Embedding itself in the larger discussion on protests against measures taken by governments all over the world to mitigate the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, this work concerns itself with the role of the Holocaust in narratives found in prominent Telegram channels and chat groups of German covid-protests. Building on the existing body of research, it uses the theoretical framework of New Social Movement (NSM) theory to categorise the protests in Germany. Choosing a mixed-methods design, the phenomenon is described using narrative analysis, computer-assisted coding, and elements of network analysis. The narrative analysis and results of computer-assisted coding, find that the Holocaust is narrated as a valid comparison to pandemic politics, while some Telegram channels engage in historical revisionism. The network analysis reveals a large network of Telegram channels, strengthening the importance of the analysed channels for the protests in Germany

The period of late Stalinism (1948-1953) witnessed sharp rise of anti-Jewish animosity and discrimination from the part of the Soviet regime. These tensions were caused by both domestic factors (ideological diversification of Soviet intellectual elite, escalation of Jewish nationalism, struggle for power among highest nomenclature) as well as international factors (transformation of the Soviet-Israeli relations, rise of the Cold War). The thesis analyzes, how these circumstances were reflected at that time. Therefore it tries to identify, how the image of "The Jude" was formed by the Soviet propaganda and how it changed in the given time period. As a general framework for this analysis the concept of "The Enemy" will serve which is considered to be one of the basic elements of totalitarian ideologies. The thesis examines by means of semiotic method two significant propaganda campaigns of that period, namely campaign against the "cosmopolitism" in January - March 1949 and campaign accompanying "The Doctors' Plot" during January - March 1953. It would try to identify, how the image of "The Enemy" was connected at that time with the notion of "The Jew".

This Master’s (60 credits) dissertation paper examines how three Swedish newspapers describe the political ideology called anti–Semitism in Germany, from the day it was born in end of October 1879 until January 1882 after the campaigns of persecution of Jews in Russia and Germany.Politically, the 1880s were formative years in Swedish history. A party system emerged slowly andseveral new political ideologies found their way into Swedish political life. Many of those wereinfluences from Germany: socialism, nationalism, political conservatism. But also anti–Semitism.This paper is a comparative study between the newspapers Dagens Nyheter (liberal), Nya DagligtAllehanda (conservative) and Stockholms Dagblad (conservative) and describe how the anti–Semitic political movement in Germany, and the ongoing atrocities against Jews in Russia andGermany, were being portrayed in the Swedish media. The survey in the essay shows that the newspapers describe the political ideology anti-Semitismvery differently. Liberal Dagens Nyheter was highly critical against the political form of hatredagainst the Jews, but so was also conservative Stockholms Dagblad, although the latter had a higherdegree of a neutral type of reporting than the former. Stockholms Dagblad leaned towards supportof a Bismarckian type of conservatism, (which at this time had not yet embraced hatred againstJews as an official policy). The newspaper of the three with the strongest support of the anti-Semitic political movement inGermany was the daily Nya Dagligt Allehanda, which very often expressed and reproduced anti-Semitic constructions and derogatory and racist views on Jews.However, the newspaper Nya Dagligt Allehanda did not embrace the most extreme and violent formof anti-Semitism which were being advocated by some German politicians in the 1880s, whichincluded the deportation or even mass murder of Jews.

