(JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League has released a guide to contemporary anti-Semitism for candidates running for national office.
“Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era,” identifies some of the most persistent tropes about Jews, explains why they are dangerous, provides the backstory behind the myths and shows how they have evolved to today,” according to the league.
“As violence against Jews is already at historic levels, we call on all public leaders, particularly during this heated political season, to avoid invoking antisemitic tropes,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “The tropes this guide explains are the roots of anti-Semitism, and have led to violence against Jewish communities around the world over centuries. Today, they are still modern drivers of anti-Semitic violence, finding voice in the tweets and public statements of elected officials, or resonating with the extremists who carried out violent attacks against Jews in Pittsburgh, Poway and Jersey City.”
Each chapter of the guide addresses a well-known anti-Semitic trope, including that Jews have too much power, are disloyal, killed Jesus, and use Christian blood in religious rituals. The guide also addresses Holocaust denial, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel.
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