Dr. Armin Langer, an associate at the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies, has published two recent articles on antisemitism and extremism. The first, “Antisemitic Myths on the Web Amidst Global Crises of the Early 2000s,” is part of a research study by the European Institute for Counter Terrorism and Conflict Prevention (EICTP) that covers the recent rise in antisemitism.
“The Shorstein Center sponsored my attendance at academic conferences, where I presented my research,” said Langer. “The feedback from fellow researchers during these events contributed to the development of my research.”
Focusing on the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, Langer explains how the digital world has fostered a surge in online antisemitism.
“I was motivated to delve into this topic due to the increasing prevalence of online antisemitism and the alarming impact it has worldwide,” said Langer. “The anonymity and reach of the internet amplify the spread of antisemitic conspiracy myths and speech, making it urgent to understand and address this phenomenon.”
Starting with the pandemic, Langer explains how the widespread panic that came with COVID-19 led to scapegoating theories that linked Jews to the origin and spread of the virus. He also says that “The pandemic-driven shift towards remote work, increased screen time, and heightened reliance on online platforms has provided a fertile ground for the escalation of antisemitic harassment.”
The research into antisemitism following the Russian invasion of Ukraine shows that although President Vladimir Putin “avoids antisemitic comments,” he often quotes “nationalist philosophers Alexander Dugin and Ivan Ilyin.” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also made antisemitic remarks by claiming that “some of history’s most fervent antisemites were of Jewish descent, including Adolf Hitler.”
Langer’s analysis of the Israel-Hamas war shows how antisemitism spiked following the Hamas attacks on October 7. Langer says that “Hamas shares graphic footage of their acts, often through social media, reaching the families of those murdered or abducted.” Again, social media platforms function as a “breeding ground” for extremism and antisemitism.
To Langer, the “social media algorithms, initially designed to enhance user engagement, inadvertently contribute to the amplification of harmful content.” Langer’s research also finds that this radicalization and extremism establishes echo chambers where antisemitism can be spread and then translated into real-world extremist acts. This trend also leads to antisemitic acts, as recorded by the Anti-Defamation League, that ranged from the vandalization of synagogues to the defacing of Holocaust memorial murals.
“Research into how antisemitism functions as a worldview is as important now as it has ever been,” said Professor Norman Goda, Director of the Shorstein Center. “We need to understand how antisemitism has been leveraged in global events, sometimes through keywords like “The Rothschilds. But it is also critical that we understand how it has spread through online communities.”
Langer’s second article “Populist conspiracy myths in far-right terrorist manifestos” has just been published in the special issue “The Language of Conspiracy Theories” of ELAD-SILDA: Studies in Linguistics and Discourse Analysis. This piece analyses manifestos published by far-right they mirror and amplify narratives espoused by far-right populists. Here Langer contributes to the growing academic literature on the link between the rise of far-right populism and the increase in far-right attacks. Against the backdrop of rising rightist terrorist activities across the Western world, the article deciphers and deconstructs some of the most common far-right conspiracy myths promoted by far-right political parties and compare those with the conspiracy myths in the terrorist manifestos.