Cette thèse explore la caractérisation et le rôle du Juif dans l'un des textes antisémites les plus controversés du XVIIe siècle en Espagne : Centinela contra judíos (Sentinelle contre les Juifs), composée par le franciscain Fray Francisco de Torrejoncillo. Il a été largement lu à son époque et a été imprimé treize fois dans la péninsule ibérique, avec neuf éditions en espagnol et quatre en portugais entre 1674 et 1748. Cependant, la recherche sur la Sentinelle à ce jour a été très déficiente, car il n'y a pas d’édition du texte en espagnol, ni études critiques pertinentes du point de vue culturel et littéraire. Seul l'historien François Soyer a produit une analyse détaillée de la Sentinelle, qui contient également une traduction annotée du texte anglais. Cependant, sa décision d'écrire pour un public anglophone est un obstacle non négligeable pour le lecteur hispanophone, tout comme son approche éminemment historique laisse place à d'autres types de perspectives analytiques complémentaires. Grâce à la première transcription annotée de Centinela contra judíos en espagnol, notre travail offre aux lecteurs hispanophones une édition académique accessible, qui distingue pour la première fois clairement les textes des éditions madrilènes de 1674 (Julián de Paredes) et 1676 (Ioseph Fernández de Buendía), qui contiennent des différences notables non signalées auparavant par les critiques. Nous proposons également une analyse littéraire et culturelle de la Sentinelle, utilisant l'appareil de la tératologie afin d'identifier et de reconnaître son Juif comme un monstre plutôt qu'un être humain. Ce passage d'homme à bête a eu de graves conséquences pour les victimes de la campagne de répression religieuse menée par le Saint-Office, mais il a également touché les catholiques qui se sont vus dans le rôle de héros, contraints d'effacer toute trace de la culture hébraïque de son pays natal. Nous considérons la possibilité que l'expérience juive dans la péninsule ibérique soit, à un niveau plus fondamental, une histoire de monstres, et que la caractérisation du Juif dans la Sentinelle soit révélatrice d'une telle histoire. Dans le premier chapitre, nous présentons Torrejoncillo et son livre dans son contexte historique, ainsi que l'influence de l'antisémitisme en Espagne avant la publication de la Sentinelle et la structure de l'ouvrage lui-même. Le chapitre 2 explore les éléments centraux de la tératologie et de la monstruosité, que Torrejoncillo utilisera pour fabriquer son juif monstrueux. Basé sur des textes théoriques de Cohen, Kristeva et Befu, l'altérité, l'abjection, l'hybridité et l'évasion sont quelques-uns des concepts d'ancrage, chacun ayant un rôle unique et récurrent dans la construction des monstres de l'âge classique au 21e siècle. Enfin, au chapitre 3, nous appliquons ce qui a été élaboré sur le monstre et ses fondements culturels et théoriques à la figure juive de la Sentinelle. / This thesis explores the characterization and role of the Jew in one of the most polemical antisemitic texts from seventeenth-century Spain: the Centinela contra judíos, by the Franciscan friar Francisco de Torrejoncillo. This book was widely printed and read in its time, not only in the original Spanish but in Portuguese translation as well, with thirteen individual printings between 1674 and 1748. Nevertheless, scholarship on the Centinela has been severely lacking to date, with no modern academic version in Spanish of the text to speak of, and no literary criticism done on the book at all. Those who wish to read the Centinela itself will find only raw copies of the centuries-old originals, scanned in and uploaded to the National Library of Spain’s website, with none of the annotations, citations, and explanations necessary to understand it. Furthermore, just one researcher, François Soyer, has produced any detailed scholarly analysis of the Centinela at all, which includes a translation of the 1676 version into English with commentary and footnotes. However, the entirely historical focus of his work, combined with his choice to write for an anglophone readership, presents an obstacle for the Spanish-speaking reader, and indeed for bilingual readers more interested in approaching the Centinela from a literary perspective. By means of the first annotated transcription of the Centinela in modern standard Spanish, we now provide a scholarly text accessible to Spanish speakers who either cannot read Soyer’s English translation, or would prefer to read and analyze Fray Francisco’s book in the language that it was originally written in. We also provide literary criticism and analysis of the same, using a teratological approach based on the writings of Kristeva, Cohen, and Befu, that identifies the Jew in the Centinela as a monster instead of a human being. This change from person to beast carried grave consequences for both the victims of religious and ethnic oppression during the Inquisition and those who sought to remove all vestiges of Hebrew culture from the Spanish homeland. We consider the possibility that the Jewish experience in Spain is, at its heart, a history of and about monsters, and that the characterization of the Jew in Fray Francisco’s book is indicative of this history. The first chapter of three in our analysis presents the Centinela in its historical context, touching on Torrejoncillo’s contemporaries, the influence of antisemitism in Spain prior to the book’s publication, and the structure of the work itself. Chapter 2 explores historical and contemporary fundamentals of monster theory, the building blocks with which Torrejoncillo will build his monstrous Jew. Otherness, abjection, hybridity, and escapism are central concepts in this chapter, among several others, each having a unique yet recurring role in the construction of monsters from antiquity to the present time. Finally, in chapter 3, we apply what we now understand about the monster and its theoretical and cultural underpinnings to the Jewish figure in the Centinela.

