Old Prejudices, New Realities: Italian Jewry and the Changing Faces of Antisemitism
The conference explores the historical depth and contemporary transformations of antisemitism through the specific lens of Italian Jewish experience. Moving between past and present, the discussion examines how long-standing prejudices were able to translate into persecution, and why antisemitism has proven so resilient across different political, social, and cultural contexts. By tracing antisemitic narratives from modern Italy to the present day, the event invites the audience to reflect on the mechanisms that made exclusion and violence possible, as well as on the ways antisemitism continues to operate today, often in subtle, rebranded, and seemingly legitimate forms. Far from being a relic of the past, antisemitism adapts to new realities, embedding itself in contemporary discourse, public debate, and political language.
The evening aims to foster critical reflection on memory, responsibility, and awareness, encouraging a deeper understanding of how historical prejudices persist and why recognizing their modern manifestations remains an urgent cultural and civic task.
Biographies:
Cristina M. Bettin, PhD, is Professor of Italian Studies and Modern and Contemporary History at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a distinguished social historian specializing in modern Italian Jewry. Her research examines the construction of Jewish and Italian identities, collective memory, antisemitism, and the multifaceted historical relationship linking Italy, British Palestine, and Israel before, during, and after the Second World War. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and several influential books, including Anchors of Alliance: How the Italian Regia Marina Shaped the Israeli Navy and Contributed to the Establishment of the State of Israel (2026); Fighting, Rescuing, and Building: The Jewish Palestinian Soldiers in Eretz Israel and Italy (2025); and Italian Jewish Identity and Zionism: From the Emancipation to Postwar Italy (1848–1948) (2022).
Beyond her academic scholarship, Professor Bettin is deeply committed to public history and cultural preservation. In 2018, she co-founded the Museum of the Jewish Brigade in Milan, where she serves on the academic board and contributes her expertise to educational programs and exhibitions. She is also the Co-Founder and President of the Association of Italian Scholars and Scientists in Israel (AISSI), playing a leading role in fostering academic collaboration and strengthening intellectual ties between the Italian and Israeli research communities.
Her broader academic interests encompass the representation of “the Other” in Italian society, processes of inclusion and exclusion, and the evolving place of foreign language education in contemporary culture. She is further engaged in promoting the role of the humanities in advancing a more sustainable, equitable, and socially responsible world.
Ambassador (ret.) Deborah E. Lipstadt is a University Distinguished Professor at Emory University and a leading historian of antisemitism and the Holocaust. From 2022–2025, she served as the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, with the rank of Ambassador, advancing U.S. efforts to counter antisemitism worldwide.
An award-winning author, her books include Denying the Holocaust, Denial, The Eichmann Trial, and Antisemitism: Here and Now, which earned her a National Jewish Book Award. She is widely known for successfully defending herself against a libel suit brought by Holocaust denier David Irving, a case portrayed in the 2016 film Denial.
Ambassador Lipstadt was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2023) and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024). She is currently writing a memoir of her time as Special Envoy.
Stanislao Pugliese is Professor of European History and the Queensboro Unico Distinguished Professor of Italian and Italian American Studies at Hofstra University.
He is the author, editor, or translator of fifteen books, including, Carlo Rosselli: Socialist Heretic and Antifascist Exile, The Most Ancient of Minorities: The Jews of Italy; two edited books on Primo Levi, and a new English edition of Carlo Levi’s Fear of Freedom. His latest book, Naples: Scenes from the Siren City, is forthcoming in 2026.
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