What is Antisemitism?

Candace Amber Owens Farmer, an American conservative political commentator, author, activist, and television presenter, departed from the Daily Wire after months of airing some controversial ideas.

In a statement shared on social media Friday morning, Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing announced that the company and the pundit "have ended their relationship."

"The rumours are true — I am finally free," Owens stated in her post last week.

The details surrounding Owens’s departure weren’t immediately clear, but it follows heightened tension over her rhetoric that created divisions between Owens and Shapiro, who is Jewish, as well as the rest of the site’s more mainstream conservative figures.

The Daily Wire did not respond to a request for further comment, and Owens could not be reached for an immediate response.

During a Thursday appearance on “The Breakfast Club” radio show shortly before her departure, Owens acknowledged her strained relationship with Shapiro but asserted that “Ben doesn’t have the power to fire me.”

After the news emerged, some commentators claimed her departure was caused by anti-Semitic statements they alleged she made, something that she has strenuously denied repeatedly.

But what exactly is anti-Semitism?

Antisemitism is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews this sentiment is a form of racism.

A person's hostility is driven by the belief that Jews constitute a distinct race with inherent traits or characteristics that are repulsive or inferior to the preferred traits or characteristics within that person's society.

HISTORY

The hatred of Jews has existed for thousands of years.

The Holocaust, in which the Nazis and their collaborators murdered six million Jews in Europe, was one of the worst examples.

But antisemitism didn’t start or end with the Holocaust. What makes antisemitism one of the oldest and most persistent forms of hatred?

CAUSE

Antisemitism has been explained in terms of racism, xenophobia, projected guilt, displaced aggression, and the search for a scapegoat.

Some explanations assign partial blame to the perception of Jewish people as unsociable.

Such a perception may have arisen by many Jews having strictly kept to their communities, with their practices and laws.

This perception has probably evolved in Europe during medieval times where a large portion of money lending was operated by Jews.

Modern-day incidents:

• Hate speech
• Slurs or taunts
• Social isolation
• Passive-aggressive behaviors
• Use of anti-Jewish symbolism like the swastika
• Using negative stereotypes against Jewish people in-jokes
• In extreme cases, using physical violence in places of Jewish worship like synagogues 
• Hateful or threatening messages or interactions from internet trolls on social media apps, forums, and websites

IMPACTS

It can trigger:

• Fear
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Doubt
• Insecurity
• Crankiness
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance abuse through drug and alcohol use
• Suppression of identity 

PREVENTION

Educate yourself. Make it a point to learn about Jewish culture, beliefs, practices, and history around the world.

Learn about implicit bias. Your unconscious thoughts and beliefs might affect your behavior and attitudes toward others in society. This is called implicit bias. Take an implicit bias test to see how you can improve your self-awareness.

Become an ally. Find ways to support the Jewish American community through local or national organizations. If you see or suspect antisemitic incidents, report them to authorities.