Antisemitism: Evolution and Escalation
A Theodore Talk Lecture with Dr. Shelly Cline
September 28th, 2025, via Zoom at 2:30 pm
Antisemitism is a set of hateful beliefs and ideas with deep historical, social, and cultural roots. Over many centuries, Christianity played a central role in the development and spread of antisemitism in Europe where Jews have always been a minority. Dr. Shelly Cline, Historian and Director of Education at the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, will examine the evolution of antisemitism from religiously motivated antipathy in early modern times, to the economic and pseudo-scientific antisemitism of the 19th and 20th centuries, and finally to the politically driven antisemitism of today.
Antisemitism often takes the forms of scapegoating and conspiracy theories based on stereotypes and tropes. These theories falsely portray Jewish people as dangerous to society or even the world. Today, antisemitic ideas and stereotypes are held by people of all different backgrounds and religions, as well as from across the political spectrum. This talk will provide some of the tools to identify antisemitic tropes and dog whistles which pervade our social media landscape.
Register for this presentation here: https://tinyurl.com/23r8kc7a.
Even if you can’t attend the live Theodore Talk, as long as you register for this lecture, you will receive a link to a recording of the event. All Theodore Talks have closed captioning enabled.
A list of future Theodore Talks can be found on the Mensa National Events Calendar, by visiting the American Mensa home page, or by viewing the January issue of the Mensa Bulletin. The article on the 2025 Theodore Talks begins on p. 26.
Theodore Talks take place via Zoom on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2:30 pm CT. Each presentation will last about 45 minutes followed by a Q&A session. Then after the Theodore Talk comes Mensa News & Notes. We generally end the day with a chat session about whatever anybody wants to talk about.
Remember, Theodore Talks are always offered FREE in an effort to provide more value for your Mensa membership.
Questions? For more information, contact Brad Lucht. Thank you!
