The word anti-Semitism is used in textbooks and research literature, in political debates and in the press. But what exactly is anti-Semitism? Where does anti-Semitism come from, and how has it changed throughout history? And what forms of expression does it take in today's society? Anti-Semitism – past and present sheds light on all these issues.
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Some words carry great darkness – but in the light of knowledge they gain a little less power.
Antisemitism
- before and now
A learning resource for students and teachers in middle school and high school.
Junior high school, High school
"Anti-Semitism – Then and Now" is a learning resource developed by the Jewish Museum Oslo for students and teachers in middle school and upper secondary school.
Anti-Semitism is often associated with the Holocaust: the Nazi attempt to annihilate European Jews during World War II. However, anti-Semitism has roots much deeper than that. In the Middle Ages and early modern times, Jews were accused of threatening Christianity and the Christian population.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the religious argument was supplemented by, and partly replaced by, new ideological motives. The Jews were now characterized as a culture, nation and/or "race", and not just as a religious group. It was claimed that they had negative qualities stored "in their blood".
Anti-Semitic ideas live on in our own time. In recent years, for example, there have been several terrorist attacks against Jewish targets. In Norway, it has been documented that the word "Jew" is used as a slur among schoolchildren. Knowledge about the history of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism as a phenomenon is therefore still relevant and important.
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