The ‘normalization’ of the Jews: an inquiry into a problematic concept

‘Normalization of the Jews’ was an axiomatic notion in modern European thought held by both non-Jews and Jews, an operative expression of the so-called Jewish emancipation. Meant was that Jews should undergo socioeconomic and cultural changes to justify their integration into European society. Such a normalization, besides being based on negative stereotypes about Jews, ran against major socioeconomic trends of the modernising West. Jewish society soon developed various approaches regarding normalization, expressing different trends in modern Jewish life. The topic has not disappeared in our days, especially after the massacres of 7 October 2023. Most of the questions and tensions of old remain unchanged and relate now mainly to Israel, the Jewish state.