Confronting Antisemitism through the Ages: A Historical Perspective最新文献

{"title":"Comprehending Antisemitism through the Ages: Introduction","authors":"Kerstin Mayerhofer, A. Lange","doi":"10.1515/9783110671995-002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110671995-002","url":null,"abstract":"Robert Wistrich’s definition of antisemitism as the “longest hatred”1 carries as much weight now as it did thirty years ago, when Wistrich published his landmark study. Today, in our contemporary societies and culture, antisemitism is on the rise, and its manifestations are manifold. Antisemitic hate crimes have spiked in recent decades, and antisemitic stereotypes, sentiments, and hate speech have permeated all parts of the political spectrum. In order to effectively counteract the ever-growing Jew-hatred of our times, it is important to recognise the traditions that have fed antisemitism throughout history. Antisemitism is an age-old hatred deeply embedded in societies around the globe. While the internet and modern media have contributed beyond measure to the increase of Jewhatred in all parts of the world, the transformation processes that antisemitism has been undergoing through the ages remain the same. A core condition of antisemitism is its versatile nature and adaptability, both of which can be traced through all periods of time. Current-day antisemitism is shaped and sustained not only by powerful precedents but also reflects common fears and anxieties that our societies are faced with in a world that is ever changing and where the changes run even faster today than ever before. Historical awareness of the nature of antisemitism, therefore, is more important than ever. The present volume, thus, wants to help raise this awareness. Its articles trace the history of antisemitism and the tradition of antisemitic stereotypes through the ages. It documents various manifestations of antisemitism over time and reflects on the varying motivations for antisemitism. As such, these contributions shed light on socio-cultural and socio-psychological processes that have led to the spike of antisemitism in various periods of time and in varying intensity. In this way, they can help to establish methods and policies to not only to counter current antisemitic manifestations but also to combat them.","PeriodicalId":219982,"journal":{"name":"Confronting Antisemitism through the Ages: A Historical Perspective","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127980507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anti-Jewish Legislation in the Middle Ages","authors":"Birgit Wiedl","doi":"10.1515/9783110671995-010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110671995-010","url":null,"abstract":"In contrast to today’s conception of a unified and uniting legal system, it was common for medieval societies to have several legal systems “at work” at the same time. Some of these legal authorities followed an hierarchical order, such as imperial/royal law that stood above the legislation enacted by territorial princes (at least in theory), who, as town lords, in return could change, overturn, or dictate municipal law. Parallel to these secular legal systems, church law was enforced by an equally graded system of hierarchies, while the vast field of customary laws is particularly difficult to grasp due to its vast diversity and mostly oral tradition. Inhabitants of medieval cities and rural communities were therefore subjected to several legal systems: the general law of the country (often a non-codified customary law), the municipal law of the respective city, several sets of ecclesiastical regulations, and depending on their profession, they could be subjected to regulations of a specific organisation (e.g., universities or craft guilds). This legal pluralism applied to Jews as well—they were granted their main legal standing from the respective ruler (see below); furthermore, they were permitted to enact their own halachic legislation within their communities. Their particular legal status, however, did not mean that Jews were exempt from other jurisdictional systems. They bought and sold their estates and properties according to the respective municipal and/or customary laws, paid and received dues and rents, and appeared as plaintiffs and defendants before all kinds of courts, showing them as more than passive recipients: they were active players who were not only aware of their legal circumstances but were also able to navigate within these frameworks.1 Anti-Jewish legislation is therefore only a part of medieval Jewry laws, and a part that existed parallel, and often in contrast to a neutral, or even positive legislation. It is also only a part of medieval anti-Jewish thought and agenda to which it contributed both ideas and measures to act upon. This essay cannot and does not claim to cover anti-Jewish legislation in medieval Europe exhaustively; in particular, the very diverse municipal and customary laws will be presented with a focus on the Ashkenazi regions of the Holy Roman Empire.","PeriodicalId":219982,"journal":{"name":"Confronting Antisemitism through the Ages: A Historical Perspective","volume":"351 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134365593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany in Contemporary German Discourse","authors":"Linda Giesel","doi":"10.1515/9783110671995-022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110671995-022","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":219982,"journal":{"name":"Confronting Antisemitism through the Ages: A Historical Perspective","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133610219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}