The Longest Hatred: Antisemitism Then and Now

Antisemitism has been described as the “longest hatred.” In this eight-week course, held in person at the Danglow Centre in the St Kilda Shule, we will explore the evolution and manifestations of antisemitism over the centuries – from ancient, to medieval, to contemporary times. We will examine the following topics:

· Antisemitism in the pagan world
· Is the New Testament “antisemitic”?
· Church Fathers and Roman Emperors: From anti-Jewish theology to anti-Jewish legislation
· The antisemitic legacy of medieval Christian Europe
· The “secularising” of antisemitism in modern Europe
· Antisemitism and the world of Islam
· Contemporary debates about antisemitism

Please note, there will be no class held on 14 March due to the Labour Day public holiday.

Tutor: Paul Forgasz’ career has spanned both the secondary and tertiary sectors of education. For more than a decade he was the Headmaster of the secondary school campus of Mount Scopus College, a large K-12 Jewish day school in Melbourne. He lectured in Jewish history and comparative religion at Monash University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Education and also taught about Jewish education, as well as school leadership, in the university’s Faculty of Education. Paul has maintained an active involvement for many years in Jewish adult education, particularly through the Jewish Museum of Australia’s community education program. Since 2010, under the auspices of the Jewish Museum of Australia, Paul has also led a number of sell-out Jewish study tours to various European destinations including Spain, Italy, Germany, Vienna, Poland and Lithuania. In 2022/23, Paul is planning to conduct a first-time tour of Jewish Greece.

Image: 2346-14 Sara Ruda (later Pell) with her classmates and teacher, Wieliczka, Poland, 3 June 1935.