Share the definition of antisemitism with your students. You may choose to print out this page from Echoes & Reflections for students to have with them during the lesson.

Read through the definition together, breaking it down sentence by sentence if necessary. If you printed out the sheet for students, you could have them write notes or underline as you go through the definition.

Ask students if they have ever heard or seen antisemitism in their lives, whether it be online or in person. Ask if there are any volunteers willing to share their experiences.

Play this video (4-minutes) from CBS Morning News, taken from a lesson from Echoes & Reflections about Jewish teens talking about antisemitism.

Next, open up the class into a discussion with the following questions:

1. Did anything surprise you about what the teens said in the video?
2. Have any of you seen or heard anything similar to what is described in the video? What happened? How did you respond?
3. At the end of the video, the students talk about why other people should care about antisemitism. What did you think about what they said?

How might you respond if you see antisemitism or someone you know is being harassed? As a group, come up with some ideas of how to respond safely. Some examples could include:

• Say “that wasn’t funny” if someone makes a joke at their expense.
• Tell a trusted adult.
• Care for those that were targeted.

How might you encourage others to stand up to antisemitism? Draft a letter, a poster, or a slogan to encourage people to stand up to antisemitism and hate.

As your students if they have ever heard of a conspiracy theory. What is a conspiracy theory? What are the ones that fascinate them the most?
Provide the definition of conspiracy theory: “a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.”

Provide your students with insights from Dr. Deborah Lipstadt (available in full here), who suggests that antisemitism “is rooted in a conspiracy theory. As such, the Jew is not just to be loathed but is to be feared.” Ask your students, “Why do conspiracy theories evoke fear?”

Furthermore, Dr. Lipstadt suggests that the conspiracy theory of antisemitism “has a structure. It is not just a haphazard conglomeration of sentiments. It generally has three to four essential elements: wealth, cunning (smarts used nefariously), and power beyond their ‘legitimate number’ (punching above their weight).”

Their task of this lesson is to identify these essential elements within specific examples and then report their findings to the whole class.
Split students into five groups.
Each group will examine one of the five examples of antisemitism shown in Antisemitism Over Time from Echoes and Reflections. Distribute one example per group.

Then, provide the following instructions:

1. Read the description of the antisemitic incident or artifact carefully.
2. Examine the artifact or direct quotes from the incident.
3. Record which elements of the conspiracy theory emerge in this example.
   1. Are there implied elements that are not displayed directly? Explain.
   2. Does “fear of the Jew” enter into the equation here? How so?
4. Generate a brief presentation for the class that summarizes the context (time, place, participants, etc.) and your findings about the themes that are most significantly expressed in the artifacts or quotations.

Ask your students if they have heard the term antisemitism before. If they have, how do they understand it? Guide discussion toward the definition from the Anti-Defamation League to set the stage for the rest of the lesson.

Turn toward the reading about Contemporary Antisemitism from Echoes & Reflections. Begin by reading the first section aloud as a class, answering any questions or defining words about which the students require clarification.

Then, divide the class into two groups.

• Members of group 1 should read the section on Post-Holocaust Antisemitism.
• Members of group 2 should read the section on Antisemitism Today.

Have every student read their section individually. Then pair with another member of their group to clarify the main points, questions, and challenges.

Finally, ask group 1 pairs to partner with group 2 pairs.
Have each pair share their summary of the section they read. What were the most important parts, what questions do they have, what is their understanding of the historical era being addressed?

Then, ask the quartet to answer the following set of questions:

1. What ties these two eras of hatred together? How are they similar?
2. What distinguishes the two eras of hatred?
3. Antisemitism has been called a conspiracy theory: what parts strike you in this way?
4. If Antisemitism was foundational to the Holocaust and remains prevalent today, should we be concerned about the possibility of a repeated catastrophe?

At the opening of the video, Samatha Power says, “it would be a grave mistake to view antisemitism as something that merely affects the Jewish people.” Provide this short quote to your students before viewing the video and prompt them to pre-write about it. What do they think it means? How can this be so? Give them 5 minutes to compose some thoughts and then ask them to share.

Watch Antisemitism Today by the USHMM. The video is complex and might be broken down for clarity by pausing between the following sections.

At the conclusion of each section, ask students to reflect on what they understood, what confused them, and what questions they have about the subject. Give space to address these insights.

Beginning to 1:35: What is antisemitism and why it is a problem for democracy
1:35 – 3:00: Two non-governmental manifestations, Islamic & Right Wing extremism
3:00 – 4:35: Antisemitism and its relationship to anti-Zionism and Holocaust denial
4:35 – End: The threat to society created by antisemitism

After the discussion of the video is over and students are feeling comfortable with the information, return to the quote highlighted by Samatha Powers:

“It would be a grave mistake to view antisemitism as something that merely affects the Jewish people.”

Ask your students to expand on their initial writing by answering the following questions:

1. What do they take from this statement now?
2. What can be done to respond to this truth?
3. How might they participate in resisting antisemitism?

Give students 10 minutes to reflect on these questions.
If time permits, have students share their reflections in small groups or full class discussion.