AHA Session 63
Friday, January 9, 2026: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Williford A (Hilton Chicago, Third Floor)
Chair:
Ethan Katz, University of California, Berkeley
Panel:
Daniel Greene, Northwestern University
Ethan Katz, University of California, Berkeley
Mark Mazower, Columbia University
Mascha Wilke, Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung, und Zukunft
Session Abstract
In 2023, Germany’s right-extremist party, the Alternative für Deutschland, was one of the first political groups to insist on public moments of silence for the victims of the October 7 attacks. Since, the AfD has billed itself as the only true defender of Israel and Jews in Germany. At the same time, members and leaders of the party peddle antisemitic tropes, engage in antisemitic violence, and trivialize Germany’s Nazi past. Similarly, the Trump Administration, members of which have close ties to known anti-semites and Holocaust deniers, has embarked on a mission to root out “antisemitism” in the country’s elite universities. The extreme right has found the charge of “antisemitism” useful to pursue its other goals: The AfD exploits talk of “imported antisemitism” to push against immigration from predominantly Muslim countries. The Trump administration’s fight against “antisemitism” has allowed for an unprecedented attack against academic freedom on campus, as well as aided the administration’s immigration agenda.
Antisemitism is objectively on the rise in both countries. In Germany, antisemitic hate crimes (including violent ones) have risen over 100% since October 2023. In the United States, the increase in antisemitic incidents increased by over 150% since 2023.
Antisemitism has also become a phenomenon on the political left, especially since October 7, when protests against Israel’s war in Gaza frequently mixed with the same antisemitic tropes used on the right.
But the conversation about antisemitism should not be led by demagogues and right- and left-wing agitators. Teachers, students, Germans, and Americans should understand what antisemitism is, where it originated, how it has evolved, and what threat it poses today. This panel features a conversation about two recently published histories of antisemitism. Panelists and audience will engage in a historically grounded discussion that equips participants to teach about antisemitism as well as the exploitation of the term.
