The Three Best Books on Antisemitism, recommended by Dave Rich
There are so many books about antisemitism that it seems foolhardy to try to summarise the full scope of literature on the subject, never mind choosing just three to recommend. Some books cover the vast expanse of antisemitism throughout history; others focus on a particular country, period, episode or trope. Holocaust-related literature alone provides an endless choice of ground-breaking research alongside fascinating and disturbing stories. Each new outbreak of antisemitism generates a new round of publications: for example, the past decade alone has seen several new books that try to explain the recent surge of antisemitism within radical, progressive politics. Even books that are not about antisemitism can still illuminate so brightly that they are become essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the subject (Vasily Grossman’s Life And Fate comes to mind).Emily Schrader: Facebook’s policy inconsistency puts Israelis at risk
Consequently, this is very much a personal choice of mine and the absence of so many wonderful books from this short list is in no way a slight on any of them. I have chosen one book about antisemitism; one book about how Jews think about, or relate to, antisemitism; and one book about how non-Jews think (or rather, don’t think) about antisemitism.
David Nirenberg – Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition
There are so many different manifestations of antisemitism throughout history, in different epochs, societies and systems of thought and belief, that it ought to resist neat explanation via a single unifying theory, yet this is what David Nirenberg achieves in his phenomenal piece of scholarship. Nirenberg’s compelling argument is that, since the earliest days of Christianity (and even beforehand), people have used Jews and Judaism as concepts and reference points through which to interpret and understand the world. This is not so much about real Jews or Judaism, but rather their deployment as labels through which ideas, products and behaviours are categorised as the antithesis of what is valued or good in that particular society and time. As Nirenberg puts it when discussing the conflation of Jews and capitalism by some leading nineteenth century socialists, there are ‘long habits of thought that understood human life and history in terms of the struggle to achieve the proper relation between law and love, thing and person, letter and spirit, and called the failure to achieve that ideal “Judaism.”’ Hence money or property can be ‘Jewish’, as could the French revolutionaries, or early Christian fathers, or anyone or anything else that is not actually Jewish, but can have the characteristics of ‘Judaism’ thrust upon them as a way of assigning and explaining their (usually negative) place in the world. This is what gives antisemitism its unique character that differentiates it from other racisms and bigotries. Nirenberg’s theory also provides a framework for understanding new expressions of this idea, such as the otherwise inexplicable phenomenon of non-Jewish Labour MPs who have no connection to Israel being called ‘Zionists’ by supporters of the previous Corbyn leadership. If I could only recommend one book on antisemitism rather than three, this would be my choice.
Ironically, El Kurd, presumably angry over her pro-terrorism content being removed, has begun pushing back against Facebook by promoting a social media campaign dramatically named “End Digital Execution” which claims Palestinians are being “censored” by Facebook. The irony, of course, is that this is the opposite of the truth. Despite multiple posts that clearly violate Facebook’s policies by its own admission, El Kurd is very active on the platform on a near daily basis. So who exactly is censoring her?Pro-Palestinian Jew-Hate in Europe
In contrast, consider content from Israeli social activist Yoseph Haddad, which called out The New York Times for using a photo of a Hamas terrorist and listing him as a child who was killed by the IDF. This post was removed without any explanation whatsoever.
In May, a pro-Israel Facebook page with 77 million followers was removed completely due to violating “spam” policies, after anti-Israel activists left hundreds of thousands of antisemitic comments. Yes – you read that correctly. Facebook removed a pro-Israel page due to the actions of antisemites targeting the page. Similarly, dozens of pro-Israel activists have found themselves with content randomly removed and accounts suspended over generically pro-Israel content.
IF PRO-ISRAEL or anti-Israel activists are posting content that violates Facebook’s policies, they should be dealt with accordingly, but the double standards in enforcement cannot continue, especially when activists like El Kurd are not simply repeating falsehoods about Israel at a time of rising antisemitism, but are also actively glorifying terrorists to her more than one million followers.
Make no mistake – these double standards put Israelis at risk.
It is utterly unacceptable that accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers are permitted to have pro-terror content for days, even after it’s been reported to Facebook. Facebook has a responsibility to act swiftly and consistently with issues of incitement to violence, and glorifying terrorists in the Middle East certainly qualifies as such.
Additionally, Facebook must be more transparent about what its policies are and how it is enforcing them, equally.
The status quo is insufficient. Facebook, do better.
Violent anti-Semitic eruptions in Europe following the outburst of hostilities between the Gaza-based Hamas terrorists and Israel have become common and repeated occurrences. The European governments have done little to prevent the largely Muslim and some local anti-Semites from initiating violence against European Jews. It is particularly true of the German government and its leader, Angela Merkel. Chancellor Merkel invited over a million migrants into Germany, mostly Muslims from the Middle East and Africa. Their inculcated hatred for Israel and Jews has resulted in the desecration of Jewish cemeteries, Holocaust memorials, and attacks on synagogues. To assuage Jewish concerns, Merkel and the German government pay lip-service to the unacceptability of anti-Semitism in Germany due to Germany’s role in perpetrating the Holocaust in which Six Million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany. In reality, few of the perpetrators are punished, and certainly not with long prison terms or deportation.
The New York Times reported (May 19, 2021) that rocks were thrown at doors of a Synagogue in Bonn. Israeli flags were burned outside a synagogue in Munster. Pro-Palestinian rallies took place in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Leipzig. “In Germany, where historical memory runs especially deep because of the Holocaust, pro-Palestinian rallies have been held in cities across the west of the country and in the capital, Berlin. Several have descended into violence, including anti-Semitic chants, calls for violence against Israel, desecration of memorials to Holocaust victims, and attacks on at least two synagogues.”
The German Interior Minister Horst Seehoffer threatened to crackdown on anti-Semitism at pro-Palestinian protests. He stated, “We will not tolerate the burning of Israeli flags on German soil and attacks on Jewish facilities.” He added, “Anyone who spreads anti-Semitic hatred will feel the full force of the law.” We have heard these immaterialized threats before, but then, political correctness appears to cause German officials to fold rather than deal forcibly with violent Muslims, many of them new migrants. European White Guilt, particularly toward Third World people, accompanied by the loss of national pride, and the will to defend its own traditional values, is allowing a violent minority to perpetuate anti-Semitic violence.
Disallowing anti-Semitic rallies, especially in Germany, isn’t only a matter of decency and morality, considering what preceded the latest Guardian of the Walls operation. The unprovoked Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) massive rocket attacks on Israel’s capital, and civilian population centers in the south and center of Israel, should be reason enough for Germany (and other European governments) to aggressively prevent these hate-filled riots. Moreover, the Israeli government was trying hard to reach an agreement with Hamas, whereby Israel would advance humanitarian gestures to Gaza in exchange for calm. The German nation, more than any other, should consider the fact that Hamas and the PIJ have committed themselves to the destruction of the Jewish state, just as Hitler committed Germany to the destruction of the European Jewry. And yet, Merkel’s Germany is doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has declared its intention to “wipe Israel off the map.” German fear to alienate Muslim anti-Semites has found recourse in blaming native German right-wingers for most of the hatred and anti-Semitism in Germany rather than the radical Muslims.