anti-Semitic Sentiments Research Articles

Compensation for National Socialist Persecution as a Catalyst for a Paradigm Shift - A Contribution to the History of Psychiatry in the Early Federal Republic of Germany

After WW II, Holocaust survivors often faced negative assessments by German psychiatrists when claiming compensation for psychological damage, a fact that was met with criticism. This study examines how as a result the prevailing doctrine on trauma sequelae underwent a transformation. Academic contributions in German language from 1946 to 1969 are analyzed for their para-digmatic views on the etiology of mental disorders after war and Nazi persecution. Only a new generation of psychiatrists was able to develop more adequate psychotraumatological concepts by using anthropological and occasionally psychoanalytic theoretical elements. At the same time this also questioned the medically oriented concept of illness in psychiatry. Less the persistence of anti-Semitic sentiments but rather internal scientific reasons such as an unevidenced dogmatism obstructed the the advancement of science.

The Crisis of the 1930s and American Antisemitism

Abstract This article explores the economic and psychological impact of the Great Depression on the American population, emphasizing the rise of antisemitism during the 1930s. We begin with a historical overview of the economic downturn following the Wall Street Crash of 1929, with an emphasis on the ensuing unemployment and social despair. We argue that the representation of the Great Depression diverged from reality, with public discourse constructing an ‘imagined crisis’ that amplified fears and uncertainties. This crisis rhetoric led to the scapegoating of the Jewish community, which was unjustly blamed for the nation’s hardships. The article provides an in-depth analysis of how Henry Ford’s dissemination of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and Father Charles E. Coughlin’s radio broadcasts contributed to spreading antisemitic sentiments by exploiting economic anxieties and promoting a narrative of Jewish conspiracy. Furthermore, the article discusses the historical context of American antisemitism, identifying it as a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors, including religious, economic, and political antisemitism. Despite efforts to combat antisemitic rhetoric, figures like Ford and Coughlin played a significant role in shaping public perceptions and directing blame towards the Jewish community during times of crisis. We conclude that the crisis of the 1930s, marked by unprecedented economic hardship and social unrest, was exacerbated by ideological discourses that targeted Jews as scapegoats, reflecting a disturbing pattern of prejudice and discrimination that has echoed into contemporary times.

The Perils of Privacy and Passivity: Antidemocratic, Racist, and Antisemitic Sentiments in Postwar West Germany

Abstract This article analyzes the affective economy of West Germany's postwar society. After delineating the intellectual history of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research's “Gruppenexperiment,” which consisted of 137 group interviews with different segments of West German society, my article focuses on one transcript of a 1950 group discussion of young fashion-designer apprentices. Based on a close reading, I study how the younger generation in West Germany constructed a passive and privatist self-image in which they could both articulate their emotional dissociation from National Socialism while clinging to antidemocratic, racist, and antisemitic feelings in metamorphosed form. The micrological focus of the analysis of the group's emotions is balanced by a rereading of both Helmut Schelsky's study about the “skeptical generation” and texts by researchers associated with the Institute for Social Research who came to markedly different conclusions about the West German youth.

Public Discourse on the Israel‐Hamas War 2023: A Comparative Analysis of Lithuania and the United Kingdom

AbstractThe conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas escalated on 7th October 2023, with the media playing an unprecedented role in shaping the perceptions and narratives surrounding the ongoing tensions. The portrayal by the media, often mirroring global viewpoints and biases, has significantly influenced public opinion and international stances, serving as a catalyst for political, diplomatic, and humanitarian interventions. The aim of the study is to analyze the formation of discourse on the Israel‐Hamas war (2023) within the media landscapes of Lithuania and the United Kingdom, emphasizing the role of national broadcasters and uncovering the primary disparities in the information provided by online news portals lrt.lt and bbc.com. Employing the qualitative content analysis method, the study provides comprehensive insights into the subject matter. Moreover, it highlights the approaches of the Lithuanian and UK governments towards security discourse in Europe and their concerns regarding humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. The study is relevant to shed light on how political decisions and public opinion influence the international community's support for various actors in the conflict, including the manifestation of Islamophobic and antisemitic sentiments.

