Julie E. Cooper’s new role as Director of the Stephen Roth Institute

As the new director of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University, Prof. Julie E. Cooper brings a perspective that extends beyond historical analysis of antisemitism to its intersection with Jewish political thought. In a time when antisemitism is a source of increasing political controversy, her leadership arrives at a moment of both crisis and opportunity.

“I come to this work not as a historian of antisemitism per se, but as a scholar of Jewish politics and someone attuned to the way in which controversies about antisemitism have always been at the heart of Jewish political debate.”

This nuanced approach reflects the broader mission of the Stephen Roth Institute—to analyze antisemitism not in isolation, but as a phenomenon shaped by and shaping the political landscape of our time.

A Critical Inflection Point

Founded in 1991, the Stephen Roth Institute is one of the oldest centers dedicated to the study of antisemitism. It’s named after Stephen Roth: a human rights advocate, member of the underground resistance during WWII (helping Jewish refugees escape the Nazis), and the first director of the World Jewish Congress following the war. What distinguishes the institute, according to Cooper, is not only its longevity but its location. “Being based in Israel gives us a bit of a unique mandate,” she says.

“We are not an advocacy group or a community organization. We are a research institute, committed to fostering rigorous scholarship while also making those insights accessible to the broader public.”

While a global flashpoint for the conversation about antisemitism is currently occurring on Western campuses and in political battlegrounds, Cooper sees the Stephen Roth Institute’s location in Israel as offering a distinctive advantage. “Paradoxically, Israel is in the eye of the storm, yet in some ways, we are not party to the same debates consuming, for example, universities in the United States,” she notes.

“Our emergency is different—it’s not about how to talk about the war, but about the war itself. That gives us a different perspective and a certain ability to address more fundamental questions.”

In this spirit, the Institute’s research and public programming will focus on questions such as: what are the cultural, political, and economic causes of contemporary antisemitism? What does resurgent antisemitism reveal about the challenges confronting democracy today? Additionally, Cooper emphasizes that Israelis must remain vigilant about the cynical invocation of antisemitism for political aims, which can inadvertently undermine efforts to combat antisemitism today:

“There are cases where charges of antisemitism are exploited for political ends, and part of our role is to analyze and critique these dynamics.”

Scholarship in Action

Cooper’s own academic trajectory underscores this interdisciplinary approach. A scholar of Jewish political thought, she has written extensively on Jewish nationalism, particularly diasporic traditions that have envisioned Jewish self-determination outside the framework of a nation-state. For Cooper, this background context could potentially prove very fruitful as the Stephen Roth Institute’s programming explores antisemitism’s intersection with broader issues of nationalism, racism and the fragility of liberal democracy.

Cooper (far right, standing) speaks during a recent institute symposium on Jews in America and antisemitism. Next to her, from far left to the right, are Prof. Hana Wirth-Nesher (Tel Aviv University), Prof. Eli Lederhendler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and American journalist and writer Franklin Foer.

The institute’s revamped website is also a reflection of its evolving mission. “We believe that scholarly rigor and accessibility are not in conflict,” Cooper says. “On the contrary, cutting-edge scholarship has a real contribution to make to public understanding.” The website now serves as a hub for academic publications, podcasts and recorded lectures, offering resources to scholars and the general public alike.

Antisemitism and Racism in Dialogue

Another major theme of Cooper’s tenure is the relationship between antisemitism and other forms of racial and ethnic hatred. “One of the fundamental assumptions of our institute is that antisemitism is not sui generis—it is best studied in the context of other forms of prejudice and discrimination,” she explains.

Keynote Franklin Foer, staff writer at the Atlantic and former editor of The New Republic, addresses the audience at a January Stephen Roth Institute symposium, entitled “Is the Golden Age of American Jews Ending?”

The Stephen Roth Institute has long explored these connections, including under the supervision of former director Prof. Scott Ury, who directed a project on the intersections of antisemitism and Islamophobia. Cooper intends to continue this tradition.

The Role of Researchers in Addressing Antisemitism and Racism

For Cooper, this moment—while fraught with challenges—is also a rare opportunity for the study of antisemitism to take center stage in global scholarship. “Unfortunately, it’s a fertile moment for the study of antisemitism,” she reflects.

“International networks are being established right now, and we are part of these networks.”

“We want to expand them and ensure that the study of antisemitism is not isolated but integrated into broader academic conversations about topics such as democratic backsliding, the demise of the liberal order, and the rise of ethnonational populism,” says Cooper.

She also sees the role of these research institutes as increasingly essential in today’s climate. “The heated nature of contemporary debates about antisemitism reflects a lack of consensus about what antisemitism even is, what counts as antisemitism and whether it is a unique phenomenon or one of many forms of racism,” she explains. Academic investigation, like the type conducted at the Stephen Roth Institute, she argues, can contribute a crucial historical perspective, allowing us to see how antisemitism has evolved, mutated and interacted with broader political and social shifts.

“These are complicated issues and understanding them requires moving beyond the superficial ideological battles of public discourse to ask deeper questions about the political world we live in and why certain forms of hatred have become resurgent.”