Here, we present various formats that not only provide significant impulses and strengthen the dialogue on antisemitism but also demonstrate how creative, interactive and scientific approaches can foster a deeper understanding of the complex societal challenges associated with addressing antisemitism, while supporting long-term prevention efforts.

The lecture addresses the question of how antisemitism is negotiated within party politics in Germany and why there is a need for a critical, antisemitism-informed approach to the study of political parties and party systems.

It begins by tracing the (re-)politicisation of antisemitism and the mobilisation of issues relating to Israel and Middle East politics in recent years, particularly since 7 October. Building on this, the lecture identifies key research gaps and outlines an antisemitism-critical approach that does not treat parties as homogeneous and isolated actors, but instead systematically takes into account intra-party negotiations, conflicts, and interactions between parties.

The focus lies on institutional knowledge, interpretative frameworks and understandings, the handling of antisemitic ‘incidents’, processes of learning, and shifts in thresholds of scandalisation. At the same time, debates on antisemitism and Middle East politics are situated within broader processes of polarisation and fragmentation in Western democracies.

Using the example of current conflicts within the party DIE LINKE, as well as the responses of other parties, this analytical perspective is illustrated in conclusion.

Marc Seul, M.A., is a founding member and part of the collective leadership of the Initiative for Interdisciplinary Antisemitism Research (IIA) at the University of Trier, as well as a Postgraduate Fellow at the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. Since March 2026, he has been a research associate and coordinator of the collaborative research project DAYVid (“Decoding Antisemitism in YouTube Videos”). In his doctoral research at the University of Passau, he examines how German political parties interpret, address, and politically instrumentalise antisemitism, including its relationship to memory politics and Middle East policy.

Time & Venue

5 May 2026 | 18:00

Lecture Hall, Freie Universität Berlin
Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science
Thielallee 67
14195 Berlin

This lecture series provided a space for in-depth reflection and constructive exchange on antisemitism. Antisemitism is also a reality at universities—whether in academic debates, student initiatives, or everyday campus life. The series “Antisemitism at Universities – Reality, Reflection, Reaction” examined current scholarly perspectives on the topic and presented both analytical and practice-oriented approaches to combating antisemitic patterns of thought and behavior.

The series opened with a lecture on the empirical study of antisemitism: When is it Antisemitism? Academic Answers to a Frequently Asked Question (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Monika Schwarz-Friesel, TU Berlin). This was followed by Antisemitism and Intersectionality: Critique and New Perspectives (Prof. Dr. Karin Stögner, University of Passau).

Practical strategies for documenting and combating antisemitism were the focus of the third event: The Research and Information Office on Antisemitism (RIAS Berlin) and Mobile Counseling Against Right-Wing Extremism (MBR Berlin) presented civil society approaches addressing the documentation of antisemitic incidents, support for those affected, and dealing with antisemitism in universities and cultural institutions.
Workshop: Antisemitic Incidents in Berlin with a Focus on Universities by Julia Kopp (RIAS Berlin) and Matthias Müller (MBR Berlin).

The series concluded with an analysis of the impact of October 7, 2023, on Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany. The lecture Antisemitism in the Institutional University Context – Traditions, Blind Spots, and Current Research examined how antisemitism has changed in everyday university life before and after this date and the challenges that have emerged as a result (Prof. Dr. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam).

The lecture series was organized by Dr. Michaela Conen, Process Coordinator for Antisemitism Prevention at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), with support from the MFFB. Below you will find the recorded online lectures.

For years, claims such as "there is not enough research yet" or "we lack a precise scientific definition of antisemitism" have shaped the discourse and debates surrounding contemporary antisemitism. In this way, the extensive existing research on the topic is overlooked, and the much-needed enlightenment, as well as the societal fight against the growing hatred of Jews, is deferred to an indefinite future. In this lecture, using data-rich and scientifically validated findings from both historical and contemporary empirical research, the question of what antisemitism is (and what it is not), how it manifests, and how to recognize and deconstruct antisemitic attitudes will be discussed.

Link to the online presentation 

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Monika Schwarz-Friesel, expert on antisemitism and cognitive scientist at the Technical University of Berlin; Chair at the Institute for Language and Communication. Her book publications include: Contemporary Antisemitism, a Phenomenon of the Center, Educated Antisemitism, The Language of Antisemitism in the 21st Century, Antisemitism on the Internet, Toxic Language and Mental Violence: How Antisemitic Thought and Emotional Patterns Have Shaped Our Communication for Centuries.

After October 7, it became clear that antisemitism is a significant gap within much of intersectional feminism. This reached a point where Jewish people and Israelis were denied intersectional solidarity. In a new approach to intersectional ideological critique, the lecture will analyze the interconnections between antisemitism, racism, and sexism.

Link to the online presentation.

Prof. Dr. Karin Stögner is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Passau. She is the author of Antisemitism and Sexism: Historical-Social Constellations (Nomos 2014) and co-editor of Critical Theory and Feminism (Suhrkamp 2022).

In this lecture, the question will be explored of how antisemitism manifests in the institutional everyday life of universities both before and after October 7, and how it impacts Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany. The lecture will address societal traditions in dealing with Jews and antisemitism in contemporary society, introducing the analytical category of institutional antisemitism. It will then present and discuss findings from current studies on experiences of antisemitism in the university context.

Link to the online presentation.

Prof. Dr. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai is a Professor of Social Work Methods and Social Work Research at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Her research focuses on the processing of (sexualized) violence, everyday experiences in the prison system and perceptions of prison architecture, institutional antisemitism, as well as the impact of October 7, 2023, on Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany. Together with Marina Chernivsky, she co-leads a research area at the Competence Center for Antisemitism-Critical Education and Research. Current publications, each co-authored with Marina Chernivsky, include: Institutional Antisemitism as an Analytical Category – Traditions, Findings, and Research Gaps (2025); Analysekategorie institutioneller Antisemitismus“How come you don’t say anything when Jewish women are raped?” – Sexualized Violence in the Context of October 7 from Jewish Perspectives in Germany (2025), in: Glöckner, Olaf/Jikeli, Günther (eds.): Antisemitism in Germany After October 7. Georg Olms Verlag: Hildesheim; October 7 as a Turning Point for Jewish Communities in Germany (2024), Der 7. Oktober als Zäsur für jüdische Communities in Deutschland in: APuZ - Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte: Antisemitismus, 74th year, 25-26 2024, pp. 19-24.

The Institute for New Social Sculpture, in cooperation with the Berlin University of the Arts and the Jewish Student Union of Germany, is founding the Jewish Art School Berlin (JKB). This institution offers Jewish and antisemitism-critical students and young adults an innovative platform for artistic development and critical engagement.

The JKB is led by internationally renowned artists such as Victoria Hanna, David Adika, and Yehudit Sasportas. Through masterclasses and workshops spanning various disciplines—from performing to visual arts—Jewish and antisemitism-critical students and young adults will be supported in their artistic growth. 

The collaboration with the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK Berlin) further supports the project.