“Nothing anti-state was said”: jews and anti-semites in interwar Latvia through the eyes of the local security service, 1924–1940

ABSTRACT Since its establishment in the mid-1920s, Latvia’s national security service paid close attention to the country’s Jewish community and its haters among local nationalists. Some Jews were considered a security threat after becoming pro-Soviet communists; others boycotted German goods and defied British anti-Zionist policy, thereby de facto damaging Latvia’s foreign relations. Latvian far-right activists were deemed dangerous not only due to their preparations for an uprising but also because of their readiness to harass Jews, destabilizing the fragile ethnopolitical balance in Latvian society. The work of Latvian secret agents against these threats is described in the current article in unprecedented detail. Evidence suggests that it was quite successful and free of expressions of anti-Semitic sentiment. While preventing Jews from joining the communists and publicly protesting the anti-Jewish behaviour of Berlin and London, the Latvian security service also protected the local Jewish community from possible violent actions of homegrown Nazis.

The influence of economic antisemitism on boycotting Israeli products: the case of French consumers

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is two-fold: to examine the effect of economic antisemitism on consumers’ intention to boycott Israeli-made products, and to provide evidence of the correlation between economic antisemitism, ethnocentric tendencies and personal norms. It proposes a theoretical framework that integrates negative emotions as antecedents of attitude and intentional behaviour. A conceptual model was developed and tested on a sample of 305 French consumers. Results indicate that intrinsic antisemitic sentiments are strongly related to most boycott motivation factors: economic antisemitism, personal norms, and ethnocentrism. Some consumer profiles are identified, alongside a discussion of theoretical and practical contributions.

Formation of all-Russian civil identity in the context of regional elites' activities (on the materials of the North Caucasus)

The general socio-political situation in the region is analyzed, the centrifugal and centripetal forces that determine the very nature of politics in the region through the prism of ethnic and civic forms of identity are considered. The emergence of new points of ethnopolitical and ethno-religious tension, chauvinistic tendencies, and anti-Semitic sentiments demonstrate a fairly high level of conflict potential and the severity of nationalist manifestations in the region. Such conflict behavior is most often provoked from the outside, including through the use of modern information resources, social networks, using manipulative technologies that have an impact on the masses. These processes indicate the existence of socio-cultural and religious grounds for the growth of discriminatory rhetoric and clashes. The study of these problems is an urgent scientific task in the context of transformation and transit of local identity features. The article also analyzes various forms and approaches of identity formation in the North Caucasus, highlights common and special factors, contradictions in the development of general civil attitudes. The national composition is considered, the role of regional actors in the political management and development of the region is highlighted separately. These issues carry elements of novelty and relevance. The work uses specialized political science techniques: the method of analyzing a specific situation - case-study, secondary analysis of sociological research data. Along with private scientific methods and approaches, general scientific methods and approaches are also used in the study: historical and philosophical methods and approaches (dialectics, the principle of historicism), the system integrative method, comparative studies. In conclusion, recommendations are presented aimed at solving the problems of forming the civil identity of the peoples of the North Caucasus, through the transition of ethnic forms of identity to all-Russian ones.

Poland and the Middle East Crisis 2023–2024: Reaction of Polish Political Forces

This research presents an analysis of the reaction of Polish political forces to the acute conflict between Hamas and Israel, which began on October 7, 2023. The paper examines how this conflict has affected Polish domestic and foreign policy, especially in the context of the migration crisis and antisemitic sentiments in Europe. The authors analyse in detail the political, historical and social aspects that have shaped the positions of various Polish parties in response to Middle Eastern events. The study addresses how Polish political forces are responding to challenges related to international security and migration waves, which is particularly relevant in the light of events in the Gaza Strip. Particular attention is paid to the dynamics of the changing positions of Polish political parties, starting with sympathy for Israel and shifting to support for Palestine following the death of a Polish volunteer and a number of other developments, including the escalation between Israel and Iran. The authors draw conclusions about the complexity of Polish political responses to international conflicts, reflecting the diversity of internal and external pressures and ideologies.

"Покарання для людей, які пройшли своє чесне життя без жодної плями": євреї-заручники під час Першої світової війни в Російській імперії

