Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

Global Antisemitism: Old Hatred, New ThreatsAbraham H. Foxman*An important element of the American Defamation League’s centennialyear is a celebration of how far we have come in diminishing antisemitismin America. When we recall where we were in 1913 and where we arenow in 2013, it is a remarkable story. Quotas, exclusion from neighborhoods,social clubs, some industries, and words like “Christ killers” and“kikes” were all part of the cultural landscape in 1913. Things are drasticallydifferent today, and the ADL’s role has been pivotal in bringing aboutthat change.At the same time, even as we commemorate our successes, I amappalled at the resurgence of antisemitism around the globe. The last decadehas witnessed the most serious and dangerous manifestation of Jewhatred since World War II.Let me now list a few of the serious incidents of antisemitism that haveoccurred in recent months.• In August 2012, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,spoke of a centuries-old Jewish conspiracy to rule the world and saidthat “behind the scenes of the major power circles, in political,media, monetary, and banking organizations in the world, they havebeen the decision makers.” His vice president, Mohamed-RezaRahimi, speaking at a UN-sponsored conference in Teheran on theillegal drug trade, declaimed that Zionists are in firm control of it.• On October 28, an openly antisemitic party, Svoboda, garnered over10% of the vote in Ukrainian parliamentary elections. In Greece,another antisemitic party, Golden Dawn, exploited the financial crisisto win 7% of the vote in June and enter Parliament for the firsttime. Once there, a Golden Dawn lawmaker read out a passage from735