Join LBI for the Forum on Antisemitism and Democracy

 

Join LBI for the Forum on Antisemitism and Democracy       In contemporary discourse around the rise in antisemitism worldwide and antisemitism’s enduring role in antidemocratic political movements, the experience of German-speaking Jews is a frequent reference point. The collapse of Weimar democracy and the antisemitism of the Nazis are indeed profoundly instructive about the danger of unchecked hatred of Jews, but ideally the historical allusions of contemporary pundits would not be the end of an argument, but the beginning of historical investigations. How did German and Austrian Jews perceive antisemitism, and how were they impacted?  How did they respond, as individuals and as communities, and how did their responses succeed or fail?   In order to contribute to this discourse, LBI is planning a series of events that will pair a historian and a public intellectual to examine key moments in German-Jewish history between 1914 and 1933 – both on their own terms, and as touchstones for understanding today’s world.   October 22 at 6:30 PM: Antisemitism as a Pillar of Fascism with John Ganz and Gavriel D. Rosenfeld   October 29 at 6:30 PM: "As a Jew" – Identity, Conflict, and Politics with Emily Tamkin and Philipp Nielsen   November 3 at 12:00 PM: Fighting Back – Jewish Responses to Antisemitism with Michael Brenner and Jane Eisner WHERE: Leo Baeck Institute, 15 West 16th Street, New York Please note that these events will be held in-person at the Center for Jewish History. The events will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube.    REGISTER NOW     Antisemitism as a Pillar of Fascism Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 PM EDT In Person at the Center for Jewish History     Recent years have seen an intensification of old debates about whether fascism is a useful category to apply to contemporary political movements centered around personality cults, a restoration of past greatness, and disillusionment with democracy. While no such movement has succeeded in dismantling the administrative state or procedural democracy in the United States, some astute observers have pointed out that the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 rhymes historically with Hitler's failed putsch of 1923 as a premature grasping for power by a movement that might still prevail.   Political writer John Ganz and President of the Center for Jewish History Gavriel D. Rosenfeld will discuss the connection between antisemitism and fascist movements, then and now.   REGISTER NOW     "As a Jew" – Identity, Conflict, and Politics Tuesday, October 29, 6:30 PM EDT In Person at the Center for Jewish History     On the eve of WWI, German Jews had enjoyed full civil rights for at least a generation but found their place in society was still contested. Sensing an opportunity for full integration, many enthusiastically pledged their support to Kaiser and Fatherland. By 1916, when Prussian military officials demanded a census of Jewish soldiers to prove their suspicion that they were shirking combat duty, it was clear that the Jews might be blamed for a military defeat. And the “stab-in-the-back” myth that held Jews responsible for Germany’s catastrophic defeat in 1918 proved one of the most enduring tropes of the fascist movement.   Join LBI for a discussion between historian Philipp Nielsen and journalist and author Emily Tamkin about how Jews have navigated reconciling Jewish individual and group identities with participation in political life – from Weimar Germany to present-day.   REGISTER NOW     Fighting Back – Jewish Responses to Antisemitism Sunday, November 3, 12:00 PM EDT In Person at the Center for Jewish History     In 1932, Germany’s leading Jewish civil rights organization, the Central Association of German Jews, or Centralverein, published a brochure entitled We German Jews, 321–1932. The dates in the title made explicit reference to the documented presence of Jews in the Roman provinces in the Rhineland for over 16 centuries to refute the antisemitic view that Jews were an alien presence in Germany. During the Weimar period, We German Jews represented just one of many defenses that Jewish groups used against antisemitism.   Join LBI when historian Michael Brenner and journalist Jane Eisner discuss what lessons these Jewish responses to antisemitism offer for today’s world.   REGISTER NOW     If you have enjoyed LBI's online programs and digital content, please consider supporting LBI's public outreach with a donation.   MORE INFORMATION     As a non-profit, we rely on advertisements like this to help us pay the bills. We do not endorse the views, organizations or products herein.