Center for West European Studies
European Union Center of Excellence
Jackson School Information
Jewish Studies Program
Friday April 22, 2011
2-4:00 pm
Conference Room, University of Washington Club
What has been the relationship between anti-Semitism and the Left? When the German socialist August Bebel referred to the lingering legacy of leftist anti-Semitism as “the socialism of fools” a little more than 100 years ago, he conceived of leftist anti-Semitism as nothing more than a marginal tendency. Most scholars of anti-Semitism continue to hold the view that nineteenth and early twentieth century anti-Semitism in the West remained peripheral to the Left though they do concede that the Left has flirted intermittently with anti-Semitism(e.g., during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, the Cold War, and the Second Intifada). On the other hand, a few scholars including Edmund Silberner and Robert Wistrich see the relationship between the Left and anti-Semitism as more pronounced referring to socialist anti-Semitism as a specific brand of modern anti-Semitism. In contrast to both groups of scholars, I argue that the relationship between the Left and anti-Semitism has been much more profound than previously believed and that the origins of modern anti-Semitism are to be found largely within the Left.
William I. Brustein assumed the newly created role of vice provost for global strategies and international affairs on July 1, 2009. He came to Ohio State from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was associate provost for international affairs and director of international programs and studies. At Illinois he also was the Alumni Professor of International Studies and a professor sociology, political science, and history.