While yes, the specific term "anti-Semitism" was popularized by the German journalist Wilhelm Marr as an alternative to the (at the time) more common phrase *Judenhaß* (e.g.
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While yes, the specific term "anti-Semitism" was popularized by the German journalist Wilhelm Marr as an alternative to the (at the time) more common phrase Judenhaß (e.g. Jew-hatred).
Basically, he wanted a more scientific-sounding term that made it sound less like plain hatred of other people but made it seem like the supposed deficiencies of Jewish people was a byproduct of their race rather than belonging to Jewish individuals.
His use of semitism/semitic as only referring to Jewish people rather than the broader group of peoples the terms had, originally, been coined for was also in line with other Germans of both his era and the previous century (and certainly into the next century as the Nazis used these reasonings to back their more developed "race" science and world-view).
That targeting has often been retained by the word even as it's outgrown its original prejudiced purpose.
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While yes, the specific term "anti-Semitism" was popularized by the German journalist Wilhelm Marr as an alternative to the (at the time) more common phrase Judenhaß (e.g. Jew-hatred).
Basically, he wanted a more scientific-sounding term that made it sound less like plain hatred of other people but made it seem like the supposed deficiencies of Jewish people was a byproduct of their race rather than belonging to Jewish individuals.
His use of semitism/semitic as only referring to Jewish people rather than the broader group of peoples the terms had, originally, been coined for was also in line with other Germans of both his era and the previous century (and certainly into the next century as the Nazis used these reasonings to back their more developed "race" science and world-view).
That targeting has often been retained by the word even as it's outgrown its original prejudiced purpose.
If true, this is ironic in that the Israeli government is the most similar to the Nazi government in our collective world history as far as genocide atrocities committed.