Mit dem Judentum stellt das 2020 erschienene Videospiel The Last of Us Part II eine Religion dar, deren Repräsentation bzw. Thematisierung auch und gerade in digitalen Spielen mit besonderen Sensibilitäten verbunden und dementsprechend selten ist. Ihren Ausdruck findet diese Darstellung in der jüdischstämmigen Deuteragonistin Dina, vor allem aber in einem vergleichsweise kurzen Spielabschnitt in einer Synagoge, der in dieser Arbeit eingehend beschrieben und aus religionswissenschaftlicher Perspektive analysiert wird. Methodisch wird dabei an die von Oliver Steffen formulierte (2017) Methode für die religionswissenschaftliche Digitalspielforschung angeknüpft, insbesondere an die vier Kriterien der Implementierung religiöser Inhalte in digitalen Spielen. So werden neben der Einbindung der jüdischen Religion in die Spielerzählung auch die Besonderheiten ihrer Einbindung in die Interaktivität bzw. Spielmechanik und damit videospielspezifische Herausforderungen und Probleme untersucht. Im Anschluss wird die weitergehende Bedeutung der jüdisch-religiösen Spielinhalte im Gesamtkontext des Spiels diskutiert, wobei die These vertreten wird, dass der Spielabschnitt in der Synagoge in zweifacher Hinsicht als Schlüsselszene fungiert und nicht nur eine im späteren Spielverlauf erkennbare Analogie auf den Nahostkonflikt vorbereitet, sondern auch auf mögliche Bezüge zur jüdischen Geschichte und Identität in der Spielreihe insgesamt verweist. Der so beschriebenen Untersuchung vorangestellt ist ein umfassender Überblick über Darstellungen des Judentums in Video- und Computerspielen generell, der die Relevanz und den weitgehenden Ausnahmecharakter der Implementierung in The Last of Us Part II erkennbar werden lässt, aber auch davon unabhängig als Anknüpfungspunkt für die weitere Forschung dienen kann.

This study has a threefold aim:  to make a theological contextualisation of four medieval anti-Jewish motifs in Christian iconography represented in churches in Sweden and to study how these motifs has been described and contextualised in guidebooks and other material written for the interested public from post-war to recent years. The study also explores the role of heritagisation and musealisation of the church buildings in relation to how the motifs are described in the material. There is also an underlying, constructive aim: to suggest how The Church of Sweden can work with these motifs in theological reflection and historical presentations to the public concerning this part of the cultural heritage. The motifs analysed are The Judensau, Ecclesia and Synagoga, Cain and a motif illustrating a medieval legend about the funeral of the Virgin Mary. They were all painted in Swedish churches in a time when there were no Jewish settlements in the area. The study argues that the iconography can be interpreted as an expression of othering and that the four motifs can all be theologically contextualised by using Jesper Svartvik’s threefold typology of Christian anti-Jewish discourse. The study further shows that very few of the texts in the guidebooks and other books in the material describes the motifs and contextualises them theologically.  The study suggests that this can be related to the more than hundred years old heritagisation- and musealisation process in The Church of Sweden which has created a twofold and split role of the church as both manager of the religious mission and of the cultural heritage.   It has not been the primary aim of the church to theologically contextualise the cultural heritage. New questions concerning the motifs arise in today’s multicultural and multireligious society. The study suggests that the church can approach the part of the cultural heritage which today is seen as problematic from David Lowenthal’s concept of an informed acceptance and tolerance of the past in order to be able to take responsibility for the future in dialogue with others.

This thesis examines the impacts of white supremacy on Jews’ freedom of religion in the United States. In what ways is the American white supremacist movement a threat to Jews’ freedom of religion, and to what extent is the federal state protecting this right in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)? By using the Legal Analytical Method, and by applying Daniel Ian Rubin’s approach to Critical Race Theory (CRT), this thesis finds that the white supremacist movement is threatening Jews’ freedom of religion in three main ways: through physical attacks, psychological intimidation, and economic effects. Although the state provides Jewish communities with some protection from white supremacists, recent antisemitic attacks show that the U.S. government could do more to ensure that American Jews can fully enjoy Article 18 of the ICCPR.

