Historians will be familiar with the observation in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, or “Kohelet” as it is known in Hebrew, about the repetitive cycles of past and present: “What has been will be again; what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

This passage is especially resonant when it comes to antisemitism. The underlying libels—killing for blood in ritual use, treachery and treason, colonial theft against an indigenous population—may differ from generation to generation, but the manner of their expression remains essentially the same.

It’s unlikely that a single pro-Hamas protester knows about the antisemitic “Hep Hep” riots in Germany 200 years ago, in which students played a prominent part. But those were triggered by the rejection of Jewish ci

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