Why and How Antisemitism Keeps Reinventing Itself
[My recent conversation with Prof. and ‘s recent post about antisemitism have inspired me to do some of my own writing on this illusive topic. I wrote about Jewish Success here and about Georgian non-antisemitism here]
Most people think antisemitism is simple hatred of Jews. Ancient prejudice, same old story.
They're wrong.
The reason they’re wrong is that antisemitism isn't a static practice. It's an adaptable ideology that changes to match whatever society fears most. And that makes it far more dangerous than we realize.
Static vs. Dynamic: Two Ways to See the Same Problem
Typically, antisemitism is viewed as a static phenomenon - a fixed hatred that never changes. Jews have always been hated for being Jews. Same prejudice, different century.
But there's another way to look at it: dynamically evolving antisemitism. This sees Jew-hatred as an ideology that changes to match whatever society currently fears or struggles with.
The static view asks: "Why do people always hate Jews?"
The dynamic view asks: "What fear is antisemitism latching onto now?"
The Virus That Mutates
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks understood the dynamic nature perfectly: "Antisemitism is not a belief but a virus... it mutates."
Think about it. Jews have been blamed for being too rich and too poor. Too isolated and too integrated. For being stateless wanderers and for having their own state.
What looks like inconsistency is actually the pattern.
What's really going on is that antisemitism says nothing about Jews and everything about whoever's doing the hating.
When Germany was falling apart, Jews became the scapegoat for both capitalism and communism. When progressive movements needed a villain, Jews became "white colonizers." When conspiracy theorists need puppet masters, they point to "globalist elites."
The accusations change. The target stays the same.
From Religion to Race to "Human Rights"
Medieval era: Jews killed Christ. They poison wells. They murder Christian children.
19th century: Jews are a dangerous race. They control banks. They plot world domination.
Today: Jews are white supremacists. Israel is a Nazi state. Zionism is racism.
Notice the pattern? Each era dresses up the same hatred in contemporary language. Wilhelm Marr coined "antisemitism" in 1879 to make Jew-hatred sound scientific rather than religious. Today's antisemites use human rights language to make their bigotry sound progressive.
Douglas Murray nailed it: "Tell me what you accuse the Jews of, and I'll tell you what you believe you are guilty of."
The Psychology Behind the Targeting
The dynamic view looks at how antisemitism changes-not why it targeted Jews to begin with. That's where philosopher Michael Huemer adds something important: why Jews specifically became history's preferred scapegoat.
His "nerd hate" theory draws a parallel between antisemitism and schoolyard bullying. Bullies don't attack the biggest, strongest kids. They target the ones who seem intellectually focused, physically non-threatening, and somehow different from the dominant culture.
Jews fit this profile historically. Known for scholarly pursuits, religious study, and tight-knit communities that sometimes appeared separate from mainstream society. Add the stereotype of being bookish rather than physical, and you have what Huemer calls unconscious "safe to attack" signals.
Huemer argues this stems from evolved dominance instincts. Humans inherited hierarchical behaviors from primate ancestors. When people want to assert dominance but avoid real danger, they unconsciously target groups that trigger these psychological cues.
But here's the crucial insight: antisemites don't consciously calculate who to attack. This is instinctive, emotion-driven behavior. People "just feel like" targeting certain groups, then create elaborate rationalizations afterward.
As Huemer puts it: "Anti-Semites come up with conspiracy theories about Jews, blood libel, etc., as rationalizations for their pre-existing desire to attack Jews. They're confabulating."
This aligns perfectly with what we see in modern antisemitism. The underlying scapegoating urge might be constant, but the justifications change to match whatever makes sense in each era.
Where Evolutionary Psychology Falls Short
Huemer's theory explains an important piece of the puzzle, but it can't account for antisemitism's full complexity.
The content evolution problem: If antisemitism is just primitive bullying with fancy rationalizations, why do the accusations change so dramatically? From blood libels to racial pseudoscience to modern talk of colonialism, each version of antisemitism taps into the anxieties of its time.
The sophistication problem: Many antisemites aren't crude bullies asserting dominance. They are, in fact, educated progressives who genuinely see themselves as fighting oppression. They believe they’re standing up to power, not picking on the weak.
The contradiction problem: Jews aren't just stereotyped as harmless nerds. They're simultaneously portrayed as weak victims AND all-powerful puppet-masters. Huemer's "safe target" theory only explains half this paradox.
The self-hatred problem: Why would Jews themselves internalize antisemitic attitudes? Evolutionary psychology can't explain why someone would join attacks on their own group.
The conditional acceptance problem: The static view treats antisemitism as a binary phenomenon: you're either hated or you're not, usually because of race or religion. But modern antisemitism is more flexible. It's no longer about who you are but about how well you distance yourself from Jewish identity. If you don't "look very Jewish," if you criticize Israel loudly enough, if you're an atheist - you might be granted conditional acceptance.
The evolutionary approach sees antisemitism as instinctive and automatic, but modern reality suggests it’s often conditional, strategic, and tied to ideology more than just identity.
The Synthesis: Why Both Approaches Matter
I see the dynamic view as a missing piece that fits naturally with Huemer’s explanation.
Huemer’s theory explains why Jews were originally targeted.
The dynamic view shows how that targeting keeps adapting over time
Huemer may be right that certain stereotypes made Jews a psychologically "convenient" target. Perhaps there are deep-seated reasons why antisemitic ideologies keep returning to the same scapegoat across different societies.
But that's only the beginning of the story. Once that targeting mechanism is embedded , antisemitism becomes something much more sophisticated than schoolyard bullying.
