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Günther Jikeli 
Erna B. Rosenfeld Associate Professor for the Study of Antisemitism Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism | Borns Jewish Studies Program | Indiana University 

Prof. Günther Jekili
Indiana University

Antisemitism Today:
Why the lack of Empathy for Jews after the Genocidal Violence on Oct. 7

10/7 marks one of the darkest days of the 21st century. But how can we explain the lack of clear condemnation of the mass murder of civilians and Hamas' war against the Jews? How did we arrive at a situation where people ignore the Israeli victims and side with the perpetrators, shouting genocidal slogans in the streets, airports, and campuses around the world? I will begin by reflecting on developments since the turn of the 21st century, including statistics and events that marked the rise of antisemitic threats and deadly violence, first in Europe and 15 years later in the U.S. While we may have thought that antisemitism reared its ugly head mostly on the fringes of society, it has become increasingly clear that antisemitism can come from all walks of life, and social media has become an incubator and accelerator of antisemitic propaganda. However, we can identify four main ideological sources that provide a framework for too many to justify their hatred of Jews: nationalism, anti-colonialism, Islam, and Christianity. It's the hatred of Jews that prevents people from calling out Hamas for what it is: a cult of death that intends and practices genocide. 

Prof. Günther Jikeli holds the Erna B. Rosenfeld Professorship at Indiana University's Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at the Borns Jewish Studies Program. He is an associate professor in Germanic Studies and Jewish Studies at Indiana University.

He is a historian and sociologist of modern Europe, with particular interests in the history of antisemitism and in critical antisemitism studies. His latest book "The Return of Religious Antisemitism?" (ed.) was published in 2021.

In 2019, he published (with Olaf Glockner) "Das neue Unbehagen. Antisemitismus in Deutschland heute" [The New Unease. Antisemitism in Germany Today]. In 2015, he published the monograph "European Muslim Antisemitism." with IndianaUniversity Press.

In 2013, he was awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Prize in Human Rights and Holocaust Studies. Günther's academic work was recognized in 2019 by The Algemeiner as one of "The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life."

His research focuses on online and offline forms of contemporary antisemitism. He runs the research lab "Social Media & Hate." Dr. Jikeli offers supervision and advice for students who wish to study antisemitism or who are writing a thesis related to antisemitism/ critical antisemitism studies.

The Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series is a program
of the Institute for Tolerance Studies is the 501-c-3 organization

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the Institute for Tolerance Studies of the Jewish Learning Channel.