Amalek as Other, Other as Amalek: Interpreting a Violent Biblical Narrative

This article, which takes the form of an analysis of Jewish portrayals of Amalek, suggests that the process of othering often consists of two stages. Throughout the ages, Amalek, the primary other in the Jewish tradition, has been depicted as the apogee of both physical and spiritual evil. Both these images are often projected onto other individuals and groups who are considered to be a threat to the continued existence of the Jewish people. These secondary others include external enemies (the gentile other), coreligionists (the Jewish other), and the evil inclination that exists within every Jew (the other self). In each case, however, the aim of the secondary othering is the same: to stigmatize existing foes by comparing them to the archenemy of the Jewish people.