FW: antisemitism vs. anti-Semitism?
Judith Logue
In case of interest…
Judy
Judith Logue, Ph.D.
18604 Tranquility Base Lane
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987
This is thought-provoking. It has changed how I spell the word.
Judy
ADL has adopted the spelling of “antisemitism” instead of “anti-Semitism.” After reviewing the history and consulting with other leading experts, we’ve determined that this is the best way to refer to hatred toward Jews.
The word “Semitic” was first used by a German historian in 1781 to bind together languages of Middle Eastern origin that have some linguistic similarities. The speakers of those languages, however, do not otherwise have shared heritage or history. There is no such thing as a Semitic peoplehood. Additionally, one could speak a Semitic language and still have anti-Semitic views.
And in 1879, German journalist Wilhelm Marr coined “Antisemitismus” to mean hatred of the Jewish “race,” adding racial and pseudo-scientific overtones to the animus behind the word. But hatred toward Jews, both today and in the past, goes beyond any false perception of a Jewish race; it is wrapped up in complicated historical, political, religious, and social dynamics.
While removing a hyphen by itself won’t defeat antisemitism, we believe this slight alteration will help to clarify understanding of this age-old hatred.
Anti-Defamation League
605 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10158-3650
(212) 885-7700
Rachel Youdelman
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Judith Logue
Thanks so much, Rachel. This is terrific. I’ll forward it too.
Judy
Judith Logue, Ph.D.
18604 Tranquility Base Lane
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34987
From: clios...@googlegroups.com <clios...@googlegroups.com>
On Behalf Of Rachel Youdelman
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2025 12:19 PM?
Thank you, Judith.
The current configuring of the word seems to boil down to a debate between scholars and copy-editors.
Here's a good summary of the history: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/where-the-word-anti-semitism-comes-from/
On Sun, Oct 19, 2025 at 3:48 AM Judith Logue <jud...@judithlogue.com> wrote: