Managing the War against the Jews: New Forms of anti-Semitic Expression

Fifteen theoretical models allow us to better understand the “new antisemitism.”  Contemporary Jewish hatred involves hostility toward Jews that is manifested not through traditional racial or religious stereotypes but rather through opposition to Israel or globalization recasting negative references to Jews and Israel in political or conspiratorial terms.

Anti-Zionism and Its Overlaps: While legitimate criticism of Israeli policy exists, some forms of anti-Zionism cross into antisemitism. Three measures are employed to identify this phenomenon:

• Deny Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state,
• Apply double standards not used for other nations,
• Use classic anti-Jewish imagery (e.g., global control, blood libel, financial domination).

On the political left, anti-Zionism has been employed along with post-colonial frameworks casting Israel as a settler-colonial project.

Anti-Globalism and Conspiratorial Thinking: Anti-globalist rhetoric, particularly in populist or nationalist movements, sometimes blames “global elites” or “cosmopolitans” — euphemisms echo antisemitic tropes about Jewish financial or media control. Internet subcultures have revived classic conspiracies like those found in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, reframed for the digital age, creating “globalists,” “Soros,” and “Davos elites”.

Postmodernism’s Indirect Influence: By emphasizing relativism and the deconstruction of universal truths, postmodernism has influenced identity politics and post-colonial thought. Some critics argue that postmodern frameworks enable the delegitimization of Jewish national identity (Zionism) while advancing other ethnic or indigenous claims.

Islamic Thought and Islamist Ideology: Within parts of the Muslim world, antisemitic narratives have blended traditional Islamic polemics with modern European conspiracies. Islamist movements such as Hamas or Hizbullah draw on both Quranic references and imported antisemitic myths, including Jewish world control and treachery, as the framework for promoting these conspiratorial notions.

The Christian Identity and Far-Right Movements: This extremist offshoot of white nationalism teaches that white Europeans are the true descendants of the biblical Israelites, and that Jews are impostors — a theology used to justify anti=-Semitic and racist violence. Broader far-right ideologies often link antisemitism with anti-globalism, Great Replacement Theory, and resistance to multiculturalism.

Intersectionality and Contemporary Trends: Online radicalization and the blending of political extremes, including “the red-brown alliance”, left-wing anti-Zionism, right-wing anti-globalism, and various forms of religious fundamentalism employ different narratives that converge by portraying Jews or Israel as central to perceived global injustices.

Continuity Theory: This approach suggests that the “new” antisemitism is taking old hatreds associated with Jews and Judaism and constructing a new interpretation. Anti-Jewish animus is being transposed from religion and race to politics and ideology, producing anti-Zionism. This application of specific “traditional” tropes concerning Jews, such as excessive power, dual loyalty, or blood libel, now reappear as accusations against Israel and “globalist” Jews.

Displacement or “Substitution” Theory: The Post-Holocaust taboos have prevented open antisemitism, so by substituting Israel as “the collective Jew” the “Zionist Entity” becomes the central target. The Jewish collective (i.e., the State of Israel) becomes a stand-in for the individual Jew. Among the accusations imposed by those holding such views involves Israel behaving like Nazis.

The “Threefold Transformation” Theory transforms these core beliefs:

• Religious Hatred → Jews as Christ-killers
• Racial Hatred → Jews as a biological or cultural threat
• Ideological Hatred → Jews/Israel as the symbol of global injustice or Western imperialism.

This theoretical approach holds that core antisemitic ideas evolve while continuing to function as a moral scapegoat framework.

Postcolonial and Intersectional Critique Theory: The “new antisemitism” label itself is sometimes used to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel. Proponents of this theoretical model argue that antisemitism today must be understood in relation to race, colonialism, and power structures. This approach distinguishes between a critique of state policy and hatred of a people.

In connection with this approach, some scholars reject the term “new antisemitism” arguing that it conflates anti-Zionism with hatred of Jews.

Conspiratorial Integration Theory: Modern conspiracy ecosystems (online radicalization, populist networks, Qanoon, and anti-globalism) integrate antisemitic motifs into global narratives about elites, bankers, or media control. These conspiracies often don’t explicitly mention Jews but rely on classic code terms, among then “globalists,” “Soros,” or “Rothschilds”. Mark Weitzman and Deborah Lipstadt have both written about these ideas.

Islamist and Transnational Theory: Here globalization of antisemitism through Islamist and anti-Western narratives since the late 20th century has been introduced. This approach seeks to mix traditional Islamic ideas of Jewish enmity with European conspiracy tropes introduced at earlier times, including Cold War propaganda. Two writers, Matthias Küntzel and Jeffrey Herf, devote their writings to this approach.

Cultural Relativism and Postmodern Discourse Theory: Postmodernism and identity politics erode universal moral categories allowing antisemitism to reappear under the language of “resistance,” “justice,” or “anti-imperialism.” Ruth Wisse and Alvin Rosenfeld suggest that truth and moral responsibility are seen here as relative ideas, and that antisemitism can masquerade as a form of legitimate “discourses.”

                         Summary Table-Major Strands of “New Anti-Semitism”

Emerging Scholarly Ideas: Four additional theoretical notions are being introduced:

• Algorithmic antisemitism: How social media recommendation systems amplify antisemitic or anti-Zionist content.
• Holocaust Inversion: The use of Holocaust imagery to demonize Jews/Israel (“Israel as Nazis”).
• Trans-Ideological antisemitism: Cooperation between far-left and far-right actors in shared anti-globalist or anti-Zionist spaces.
• Identity Fatigue Theory: Growing indifference toward Jewish victimhood in the post-Holocaust era, thereby normalizing anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Responding to Hate:

If we are to effectively respond to these various new forms of anti-Jewish expression, it is essential that we acquire a broad understanding of the diversity of ideas and approaches that today comprise this war against the Jews. The fight against antisemitism therefore cannot be waged by employing “traditional” treatments but rather requires the introduction of new strategies and techniques directed at managing this evolving threat.