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Antisemitic
Propaganda Research & Literacy Lab

Antisemitic Propaganda Research & Literacy LabAntisemitic Propaganda Research & Literacy LabAntisemitic Propaganda Research & Literacy Lab

Symposium on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion: 120 years of Propaganda, Conspiracy, and Hate

It is a through-line in almost every white supremacist ideology and conspiracy narrative the world over. It has been called slander and a lie. It has been the subject of government commissions and investigative journalism. It is the century old myth of a secret Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, and it is now more pernicious, insidious, and far reaching than ever.

The Symposium at Georgetown University

Hosted by the Center for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University on April 24th and 25th 2023, the symposium will mark the 120th anniversary of the first printing of The Protocols. For the first time in history, students, policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and concerned citizens will come together in a two-day conference to discuss not just The Protocols, but also the specific role of antisemitic propaganda and conspiracy narratives within the ideologies and actions of violent extremist movements around the world. It will also be the first cross-disciplinary, cross-generational meeting of scholars of The Protocols in more than a decade. 

A Short History of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is arguably the modern era’s most propagated and enduring conspiracy narrative. From Russia and Germany to North America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, The Protocols has transcended continents and cultures, time periods, and contexts. 


In Germany in the 1920s, Adolf Hitler incorporated The Protocols into his infamous antisemitic text, Mein Kampf, and later, in the 1930s, his National Socialist Party used The Protocols as propaganda to mobilize supporters, indoctrinate school children, and justify the Holocaust. In America, the powerful industrialist and carmaker Henry Ford spread the poison of The Protocols in a series of newspaper articles titled “The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem,” which he later published as a four-volume book. 


In Japan in the 1980s, public intellectuals lauded and studied The Protocols as a blueprint for world domination, while in the 1990s in Egypt, the authoritarian government of Hosni Mubarak ran a 41-part documentary on the Jewish conspiracy on national television. 


A decade later in Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei employed the themes of The Protocols in radio and television broadcasts. 


The text has been translated into German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Farsi — at least 20 languages all told. It is not surprising then that scholar Norman Cohn called the The Protocols "probably the most widely distributed book in the world after the Bible.” 

NEW: Symposium 2023 Photo Summary

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Symposium Program

April 24: The Perennial Conspiracy

Welcome from organizers 8:40 - 9:00

  • Joel Hellman, Dean of the School of Foreign Service,  
  • Bruce Hoffman, Director of the Center for Jewish Civilization
  • Emily Blout, Symposium Director 

Opening keynote 9:00 - 10:30

  • Michael Hagemeister, University of Bochum
  • Steven Zipperstein, Stanford University, as the respondent

Panel 1: Why the Jews? 10:45 - 11:45

This panel will look at how the Protocols fits into the larger study of antisemitism and hate. What defines antisemitism? How do we differentiate between antisemitism vs. anti-Zionism?  What are the similarities and differences between antisemitism and other forms of prejudice?


Moderator: Bruce Hoffman


  • Aaron Keyak, Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
  • Ira Forman, Georgetown University 
  • Pamela Nadell, American University
  • Izabella Tabarovsky, Woodrow Wilson Center

Lunch Keynote

Lunch begins at 12:15

Remarks begin at 12:30


Mike Rothschild, author of  “Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy” 

Panel 2: The global career of the Protocols 1:30 - 2:45

This panel will trace the origins and historic propagation of the Protocols globally and the cross-pollination of ideas and narratives. It will also look at its adaptations and popularity in countries with small or no Jewish population.


Moderator: Emily Blout


  • Henryk Baran, State University of New York, Albany 
  • Jacob Kovalio, Carleton University
  • Yigal Carman, MEMRI 
  • Kirsten Fermaglich, Michigan State University  

Panel 3: The confounding staying power of the Jewish world conspiracy 3:30 - 4:30

Moderator:  Anna Sommer  


This panel will problematize the enduring frame of the conspiratorial Jew.


  • Alvin Rosenfeld, Indiana University
  • Steve Jacobs, University of Alabama
  • Mark Weitzman, World Jewish Restitution Organization

Concluding remarks 5:00

Emily Blout

Reception (drinks and appetizers will be served) 5:30 - 7:00



April 25: Protocols in Practice: Contemporary Echoes

Welcome from organizers 8:40

  • Emily Blout

Panel 1: Propaganda and conspiracism on the web 8:45 - 9:45

This panel will talk about the acceleration of conspiracy antisemitism on the internet, social media, gaming, and the dark web.


Moderator: Patrick Burkart, Texas A&M University


  • Joel Finkelstein, Rutgers University
  • Katja Valaskivi, University of Helsinki
  • Amarnath Amarasingam, Queens University

Panel 2: On the frontlines of the fight against antisemitism 10:30 – 11:30

This roundtable will look at the Jewish community’s response to rampant antisemitism in America. 


Moderator: Marie Harf, Georgetown University 


  • Oren Segal, VP, Center on Extremism, ADL  
  • Holly Huffnagle, US Director for Combating Antisemitism, AJC
  • Gil Preuss, President, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, DC

Lunch Roundtable

Lunch begins at 12:00


Overcoming Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism: The Abraham Accords  12:15 – 1:15


Moderator:  Bruce Hoffman


  • Dennis Ross, Georgetown University
  • Ed Husain, Georgetown University 
  • Michael Doran, Hudson Institute

Panel 3: What is to be done: The danger to democracy and challenge for practitioners 2:00 – 3:00

This panel will consider the tactical and strategic use of anti-Jewish propaganda and conspiracy narratives by state and non-state actors and the implications for national security.  It will ask the question: how do democratic societies weather periods of intense violence against Jews and other minorities?  Or put another way, what does the astronomical increase in antisemitism mean for the fate of liberal democracy?


Moderator: Vlad Khaykin 


  • John T. Picarelli, Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council, White House
  • Seamus Hughes, Program on Extremism, George Washington University
  • David A. Weinberg, Protect Democracy

Panel 4: What is to be done, Part 2: The challenge and promise of technology 3:45 - 4:45

This panel will consider the double-edged sword of networked communication technology, where powerful platforms have enabled and inspired communication, collaboration, and creation unimaginable just a decade ago. Yet such technology has also inspired and enabled the creation and spread of antisemitic messages and conspiracy theories, too often with deadly ends. While the first panel in the series looked at the problem, this panel will look at how technologists, social scientists, and company leaders are working to solve it. 


Moderator: Dan Byman


  • Justin Erlich, TikTok
  • Elizabeth Neumann, Moonshot
  • Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL), American University

Concluding remarks 5:10 pm

Registration and other important info

Registration Transportation and Parking

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