Digital Repository Of Antisemitic Narratives

A flyer that was distributed in a tram in Cologne asked the rhetorical questions “Do we really only have a Corona problem? Or don’t we actually have predominantly a Jew-problem?” while listing Angela Merkel as a Jewess of Polish origin connected to B’nai B’rith, Jens Spahn as “gay Jew” connected to the Bilderberg conference, Heiko Maas as a Jew and leading censor and Christian Drosten as pro-government virologist and Jew “according to his phenotype”. It closes with the words that “the more Jews in politics and media, the worse the conditions”.

In November 2020, a message reading “The Jew pulls all the strings” was found stuck on the sidewalk near the Novi Sad Synagogue. One of the oldest anti-Jewish myths and stereotypes is the one about “Jewish power” and the “global Jewish conspiracy”. In its contemporary form, this myth represents Jews as a powerful, secret, global group, often referred to as a “Jewish lobby”, that manipulates governments, banks, financial institutions, academia, the media, film and entertainment industry, and other national and international institutions, for malicious purposes of Jewish world domination and control. This anti-Jewish myth has been present as one of the most prominent antisemitic narratives in various forms from the New Testament, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, to anti-globalism and various contemporary conspiracy theories.

“His blood on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:24-25). Christianity appeared in Poland during the 10th century, and began to hugely impact Polish culture, customs and society. One of the first myths to emerge at the junction of Christianity and Judaism was the use of the biblical story about the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. The claim was coined that “the Jews have the blood of Jesus on their hands” because it was the representatives of the priests and the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish religious and judicial institution in ancient Judea) who were responsible for sentencing Jesus to death. In the Middle Ages, there was a conviction that Jews were outlawed because of killing the Messiah. Traces of such thinking can still be found today.

In December 2020, in Novi Sad, a billboard showing an image of the Novi Sad synagogue was vandalised with graffiti “Judenfrei” and a crossed-out Star of David.
The City authorities reacted swiftly, and the graffiti was painted over the same day. Two months later, in January 2021, just a day before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration, the same billboard was targeted again with antisemitic graffiti. This time the offender(s) painted a crossed-out Star of David, the “Celtic Cross,” and the abbreviation “SS” (SS refers to the Nazi military units Schutzstaffel.) The authorities painted over these symbols promptly, too.