Between proximity and demarcation: Judaism in Christian and Islamic thought
Book presentation: Why are the Jews always to blame? Antisemitism in the Bible
Anti-Semitism is not a purely modern phenomenon. Even ancient authors spread questionable theories that have survived, in varying forms, to the present day and continue to shape anti-Semitic narratives in Western societies. Traces of these ideas can even be found in biblical texts.
Simone Paganini (author and Professor of Biblical Theology at RWTH Aachen University) discussed ancient and modern anti-Semitism with Mouhanad Khorchide (Professor of Islamic Religious Education and Director of the Center for Islamic Theology at the University of Münster) and Sylvia Löhrmann (Commissioner of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for Combating Anti-Semitism, for Jewish Life and the Culture of Remembrance). They discussed the origins, continuities and changes in anti-Semitic thought patterns, explaining how anti-Semitic narratives are already present in ancient texts and what impact they continue to have today. The discussion combined theological, historical and socio-political perspectives - and struck a chord with the times.
After a welcoming address by Prof. Dr. Torsten Voigt (Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at RWTH Aachen University), Thorsten Karbach (Head of Press and Communications at RWTH Aachen University) hosted the evening. Laura Katharina Hochstrat (violin and piano) and Merle Henrike Penkwitt (double bass) from the Cologne University of Music and Dance provided the musical accompaniment.