This explains what the static approach can't:
Why the same "nerdy" group gets blamed for opposite things (capitalism and communism, weakness and excessive power).
Why educated progressives can become antisemitic while thinking they're fighting oppression
Why antisemitism changes its vocabulary to match each era's dominant moral framework
Why some Jews internalize these narratives despite having no evolutionary reason to attack their own group
Why some people hate Jews so deeply and in such detail, even in places where there are no Jews, and the haters have never met one
Why the hate is not binary but a continuum: modern antisemites tolerate Jews until they show signs of Jewish/Israeli identity or support for Israel. Then the mask drops
The dynamic approach shows that antisemitism isn't just dressed-up bullying, but a carefully-crafted cultural phenomenon that exploits different psychological vulnerabilities in different contexts.
Huemer asks: "Why do people always hate Jews?"
The dynamic approach asks: "What role do people need Jews to play in their current story about the world?"
Both questions matter, but the only the second one truly explains why antisemitism keeps reinventing itself.
The Progressive Disguise
Here's where it gets tricky. Modern antisemitism often hides behind causes that sound noble.
Anti-racism. Anti-colonialism. Social justice.
You'll hear things like:
"We don't hate Jews, just Zionists"
"Jews are white oppressors now"
"Israel is uniquely evil"
But scratch the surface. Why is Israel held to standards applied to no other nation? Why do "anti-Zionist" rallies feature chants about pushing Jews into the sea? Why are Jews told they're only acceptable if they renounce their collective identity?
This stops being legitimate criticism pretty quickly. The same old hatred is just using different words now.
When Jews Turn Against Jews
Perhaps the most tragic aspect is auto-antisemitism; i.e., Jews who internalize anti-Jewish hatred.
Karl Marx calling Judaism the "worldly cult of money." Or modern Jewish activists who excuse every form of antisemitism except the kind that comes from the far-right.
Why does this happen?
Simple psychology. If you grow up hearing that Jews are the problem, part of you might believe it. Especially if rejecting your Jewish identity gets you accepted by the groups you want to join.
Psychologist Raphael Ezekiel put it this way: living in an antisemitic culture is like living next to a cement factory. Eventually, some dust gets into everyone's lungs.
The Real Danger
Dynamic antisemitism is especially dangerous because it's harder to spot. When someone says "Jews control the banks," we know that's bigotry. But when they say "Zionist lobby controls Congress" or "Israeli apartheid," it sounds like political analysis.
That's the point. Modern antisemites have learned to speak the language their audience wants to hear.
In academic circles, they use postcolonial theory. In conspiracy communities, they talk about globalist cabals. In progressive spaces, they frame Jews as privileged oppressors.
Different vocabulary. Same virus.
How to Fight Back
Understanding antisemitism's adaptable nature gives us tools to combat it:
Look for patterns instead of labels. Does someone consistently single out Jews or Israel using double standards? That's antisemitism, regardless of the political packaging.
Call out contradictions. If someone claims to oppose colonialism but only talks about Israel while ignoring Turkey in Kurdistan, Azerbaijan in Karabach, Syria in Syria or China in Tibet, ask why. If someone complains about the situation of Palestinians in Gaza but shows no concern for Palestinians in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, or Kuwait, who have faced apartheid, expulsion, and systematic ethnic cleansing for nearly 70 years - ask why.
Educate about conspiracy thinking. Most antisemitism relies on conspiracy theories. Teaching people to think critically about these narratives helps immunize them.
Support Jewish identity positively. The antidote to internalized antisemitism is strong, proud Jewish education and community.
Build real coalitions. Partner with people who understand that fighting antisemitism isn't about protecting Jewish feelings but a part of the struggle to achieve freedom and liberty for all.
Understand the deeper psychology. As Huemer suggests, some antisemitism may tap into primitive dominance instincts that target "safe" groups. Recognizing these unconscious biases can help us address them more effectively.
The Stakes
Antisemitism is like a toxin in the bloodstream of society. It corrupts rational discourse, promotes conspiracy thinking, and normalizes scapegoating. What starts with Jews never ends with Jews.
That's why understanding its adaptable nature matters so much. We can't fight an enemy we don't understand. And antisemitism's greatest trick is convincing people it's something other than what it is.
The hatred never dies. It just keeps finding new ways to hide.
Stay alert.
References & Further Reading
Baddiel, David. Jews Don't Count. London: TLS Books, 2021.
Block, Walter & Oded Faran. "A Conversation on Libertarianism, Anti-Semitism, and the Mises Institute." Video Call Recording, May 22, 2025. Available at: https://www.youware.com/project/d8ve74i3az
Feldman, Noah. "The New Antisemitism." TIME Magazine, March 2024. Available at: https://time.com/6763293/antisemitism/
Huemer, Michael. "Why Is There Antisemitism?" Michael Huemer's Substack, December 28, 2024.
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. "Working Definition of Antisemitism." Adopted May 2016. Available at: https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism
Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. March 2020. Available at:
https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/
Murray, Douglas. The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam. London: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2017.
Murray, Douglas. Various lectures and public speeches on contemporary antisemitism, 2020-2025.
Sacks, Jonathan. Future Tense: Jews, Judaism, and Israel in the Twenty-first Century. New York: Schocken Books, 2009.
Weiss, Bari. How to Fight Anti-Semitism. New York: Crown, 2019.
Great read! Eye-opening how antisemitism keeps changing but never really goes away."
That's an interesting point. I never really considered antisemitism as something that changes over time. But how can we distinguish it from legitimate political criticism?