The Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) entry into the German Bundestag in September 2017 marks a break with German political tradition after 1945 and the social acceptance of a party from the far right-wing spectrum. During the election campaign, the AfD relied heavily on social media, mostly by using Facebook to spread its agenda. This research on the AfD’s attitude toward National Socialism, the Holocaust and antisemitism on Facebook has shown the party utilizes antisemitic stereotypes to defame political opponents. Further, the AfD instrumentalizes events from the Third Reich to elevate perceived positive aspects, such as resistance against the Nazi regime, and strives to rehabilitate aspects of National Socialism. Symptomatic for the AfD is the concealment of the Holocaust, or its opportunistic use to depict the Germans as victims. Moreover, the interpretation of comments made under the Facebook posts suggest that they have an inciting effect. In the analysis of AfD Facebook posts, it has been found that the attitudes expressed by the AfD conflict with Germany’s self-image as a country that takes responsibility for the Holocaust and that Facebook is becoming an increasingly important tool of shaping the cultural memory of National Socialism and the Holocaust.

Supervisor:
Prof. Moshe Zimmermann

The triangular coexistence of Ukrainians, Jews, and Poles in Eastern Galicia and Volhynia had experienced centuries-long tensions that eventually culminated in Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in summer 1941. Targeted by German propaganda on the one hand, and by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists’ (OUN) propaganda on the other, the Jews of those regions were held accountable for the calamities that befell the Ukrainians, especially by the promulgation of the “Jewish Bolshevism” stereotype. Through a visual analysis of propaganda forms such as leaflets, posters, and newspaper cartoons, this thesis provides the first scholarly work to encompass both German and OUN visual antisemitic propaganda in the Ukrainian language. The analysis will examine the antisemitic themes and motifs that were employed by the German and the Ukrainian nationalist propagandists, to determine why certain themes were repeatedly chosen, what role or significance they played, and what can be inferred about OUN’s shifting attitudes towards the “Jewish question”. This study hypothesizes that besides the “Jewish Bolshevism” stereotype, the visuals of both German and OUN propaganda contain references which are unique to the Western Ukrainian experience, thus distinguishing it from other German propaganda campaigns to different Soviet populations, and sheds light on the Ukrainian anti-Jewish imagery, traditional and modern alike.

Supervisor:
Prof. Per Anders Rudling

The Institute for the Study and Eradication of Jewish Influence on German Church Life (Institut zur Erforschung und Beseitigung des Jüdischen Einflusses auf das deutsche kirchliche Leben) was an academic Institute opened in May of 1939. It was composed of German theologians seeking to meld National Socialism and German Christianity together in the Nazi era. Among their numerous publications was their rewritten and dejudaized version of the New Testament text, Die Botschaft Gottes (The Message of God). This work was a critical venture for the future of German Christianity in the eyes of these theologians. It will serve as a central focus of my research into the thought and theology of this particular group of Nazi-era Protestant theologians and leaders as it related to their Christianity, and the persecution of the Jewish community and the Holocaust.

The Institute theologians believed they would do away with what they saw as the corrupting Jewish influences on Christianity and the Christian Bible. Despite the respect generally upheld by Christian theologians in their treatment of what the historical Church considered to be divinely-inspired Scriptures, the theologians of the Institute evaded even the most basic appreciation of how to treat the scriptural texts in order to deal with the problem they considered most critical: the Jewish problem. In the minds of these men, their ideological impulse related to the degenerate Jew was primary, removing them from the honor and reverence generally afforded to the Scriptures and to human life in Christian tradition.

This study aims to reveal and connect the longstanding hatred of Jews within Christian theological thought and the dejudaization efforts of Church leadership from the 2nd century on to the efforts of these Nazi-era theologians who chose to rewrite the New Testament text according to this longstanding hatred and polemic. The early efforts to separate and divide Jesus from his Jewish context and Gentile followers from the Jewish Jesus in effect brought about a divorce of sorts, which would affect the mindset of Christian theologians throughout Christendom up until, and including the theologians who led or served as part of the Institute.

The thesis compares and contrasts Die Botschaft Gottes with reputable translations of the New Testament text and to the original Greek text, noting how it relates to orthodox Christian theology and how it is different. It also assesses and compares the words and ideas found in the writings and sermons of the early Church fathers, as well as later Christian theologians such as Luther, who formed Christian thought and theology about the Jewish people, with writings of Institute leaders to find commonality of thought as well as distinctiveness. This analysis attempts to illuminate the way the New Testament text itself was read, used, and interpreted by a group of German Christian theologians in agreement with racial Nazi ideology. The culmination of Christian dejudaization efforts was reached in the Nazi era, with the efforts of the Institute (among others) supporting the Nazi regime’s genocidal mandate against European Jewry.

Supervisors:
Prof. Hagit Lavsky
Dr. David Silberklang

This thesis examines the Italian occupiers’ actions towards Jews in Albania during the tumultuous years of 1939-1943, under Fascist rule. It delves into the implementation of Racial Laws in Albania by Fascist Italy, exploring their impact on the local Jewish community and refugees seeking sanctuary. The study analyzes the Italian authorities’ treatment of different Jewish groups, categorizing their experiences based on origin and arrival time.

Distinctive treatment emerges between long-standing residents and newcomers, with varying degrees of surveillance, curtailed rights, internment, and deportation. The Italian occupation of Kosovo and annexed territories post-1941 introduced further complexities, intensifying persecution, and collaboration dynamics.

Crucially, this research dissects the nuances of collaboration between local administrations, populations, and the Italian authorities, exploring motivations shaped by nationalism, anti-communism, and propagandized myths. It challenges prevailing narratives by shedding light on the Italian occupiers’ role in Jewish persecution and the local collaborators, enriching the understanding of Holocaust history in Albania.

The central research question scrutinizes the Italian authorities’ attitude towards Jews in occupied Albania, investigating disparities in treatment among various Jewish groups and role played by local government and population. Methodologically, this study relies on Albanian archival sources, trying to reconstruct historical events and critically analyzing primary documents.

By contributing a nuanced understanding of the Italian occupation’s impact on the Jewish community and challenging historical narratives, this thesis offers a comprehensive exploration of a lesser-explored facet of Holocaust history in Albania and tries to challenge the mainstream historical narrative in the country.

Supervisor:
Prof. Stefan Ihrig