A new international academic association dedicated to the study of contemporary antisemitism was launched Tuesday night at the University of Haifa, bringing together more than 150 founding members from around the world.
The Contemporary Antisemitism Studies Association, known as CASA, was formally launched during the gala evening of the “Contemporary Antisemitism: Haifa 2026” conference, held at the University of Haifa from July 7-9.
Organizers said the association was created to provide a global professional home for scholars researching modern antisemitism across disciplines, methodologies, and academic perspectives. An advisory committee of leading researchers in the field has also been established.
CASA’s founders, Prof. David Hirsh, Dr. Ayal Feinberg, and Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky, said the new association would give institutional form to a research community that has grown significantly in recent years.
“CASA effectively institutionalizes an international research community that has steadily developed in recent years,” the founders said. “Our goal is to bring scholars together, strengthen rigorous academic research, encourage research collaboration, guide early-career scholars, and provide the institutional foundations needed for the continued development of the field.”
CASA to develop international research network
The association plans to develop an international research network that will include annual conferences, research groups, thematic seminars, an academic journal, a scholarly book series, a research center, and initiatives aimed at making academic findings accessible to policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders.
CASA was established in response to growing scholarly interest in contemporary antisemitism and what organizers described as the need to expand academic resources available to researchers in the field.
The group said it would promote evidence-based research and academic rigor while addressing modern manifestations of antisemitism across political, religious, and national contexts. It also said it would challenge antisemitic assumptions and discriminatory practices in academic, cultural, and public life.
CASA created in partnership with UK, US universities
The association was created through a partnership between the London Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, Gratz College in Pennsylvania, and the Elizabeth and Tony Comper Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Antisemitism and Racism at the University of Haifa.
Under the partnership, the London Center will serve as CASA’s administrative hub, Gratz College will publish the new academic journal, and the Comper Center will develop the international research center and coordinate fellowship programs.
The launch took place during what organizers described as the largest international conference held in Israel over the past year, drawing more than 300 participants from around the world.
CASA invited academics, researchers, and academic institutions engaged in the study of contemporary antisemitism to take part in building the new international research community.