From Normalizing Antisemitism to Denying It

Generations of scholars have tried to understand where antisemitism originated and how it continues to metastasize. Over the years, scholars have differed on exact definitions. French historian Leon Poliakov highlighted this uniqueness in his definition of antisemitism as "an effective sui generis attitude of the gentiles towards the Jews. . ." The European and Middle Eastern historian Walter Laqueur observed that "The Nazi murder of the Jews was total -- not selective -- and it was carried out systematically, following industrial organization and techniques. It was not a series of pogroms and somewhat spontaneous massacres, nor was there an escape for the Jews.