Once the driving force of antisemitism worldwide, Nazi Germany waged war against Jews everywhere, radicalising antisemitism in word and deed. After 1945, Germany was pacified by the Allies, and open antisemitism became the antithesis of the new democratic Staatsräson. Yet today, antisemitism has returned – from the far right, parts of the radical left, Islamist movements, and the centre of society. This lecture examines the German case in a global context and asks whether the postwar Staatsräson – the commitment to Jewish life and Israel’s security – can hold, and what this means for Europe and the wider Jewish diaspora.
Günther Jikeli is the Erna B. Rosenfeld Associate Professor for the Study of Antisemitism and Interim Director of the Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University Bloomington. His research focuses on contemporary antisemitism, conspiracy ideologies, and online hate speech in Europe and the United States.
