Why Anti-Semitism Is a Threat to All of Us: How New Media Fuels Old Conspiracy Myths
On Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 7.30pm, Dr. Michael Blume, Beauftragter der Landesregierung Baden-Württemberg gegen Antisemitismus (Commissioner against Anti-Semitism, State Government of Baden-Württemberg) will give a talk about anti-Semitism and conspiracy myths in the Jewish Prayer Room Museum Horb.
He himself says, “I claim that we do not need any pseudo-genetics or conspiracy myths to understand Semitism and anti-Semitism. Rather, we are dealing with the still underrated effect of media … According to Jewish tradition, Sem, the son of Noah, founded the ‘Semitic’ book religion tradition from which Judaism, Christianity, and Islam developed. There have been many counter-theories against the world-changing power of book religions. The rise of media such as book printing, radio, film, internet, and social media has likewise given rise to anti-Semitism as an enormous countermovement which is able to shatter the bases of our modern and democratic society. Some democratic constitutional states have already relapsed into populist autocracies. The media struggle for the future of mankind and the role of religions has thus only begun.”
Dr. Michael Blume (born 1976 in Filderstadt) studied Religious Studies and Political Sciences in Tübingen and earned a PhD on religion and brain research. Since 2003 he has been working for the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry. From March 2015 to July 2016 he headed the project group “special contignent of women and children from northern Iraq particularly in need of protection.” Since 2018, he has been the State Government of Baden-Württemberg’s commissioner against anti-Semitisim. Moreover, he is head of the division “non-Christian religions, values, minorities, project northern Iraq.”
The talk is a cooperation with Rural District Freudenstadt Catholic Adult Education.