Social anti-Semitism and its political implications

The podcast discusses chapter three of Hannah Arendt's book 'The Origins of Totalitarianism'. This chapter focuses on social anti-Semitism and its political implications. Arendt argues that while social discrimination against Jews is not politically dangerous on its own, it lays the foundation for the rise of political anti-Semitism. She explores the concept of the Jew in society, distinguishing between different types of Jewishness, such as the assimilated pariah and the parvenu. Arendt also examines Benjamin Disraeli as a psychological type of Jew who embraces his Jewish privilege. She highlights the emergence of vice as a way to tolerate discrimination against Jews, and how this perception ultimately contributes to the political danger faced by Jews in the 20th century.