Media and the Spread of Antisemitism

Introduction 
Antisemitism has never only spread on its own. It has traveled through media through the dominant communication technologies of each era, carrying conspiracy theories and prejudice farther, faster, and with greater emotional force than word of mouth alone could manage. This video traces that history: from medieval sermons and illustrations to the printing press, from Nazi propaganda to today's algorithms and viral content. It examines how the Nazi regime built one of the most sophisticated propaganda systems in modern history — and how, after the Holocaust, antisemitism adapted rather than disappeared, finding new platforms and new audiences in each successive media environment. Understanding how hate spreads is not only a historical question. In a digital landscape where anyone with a smartphone can reach a global audience, the patterns this video identifies are as relevant today as they were in 1933. The platforms change. The patterns often don't. 

How to Use This Guide 
This guide will support students and educators in understanding how antisemitism has spread through media across different historical periods, from medieval Europe to Nazi Germany to the modern internet, and what that history reveals about how prejudice, propaganda, and technology interact today. This video pairs naturally with units on Holocaust history, media literacy, or current events. It works especially well when students have some prior knowledge of both the Holocaust and how algorithms and social media function.