Introduction. With the outbreak of World War I, the Jewish population of the Russian Empire demonstrated its loyalty to the state in various ways, which drew approval even from representatives of those political circles among whom anti-Semitic views were widespread. However, after the first defeats at the front, the High Command began to look for those responsible for the wartime defeats and troubles. Jews in particular were identified as such internal enemies. Due to the potential danger from their possible actions, it became common to take hostages from among representatives of Jewish communities. The purpose of the article is to study the practice of taking hostages among the Jewish population of the Russian Empire and the territories occupied by tsarist troops during World War I. The results of the study of this issue will contribute to a better understanding of the social and political processes that took place in the Russian Empire during World War I and will be important for studying the causes of the outbreak of anti-Jewish violence in Ukraine in 1918-1921. Methods. The study is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. A set of general scientific and special historical methods was used: methods of synthesis, induction, and analysis, as well as historical-genetic and historical-typological methods. Results. Hostage-taking among representatives of Jewish communities began in 1914, but only in 1915 it became an officially approved practice. Wealthy and respected community members were chosen as hostages and held in prisons or private quarters under strict supervision. They were to be responsible for the behavior of the Jews of their community and were to be executed if they were found to be spying or otherwise working for the enemy of one of their fellow Jews. Conclusions. Three main areas have been identified where hostage-taking was used to ensure the loyalty of Jews to Russian troops: Galicia, some governorates of the Kingdom of Poland, and some of the Baltic governorates of the empire. Jewish hostages from Galicia were sent to the "internal" governorates of the Russian Empire, as were most hostages from the Kingdom of Poland. In the Baltic states, however, this practice was not widespread because deportations were preferred to hostage-taking. Accordingly, there were almost no deportations of Jews with this status to the "internal" governorates. From August 1915, hostage-taking became a decentralized measure, remaining, however, until the February Revolution of 1917. The practice of hostage-taking caused considerable resistance and discontent among Jews, and contributed to the deepening of anti-Semitic sentiment among the Christian population of the Russian Empire.

The Jewish Risk: Philip Roth in Sixties West Germany

Abstract When Philip Roth died in May 2018, he was the best-known American writer in Germany. By that point, his difficult early years on the German book market were long forgotten. If one investigates the archives of Rowohlt Verlag, where Roth’s first books were published in Germany, there is explicit talk of a “risk.” The publisher feared that Roth’s portrayal of Jewish characters in all their ambivalence and complexity could affirm anti-Semitic sentiment in Germany. Therefore, Rowohlt’s efforts to position Roth in the literary field of the Federal Republic were accompanied by deliberate risk management. This paper reconstructs the publishing house’s strategy and its contexts.

The Jewish Risk: Philip Roth in Sixties West Germany

Abstract When Philip Roth died in May 2018, he was the best-known American writer in Germany. By that point, his difficult early years on the German book market were long forgotten. If one investigates the archives of Rowohlt Verlag, where Roth’s first books were published in Germany, there is explicit talk of a “risk.” The publisher feared that Roth’s portrayal of Jewish characters in all their ambivalence and complexity could affirm anti-Semitic sentiment in Germany. Therefore, Rowohlt’s efforts to position Roth in the literary field of the Federal Republic were accompanied by deliberate risk management. This paper reconstructs the publishing house’s strategy and its contexts.

‘Only the murder accusations are missing’

In 1848, the Götheborgs Dagblad newspaper was revived after a ten-year gap, and launched the anonymous submission column entitled ‘Anonyma Lådan’ (the Anonymous Box). In January and February 1849, many antisemitic letters and articles were published in the Swedish newspapers. Some letters defending Jews and Judaism were published in both ‘Anonyma Lådan’ and Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning. Short of blood libel, the antisemitic side accused Jews of typical anti-Jewish stereotypes: for example, greed, hypocrisy and Jewish hatred of Christianity. Anti-antisemitic writers proclaimed a Christian identity that was based on humanism, stating that one could not be a true Christian if one attacked and hated Jews and Judaism. The Jewish congregation in Gothenburg and the society Judiska Intresset (The Jewish Cause) both chose a non-engaged approach to the antisemitic attacks in the newspaper, since it was not respectable to engage in such debates and, in their view, it would only cause more anti-Jewish sentiments if they did so. In this art­icle, it is argued that the reasons behind the attacks were societal changes, but also, more importantly, that with ‘Anonyma Lådan’, antisemitic sentiments found a platform where such sentiments could be freely expressed.

The Perception of Anti-Semitic Hatred in the Italian Media and Justice System

The so-called neo-anti-Semitism, perceived differently by Italian journalists and lawyers, highlights the problem of identity in a multicultural society at the local level, of understanding the Other and (its) history, of the relationship between the public sphere and the networked society: the Jews, due to their unique history of diaspora, have always brought out the dialectic between the particular and the universal in the eyes of the world. This condition further “stretched” hatred in societies, especially anti-Semitic sentiment combined with conspiracy. Therefore, it is necessary for public institutions to understand and investigate contemporary forms of hate. This article will present part of the results of research that investigated the level of perception of journalists and jurists on the phenomenon of anti-Semitism.

