30830 - The Resurgence of Antisemitism in the 21st Century: Patterns, Trends, Solutions

Description

Anti-Jewish hatred and violence have worsened in recent years in the US and globally. Prominent
incidents include the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where neo-Nazis chanted
“Jews will not replace us”; the murderous assault on Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018,
described as “the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States”; the
deadly armed assault on a synagogue in Halle, Germany, in 2019; the armed taking of hostages at a
synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, in 2022; the massacre perpetrated by Hamas in Israel on October 7,
2023, described as “the worst violence committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” and
the record-breaking surge in antisemitic incidents that ensued, which included the firebombing of a
Jewish community building in Berlin in 2023 and the horrific rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in Paris in
2024. This hatred and violence have stimulated growing concern and renewed interest in the sociology
of antisemitism, as demonstrated by three successful preconferences on the topic at previous ASA
meetings in 2019, 2023, and 2024. This special session gathers distinguished colleagues from around the
world to address the sources of increased antisemitism in the 21st century, the diverse forms it takes,
and its relationship to other types of hatred. We aim to foster a rigorous but wide-ranging discussion
that is empirically grounded, historically and theoretically informed, comparative in perspective, and
attuned to pedagogy, public policy, and practical efforts to combat hatred.

Sub Unit

• Special Session

Presiders

• Chad Alan Goldberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Arnold Dashefsky, University of Connecticut

Panelists

• Sina Arnold, Technical University Berlin

• Manuela Consonni

• Gunther Jikeli, Indiana University-Bloomington

• David Hirsh, Goldsmiths, University of London

Session Organizers

• Chad Alan Goldberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Arnold Dashefsky, University of Connecticut