December 14, 2023 | NEWS | By Taylor Lynch
Editor’s Note: The Catalyst was unable to cover the anti-Islamophobia training on Tuesday, Dec. 12 due to lack of writer availability.
On Monday, Colorado College held an antisemitism training over Zoom, where students, staff and faculty were invited to learn about the historical and present implications of antisemitism in America.
Rosalie Rodriguez, associate Vice President of the Butler Center, noted the over 400% rise in antisemitic hate in the United States since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. The event was hosted by Rodriguez and CC’s new Title IX Coordinator, David Jensen. The training was led by Kirsten Fermaglich, a Jewish Studies Professor at Michigan State University.
Fermaglich is a historian whose research focuses on antisemitism in America. Having served as a National Archive distinguished scholar, her critically acclaimed books include “A Rosenberg by Any Other Name,”and “American Dreams and Nazi Nightmares.”
The training consisted of a presentation about antisemitic tropes, the history of antisemitism in America and the connection between antisemitism and the state of Israel, followed by a question-and-answer period.
The presentation, titled “Uncovering the Origins of Pittsburgh and Poway, Addressing American Antisemitism Past and Present,” reiterated the rise of American antisemitism dating back to 2016.
According to the American Defamation League, from Oct. 7 to Dec. 7, the U.S. saw 2,031 documented antisemitic incidents, compared to only 465 during the same period in 2022. Fermaglich cited these growing trends as proof of the imperative need for education on the history of antisemitism.
As defined by Fermaglich and her colleagues at Michigan State, antisemitism is, “the rhetoric, discrimination, prejudice (including belief in conspiracy theories) and/or hostility or violence against Jews or Jewish institutions as Jewish.”
Fermaglich explained that modern antisemitic sentiment has been perpetuated by multitudes of offensive Jewish stereotypes which she identifies as antisemitic tropes. These tropes include notions of Jewish people as Christ killers, child killers and subhumans. They also consist of the association between Jewish people, greed and capitalism and conspiracies about Jewish people and groups controlling the media, government and Hollywood.
Fermaglich described the historic connection between antisemitic tropes and bigotry, explaining the legal and professional excursions that barred Jewish people from holding office and other occupations in nineteenth and twentieth century America.
In the years before World War I, millions of Jewish people immigrated to the U.S.. With this came a rapid circulation of “ugly and diseased” depictions of Jewish populations, enabling immigration restriction before, during and after the Holocaust. The Russian Revolution led to a resurgence of conspiracies about Jewish radicals aiming to destroy Christian society, which gave way to a number of Jewish hate groups that still exist today.
In explaining the connection between antisemitism and Israel, Fermaglich described Zionism as, “the belief in the Jewish right to national self-determination,” which led to the creation of Israel. She made the distinction that criticizing Israeli policy is free-speech and not antisemitic but noted that in modern contexts, antisemitic tropes are often invoked in these conversations.
In combating antisemitism in the U.S., Fermaglich said, “context and phrasing is so important.” She encouraged participants to be aware of tropes, and the legacies of antisemitic pain that resonates within Jewish populations. Fermaglich advised participants to pay attention to context and current events, and to try to educate and engage rather than labelling, because this is such a sensitive and complex issue.
In the question-and-answer period, CC community members asked Fermaglich questions relating to antisemitism on college campuses and the Israel-Hamas war.
One participant asked, “how might we address antisemitism on campus with empathy, respect and care for free speech?” To this, Fermaglich encouraged community members to be empathetic, as civil discourse is the solution to productive conversation.
To a question about the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, Fermaglich claimed that labeling Zionists and Jews synonymously can cause great harm.
When asked about recent controversy relating to the role of colleges and universities to call out antisemitism, Fermaglich said, “I think you must take a stance against genocide. It’s a bad thing. You shouldn’t be calling for genocide on a college campus.”
She also noted that the events of Oct. 7 have unearthed new wounds amongst Jewish populations, and therefore colleges have an obligation to address those struggles and offer adequate protections. There resources must too be provided to all impacted populations, including Islamic students.
This training comes as colleges and universities across the country are under scrutiny for their stances on the Israel-Hamas war. This training was part of a two-part session, the second training of which was an info session on Islamophobia, taught by University of Vermont professor Amer Amhed.