Why is Antisemitism Still Around?

In this lesson from ConnectED, you and your students will analyze how antisemitism continues to affect the lives of Jewish communities around the world, the consequences of staying silent, and the importance of awareness to understand history, patterns, and modern expressions of antisemitism to foster a more inclusive society.

A brief, six-minute-long video discusses why anti-Jewish prejudice still exists, even when Jewish people make up less than 1% of the global population. The video also defines antisemitism, suggests ways to tackle it, and how we can address it.

Over time, many people mistakenly believe that antisemitism ended with the end of the Holocaust and World War II. Unfortunately, Jews are still living in a world filled with antisemitism. In the United States where Jews comprise 2% of the population, anti-Jewish sentiment made headlines with the violent and fatal attacks in Pittsburgh, California, New Jersey, and New York since 2018. In Europe, many conspiracy theories exist despite Jewish people representing less than 0.2% of the population and most Europeans have never even met a Jewish person.

A main takeaway from the video is the idea that not addressing antisemitism until we see or confront it in the Holocaust or other major anti-Jewish events is too late; we need to understand the Holocaust as a cautionary tale of what happens when antisemitic beliefs go unchecked and then resolve to address them together.

The educator’s guide provides essential questions to pose to your students. In addition, several learning activities and reflection questions are included for students to contemplate. Five review questions and answers are also provided which could be used as a tool to gauge students’ understanding.