Antisemitism Past and Present

This class examines the two-thousand-year-old history of anti-Jewish hatred. An understanding of the centuries long hatred of the Jews is important background knowledge for anyone seeking to better understand the rise of Hitler and Nazism and the ultimate extermination of the Jews of Europe. This class continues the conversation beyond the Holocaust and looks at post-Holocaust antisemitism and how it has affected and continues to affect Jews in Maine and elsewhere in the present day.

Teacher: Erica Nadelhaft

Erica Nadelhaft is the Education Coordinator at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Erica earned a B.A. from Brandeis University; an M.A. from the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and is ABD from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis. She reads and works in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Polish and German. Professionally, she has taught courses on world history, the history of genocide, World War II, the history of the Middle East, women’s history, introduction to Judaism, and Hebrew, among others, in the University of Maine system. She has also taught at the University of Moncton in Edmunston, New Brunswick. In her current role, Erica oversees the HHRC educators, coordinates school visits, develops new programs, works with districts to address prejudice, and presents to diverse audiences on topics related to the Holocaust, human rights, and confronting bias.