Antisemitism and hostility to Israel have both risen sharply in recent years, and especially so since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. This raises the question: Are these two sentiments meaningfully related, or is their co-occurrence coincidental?
“New Antisemitism” theory proposes that extreme criticism toward Israel, especially when marked by dehumanization, delegitimization, and double standards (i.e., Natan Sharansky’s “3-Ds”) can signal antisemitism. Furthermore, it can provide a socially acceptable mask for what has, since the Holocaust, been an unacceptable prejudice. New Antisemitism theory has sparked strong resistance, with opponents regarding it as unfairly censuring legitimate criticism and unduly shaming earnest critics.
The present research (conducted by Harber, Bulska, Malloy, Vila, in press, American Psychologist) investigates this question, the results, insights, and implications of which will be discussed.