ANTISEMITISM IN SOVIET UKRAINE: ORIGINS, CONTENT, CONSEQUENCES. HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of the article is to analyze and systematize the scientific literature on the study of various aspects of Stalin's state policy of anti-Semitism implemented on Ukrainian lands in the Soviet era. Methodology. The study used general scientific and special historical methods of scientific knowledge. This made it possible to study and generalize the historiography of anti-Semitism in the Soviet period of national history. Scientific novelty. For the first time, modern studies of the phenomenon of Soviet anti-Semitism in the Ukrainian territories are systematized on the basis of the thematic principle. The reasons that complicated the process of researching the history of Ukrainian Jews in the Soviet period are analyzed. Conclusions. In modern historiography, the Jewish issue had to fight for its "place under the sun". The activation of researchers' attention to Judaica, the history of Jews and the Holocaust is associated with the 80-90s of the 20th century. Since the process of formation of Ukrainian historiography was just beginning in the 1990s, the Jewish theme did not immediately become its component. In recent years, the largest number of publications that have appeared in Ukraine are devoted to the problems of the Holocaust and Baby Yar, as its personification. Why was the Holocaust possible? Why did the choice of assimilation strategy not become salvation for the Jews? How did anti-Semitic sentiments grow in the conditions of Stalinist authoritarianism and why do they remain viable at the everyday level? Reflections, searches for answers to these and other questions are presented in modern Ukrainian and foreign historiography, some of them remain open, which preserves prospects for further research.

ФАШИСТСЬКИЙ РУХ 1919-1922 рр. У ВИСВІТЛЕННІ ЖУРНАЛУ «FOREIGN AFFAIRS»

This article covers the fascist movement of 1919–1922 in Italy, namely the causes and circumstances of its emergence, social base, program and theoretical foundations, based on a content analysis of the academic publications in «Foreign Affairs» Magazine (U.S.) during the first decade of Mussolini’s government, 1923–1932. As the analysis of sources shows, the assessments of the fascist movement by its supporters and opponents differed markedly. The fascist movement had a multidimensional character: violent and aggressive, anti-parliamentary, anti-socialist and syndicalist, as well as patriotic, nationalist, and revolutionary. It was generated by the results of the Great War, previous and those days internal socio-political processes in Italy. Under the influence of the war, it was characterized by its exaltation, the cult of sacrifice, and belief in the effectiveness of violence. It was also generated by the patriotic enthusiasm of Italians and their dissatisfaction with the government’s «weak» policy during a large-scale social unrest and internationally. In this regard, it reflected the public demand for a more decisive government policy, and a «strong government». The founder and the leader of the fascist movement was Mussolini. Fascists believed that the victory in the war created a favorable situation for the completion of the national unification of Italy and positioned themselves as the only «national» party, unlike others that relied on international ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, and Catholicism. The nationalism of the fascists was purely internal, and did not embody chauvinistic, xenophobic, or anti-Semitic sentiments. On the basis of patriotism and the demands of a «strong government», Mussolini enlisted the support of various social groups with different motivations, both radical and conservative, popular masses and representatives of the wealthy social groups.

POSTWAR ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE TERRITORY OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR (1944-1947): ORIGINS, MANIFESTATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

The purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the causes, manifestations, and scale of anti-Semitism in the first post-war years on the territory of Soviet Ukraine and its consequences in consciousness and social life.
 Methodology. The general scientific and special historical methods (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic) research applied in the work made it possible to reveal the peculiarities of anti-Semitism in the post-war period, to determine the relationships between the influence of Nazi propaganda on the eve/during the war and Soviet realities in which Jews the role of the "internal enemy" was fixed. Among the methods used in the research is the verbal history method.
 Scientific novelty. An attempt was made to investigate the peculiarities of Stalin's national policy in the difficult transition period from war to peace (1944-1947) using the example of the so-called "Jewish question" on the basis of various sources – from official documents, memories that appeared in Soviet times, to oral history memories of living contemporaries of the events. The content of the policy and its influence on the formation of persistent anti-Semitic sentiments in Soviet society are outlined. The new attack on Jewry officially began only in 1948, before that this issue was in a state of limbo, which was also facilitated by the foreign political situation. Therefore, it is important to investigate the specifics of the manifestation of anti-Semitism in 1944-1947 and its subsequent impact on the situation of Jews.
 Conclusions. Having survived the hell of the war, the Jews faced difficulties in relations with the authorities and the population of their own country. Post-war anti-Semitism was caused by post-war devastation, the consequences of Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda during the occupation, Stalin's passive and uncertain position on the Jewish question, and the traditional, for a totalitarian system, desire to have an internal enemy. Hatred of the Jews of this period manifested itself in pogroms, problems in returning to work, difficulties in returning one's home and property. However, anti-Semitism became a component of state policy only in 1948.

