A new tide of antisemitism has been rising over the past few years, both in the United States and throughout the world.

What explains the lingering phenomenon of antisemitism? What lessons can history teach us about how to respond to it—not just personally, but institutionally?

On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Aliza Luft, a professor of sociology at UCLA and author of the new book Sacred Betrayal: How the French Catholic Church Broke its Pledge to Protect Jews During the Holocaust.

Luft’s analysis, the result of a decade of research in French archives, shows that acts of public solidarity aren’t enough to aid the victims of state oppression. 

In other words, condemning atrocities against our neighbors doesn’t go far enough: we actually have to organize to prevent and end them.

For further reading: 

• Peter Steinfels on the Catholic resistance in France
• Joseph Flipper on Henri de Lubac and antisemitism
• John Connelly on the Church’s relationship with Judaism