<p>The aim is to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of social categorization and discrimination, as well as the connection between them. This has been accomplished by examining Swedish refugee policy towards Jewish refugees during the Second World War and the Holocaust, as conducted by The Foreigner’s Bureau of the National Board of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 1938−1944. The study also compares the Swedish refugee policy with that of Denmark, Switzerland, Great Britain and the United States. The investigation is guided by such concepts as social categorization, discrimination, antisemitism, organizational culture and established practice. The primary sources are documents, minutes and personal dossiers; <i>Svensk författningssamling</i> (legislation) and articles in <i>Sociala Meddelanden</i> (the National Board’s official journal).</p><p>The main conclusions are that Sweden was not perceived as a country of immigration, based partly of the widespread fear that too many Jewish refugees would create a “Jewish Question”. Swedish authorities discriminated against Jewish refugees on grounds of “race” through a process of categorization. This process began already in the 1920’s, and gradually transformed the definition of “Jew” from a religious to a “racial” definition, based on the Nuremberg Laws. The differentiation of Jewish refugees in official statistics ceased in September 1943, yet it continued secretly until February 1944, encompassing the Norwegian and Danish Jews as well. One important result shows that the shift in policy – from discrimination to large scale reception – was a slow process where this differentiating practice and antisemitic perceptions remained operative. What is defined as an antisemitic background bustle is used to explain how moderate antisemitic expressions were perceived as “unbiased” and “normal” within the Swedish society. Though Sweden’s refugee policy seems similar to that of other countries surveyed, the shift in policy stands out as unique in comparison.</p>

This study analyzes narratives of individual Jewish experiences of discrimination and genocidal violence in Hungary during the period of 1920–1945. The aim is to increase our knowledge and understanding of the events through an investigation of survivor testimonies concerning anti-Jewish laws and the Holocaust. The main focus is on how survivors perceived the treatment to which they and their fellow Jews were exposed, and how they responded to the persecution they faced. Perceptions and responses are analyzed through multiple factors such as gender, age, social class, and geographical place. The period under investigation stretches from 1920, when the law of Numerus Clausus (a quota system influencing admission to universities) was introduced, until the end of the Second World War in early 1945. Focus is placed on the war years, especially on 1944, the year of German occupation and the fascist Arrow Cross rule. Experiences from the labour service system, the Jewish houses in Budapest, and the ghettos, as well as of hiding and resistance, are some of the recurring themes which are examined here. Extensive interviews, along with eyewitness reports and memoirs, form the empirical basis of the study. The results demonstrate the complexity of individual experiences during times of upheaval, and the importance of the above factors is evident within the testimonies. The survivors’ experiences greatly depended on gender, age, social class, geographical place, civil status, religious orientation, as well as “race”. However, the importance of the different factors changed over time. For instance, in the beginning of this period, discrimination had a direct impact on adult males, while children, women, and the elderly were indirectly affected. Furthermore, persons belonging to the upper classes could circumvent the anti-Jewish laws in various ways. Ultimately, differences in treatment decreased, according to the testimonies. Women, children, and the elderly also became victims, as did individuals from all social classes.

The aim is to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of social categorization and discrimination, as well as the connection between them. This has been accomplished by examining Swedish refugee policy towards Jewish refugees during the Second World War and the Holocaust, as conducted by The Foreigner’s Bureau of the National Board of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 1938−1944. The study also compares the Swedish refugee policy with that of Denmark, Switzerland, Great Britain and the United States. The investigation is guided by such concepts as social categorization, discrimination, antisemitism, organizational culture and established practice. The primary sources are documents, minutes and personal dossiers; Svensk författningssamling (legislation) and articles in Sociala Meddelanden (the National Board’s official journal). The main conclusions are that Sweden was not perceived as a country of immigration, based partly of the widespread fear that too many Jewish refugees would create a “Jewish Question”. Swedish authorities discriminated against Jewish refugees on grounds of “race” through a process of categorization. This process began already in the 1920’s, and gradually transformed the definition of “Jew” from a religious to a “racial” definition, based on the Nuremberg Laws. The differentiation of Jewish refugees in official statistics ceased in September 1943, yet it continued secretly until February 1944, encompassing the Norwegian and Danish Jews as well. One important result shows that the shift in policy – from discrimination to large scale reception – was a slow process where this differentiating practice and antisemitic perceptions remained operative. What is defined as an antisemitic background bustle is used to explain how moderate antisemitic expressions were perceived as “unbiased” and “normal” within the Swedish society. Though Sweden’s refugee policy seems similar to that of other countries surveyed, the shift in policy stands out as unique in comparison.