"White Christian Nationalism & Antisemitism: A True Threat" by Doron Kalir

Alternate Title

White Christian Nationalism & Antisemitism: A True Threat

Doron Kalir, Cleveland State UniversityFollow

Keywords

White Christian Nationalism, Antisemitism, First Amendment, True Threat

Abstract

The ideology of Jewish hatred, also known as antisemitism, has deep roots. In the United States, antisemitism has known a long and complicated history; in the early 1940s, it reached peak levels. Now, more than 80 years later, antisemitism again rears its ugly head, aiming to end the Golden Age of American Jewry. The exclusionary ideology aiming to obliterate the wall separating Church and state, and to institutionalize Christian identity and values into the public square, also known as White Christian Nationalism, has deep roots. In the United States, it had a long and complicated history; by the mid 1920s, it reached its peak powers with millions of followers, including possibly a Supreme Court justice. Now, more than a century later, White Christian Nationalism again rears its ugly head, aiming at challenging the very notion of American democracy. This time, however, its loyal adherents come well-prepared, armed with no less than a former President seeking to reclaim his awesome powers; a group of U.S. Representatives including the House Speaker himsel; and, yet again, possibly a Supreme Court Justice. These two ideologies‚ Antisemitism, and White Christian Nationalism, are now on a collision course. More accurately, White Christian Nationalism aims at raising the level of antisemitism in the U.S. to new heights. With direction from the Supreme Court's recent jurisprudence, this Article begins the conversation on how the law may be of help in limiting the hurtful effects of WCN on America's Jewish community.