ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 explores the discursive specificities of anti-Semitic discourse, the tropes used in creating Jews as enemies of a state, as defined by Christianity. The postwar doctrine of Heleno-Christianity was an anti-Jewish and anti-Communist construction. Anti-Semitism and the stigmatisation of Jews by the Christian population were key factors in the construction of their identity. The dynamic role of shame in the formation of identity is an important analytical framework to understand the participation of the subject in the making of her/his subjectivity in traumatic situations. The shame about bearing a stigmatised identity sharpened children’s self-awareness and was transformed into a force for positive distinction. Becoming distinguished as pupils enhanced children’s self-esteem, and the public recognition of their traits returned as a positive feeling of their Jewishness.
