The terms "self-hating Jew", "self-loathing Jew", and "auto-antisemite" (Hebrew: אוטואנטישמי, romanized: oto'antishémi, feminine: אוטואנטישמית, romanized: oto'antishémit) are pejorative terms used to describe Jewish people whose viewpoints, especially favoring Jewish assimilation, Jewish secularism, limousine liberalism, or anti-Judaism are perceived as reflecting self-hatred.[1][2]
Recognition of the concept gained widespread currency after German-Jewish philosopher Theodor Lessing published his 1930 book Der jüdische Selbsthaß (lit. 'Jewish Self-Hatred'), which sought to explain a perceived inclination among secular Jewish intellectuals towards inciting antisemitism by denouncing Judaism. More recently, this spotlight on antisemitism motivated by self-hatred within the Jewish diaspora is said to have become "something of a key term of opprobrium in and beyond Cold War–era debates about Zionism" in light of how some Jews may despise their entire identity due to their perception of the Arab–Israeli conflict.[2]