myths ual within a group that is based world around them. Unfortu- have led to stereotypes, spur- on a stereotype.” nately, many stereotypes about ring hatred and the persecution particular social groups can be of the Jewish people. They contin- SOURCE: Addressing Anti-Semi- found in the culture and commu- ue to emerge around the world, in tism Through Education: Guide- nity at large. Prejudices preva- both overt and concealed ways, lines for Policymakers (War- lent in a community can uncon- despite being officially rejected saw: OSCE/ODIHR, 2018), sciously guide our behaviour by international, regional and p. 41, <https://www.osce.org/ and lead us to inappropriate or national authorities. New stere- odihr/383089>. harmful conclusions. This has otypes, defamations and imag- a negative impact on the equi- es are continuously generated, ty and justice we strive for in a while old ones are recycled in democratic society: in education, new forms. Anti-Semitic preju- Jews” killed Jesus Christ. Anti-Se- employment, conflict resolution dice is frequently expressed, per- mitic defamation frequently and maintaining peace and har- haps at different times and by dif- manifests itself through a con- mony among social groups. ferent people, in contrary terms.2 spiratorial worldview. For exam- ple, on both the political left At their worst, stereotypes Traditional anti-Semitic stere- and right, there are people who have been deliberately used otypes may be seen in anti-Se- falsely claim that Jews planned as a way to stifle social change mitic attacks either motivating the terrorist attack in the Unit- and to maintain existing sys- or accompanying the behav- ed States on 11 September 2001. tems of political power. This has iour. These may include asser- Recently, new conspiracy theo- been seen through the ages, for tions that “the Jews” are rich and ries have emerged that falsely example, in discussions of gen- greedy, that they are conspiring allege Jewish involvement in the der relations as women gained to control the world, or that “the European refugee crisis.3 2 For example, Jews are criticized both as rootless cosmopolitans and as narrow-minded communitarians, or portrayed as both all-powerful and subhuman. 3 Péter Krekó et al., “Migrant Invasion’ as a Trojan Horseshoe”, in Péter Krekó et al. (eds.), Trust within Europe (Budapest: Political Capital, 2015), pp. 63-72, <http://www.politicalcapital.hu/wp-content/uploads/PC_OSIFE_Trust_Within_Europe_web.pdf>. 2 Researchers from Germany and the United States investigated how contemplating another’s psychological experiences makes people less likely to display automatic expressions of bias. After considering the perspective of an elderly person, test subjects were less likely to apply elderly stereotypes like dependency or infirmity. Prejudice towards black people decreased when partici- pants were instructed to imagine the victims’ feelings while watch- ing incidents of racial discrimination. SOURCE: A. R. Todd et al., “Perspective Taking Combats Automatic Expressions of Racial Bias”, Journal of Personality and Social Psy- chology, Vol. 100, June 2011, pp. 1027-1042. false allegations have frequent- claims that Jews collectively or In order to respond effectively ly been followed by anti-Semit- as individuals lacked loyalty to stereotypes and misconcep- ic riots and mass murders. Ech- to their homelands. In modern tions, it is necessary to be able oes of this blood libel can still be times, the trope of the commu- to identify their various forms heard in discourse today. nist Jew re-surfaces in discus- and understand how these false- sions about national identity or hoods developed over time. Communists the history of World War II as Below are some of the most claims that local crimes against persistent myths, tropes and The involvement of some Jews Jews before, during and after memes about Jews, and are in communist and social dem- the Holocaust were the result intended to be illustrative rath- ocratic movements in Europe of anti-Communist fervour. er than exhaustive.4 has often become the basis for claims of Judeo-Bolshevism or Deicide Myth Blood Libel Judeo-Communism. This myth was widespread across Europe Since the early years of the Chris- Since ancient times, Jews have in the first half of the 20th cen- tian church, some Christians been falsely accused of killing tury, and Nazi propaganda have condemned Jews for the non-Jews for ritual purposes actively promoted it within both death of Jesus Christ and have and purported to be in league Germany and the territories it held Jews collectively responsi- with the devil. In medieval occupied during World War II. ble for this action.5 The deicidal Europe, beginning in the 12th The internationalism of early myth has reinforced the associ- century, this was often accom- Communism, combined with ation of all Jews with traits that panied by accusations that Jews the fact that some Jewish resist- are imagined to accompany the used their victims’ blood to bake ance fighters joined Soviet par- killing of a messiah, e.g., super- matzah for the Jewish holiday tisan units or national Commu- natural powers, intransigence of Passover. Historically, these nist parties, often supplemented and conspiratorial treachery. 4 The preceding paragraphs and the examples of myths and stereotypes are taken from Addressing Anti-Semitism through Educa- tion, op. cit. pp. 80-83. 5 The “Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (‘Nos- tra aetate’)” repudiated this myth in 1965. 3 Dual or Lack of National Loyalty the Protocols of the Elders of in which Jews are occasional- Zion.6 In the 20th and 21st centu- ly portrayed as moneychang- Jews are often subject to claims ries, individuals of presumed ers engaged in unholy prac- that they conspire to shape or actual Jewish ancestry, who tice at the Temple in Jerusalem. public policy for Jewish inter- may have personal influence as This continued into the medi- ests, or that their patriotism is a result of the position they hold eval period, when Christians less than that of other citizens. within a particular media outlet, were forbidden from lend- This occasionally manifests as have been conflated with claims ing money at interest, leaving claims that Jews, collectively of general “Jewish control” over the field open to others. Since or as individuals, are not loyal the entire media industry. Some Jews were severely restricted to their home countries. To be groups refer instead to “Zionist from entering most trades and accepted as national compatri- control” of the media. The idea from owning agricultural land, ots, Jews are sometimes asked to asserts that these individuals act some began to lend money. Since disavow their connection with together over time in a conspira- then, Jews have been depicted Israel, despite the fact that Isra- torial manner to make decisions, as wealthy, powerful and men- el often forms a central part of but ignores the fact that many acing. In some countries, Jew- Jewish identity.
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