“Clerks of Revolution”: Jewish Youth of Province in Events of Civil War (Tambov Province)

Based on archival materials and published sources, the article deals with the problem of the participation of provincial Jewish youth in the suppression of the insurgent movement on the territory of the Tambov province. The relevance of the study is due to the need to specificate and clarify the historical role of the Jewish youth of the Russian province in the tragic events of the Civil War. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that on the basis of the biographies of the Jews of the “revolutionary turning point” generation, the mechanism of their social lifts is established. For the first time, the role and motives of the participation of Tambov Jewish communists in the fight against the peasant uprising of 1920—1921 under the leadership of A. S. Antonova are studied. The causes of anti-Semitic sentiments in the provincial society of the period of the civil war are revealed. The authors come to the conclusion that the anti-Semitism of urban and rural residents was largely due to the abuse of power by local Jews. It is noted that due to the noticeable penetration of the Jewish element into the Communist Party, in the public consciousness of the peasantry, the Bolsheviks were often identified with the Jews, stimulating the growth of dissatisfaction with the Soviet government within the peasant society.

“Behind the Scenes”: The Secret Life of Harry Bosco

From 1914 to 1957, athlete, author, and artist Harry Paschall entertained physical culturists with his striking images, wisdom, and wit. As a columnist and editor for Strength & Health, he gained notoriety for his pungent writing style and controversial views, enhanced by cartoons of Bosco, a superstrong hero who defends Paschall’s views on health, fitness, and weight training. Behind the scenes, however, suspicions always lurked that Paschall’s idealistic portrayals were not reality-based. Some suspected that Paschall harbored anti-Semitic sentiments and his articles were as much political statements as physical culture contributions. This perspective stems largely from Harry’s scathing portrayal of Bosco’s antithesis, Weedy Man, a caricature of training methods espoused by the rival Weider organization which stressed form rather function. By unpacking evidence of Harry Bosco’s life, it is possible to determine how much anti-Semitism, alcoholism, homophobia, and an unhealthy lifestyle played a role in his intemperate actions and death.

American Muslim Attitudes toward Jews

Muslims are often accused of being antisemitic and for being a major source of attacks and violence against Jews and Jewish institutions. Research also finds variation in Muslim orientations toward Jews at the aggregate, cross-national level, with lower levels of anti-Jewish sentiment in some western nations. There is also variation in the antisemitic sentiment of Muslims at the individual level in western nations. This paper asks whether factors that affect antisemitism among non-Muslims similarly affect Muslims with the same weight. In order to estimate these relative effects with precision, it is desirable to have a common dataset that includes both Muslims and non-Muslims. Since Muslims comprise a small percentage of the population in most western nations, nationally representative surveys rarely contain enough Muslim respondents for reliable statistical analysis. This paper uses the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape survey, which has over 500,000 respondents, including 5000 Muslim respondents, sufficient for such analysis. The analysis finds that although American Muslims are less positive toward Jews than non-Muslims, the difference is not great, and, on average, American Muslims have positive views of Jews. Results also find that education, being foreign born, and perceiving discrimination against Muslims similarly affects Muslim and non-Muslim attitudes toward Jews. However, perceptions of a weak economy and age have discernably different effects on Muslim and non-Muslim attitudes toward Jews.

Антисемитизм на землях Речи Посполитой в XVI-XVIII вв. и его отражение в старопольской литературе

The article focuses on the manifestation of Antisemitic sentiments in Polish literature in the 16th - 18th centuries, as well as the economic, political, and religious roots of this phenomenon. Drawing on the works by S. Klonowic, J. Kmita, P. Skarga, and P. Mojecki, the author analyses the degree of negative public opinion regarding Jews among the gentry, burghers, and clergy to conclude about the economically and morally oppressed state of Polish Jewish communities and the economic dependence of the gentry on Jewish usury. In many ways, the Antisemitism of that time took place only on paper; in fact, the slogans to evict Jews from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or to baptize them into the Catholic faith were never implemented. By the end of the 18th centurythe Antisemitic slogans in Polish journalism were disappearing, yielding to the ideas of reforming Jewish communities in the spirit of Enlightenment.