History or Engagement

This course approaches anti-Jewish hatred as a historical and cultural phenomenon of various hues and dimensions that is a long-term challenge to social justice (including diversity, equity, and inclusion). We will examine how this form of animosity arose and continues to arise and be promoted—even by some Jews. We will see how anti-Jewish animus has mutated and why. We will also delve into the specific forms that it has taken—for example, racist forms. We will look at specific cases and trends from antiquity to the Middle Ages, to the modern era (including the Holocaust), and conclude with an examination of antisemitism in its radical left-wing and radical right-wing varieties in the present day.

In this course, we will explore Israeli society and its historical roots by looking into its vibrant scene of documentary filmmaking and meeting Israeli filmmakers.

Israeli society has rapidly developed from a highly consolidated socialistic society into a fractured one, dominated by the logic of capitalism. Within just a few decades, multiple social fissures have emerged, revealing underlying ethnic, religious, and racial tensions. These occur mainly between Arabs and Jews, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jews and secular and religious Israelis. They force Israelis to re-think their national identity and understanding of the Zionist idea about a national home for the Jewish People.

Documentary films serve as a building block in societies' collective memory: they allow establishing shared narratives about the past as well as challenging such narratives and push for a change. By dissecting selected Israeli documentaries and talking to their creators, we will dive into key elements in the "Israeliness": Zionism, the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Kibbutz, the Israeli army, LGBT rights, and Jewish religious life.