Never Again? : The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism

Rating:
Summary: Admirable by and large
Review: This book points to one of the most alarming phenomenom on the world scence in recent years, the revival of the world's oldest hatred Anti- Semitism. The author Abraham Foxman is the head of an organization the Anti- Defamation League that does valuable work in contending with this phenomenom. Foxman in this book describes many of the organization's activities in this regard.
The new anti-Semitism is a combination of anti- Semitisms. It is the old right wing Fascist anti- Semitism now embodied in neo- Nazis and their ilk, and it is the Islamic world's anti- Semitism which is a wall to wall hatred of Jews and Israel, and it is also ( and here Foxman fails to be strong enough) the anti- Semitism of the radical extreme left which has turned against the Jewish world . The new anti- Semitism often tries to disguise itself as ' Anti- Zionism' only but as Alan Dershowitz pointed out this is a deception.
Foxman's work is admirable by and large. To my mind he places far too much emphasis on Christian anti- Semitism , and does not give credit to the vast number of Christian groups and individuals who are allies of Israel and the Jewish people. He too as I have said under-emphasizes the role of the Left. And this when it is precisely the radical Left which should be confronted more vigorously by the ADL ( and this even when members of this radical left are Jewish.) On the whole however this is a valuable book.

Rating:
Summary: Lest history repeat itself.
Review: This very important, well written, work by Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League addresses the emergence of a new, present day, hatred of the Jews (anti-Semitism) and discusses it's causes as well as it's implications for the future in relation to the State of Israel, the Jewish people and the International community as a whole.

Described here as the "oldest collective hate obsession in recorded history" the book comments upon many of the alleged causes quoting numerous examples in relation to each issue in order to illustrate how extensive the problem actually is.

Amongst the subjects investigated are Jewish-Catholic relations, what is described as the 'religious right', Jihad and also the Muslim world. Many readers will find a case to answer in all the issues addressed, but on a personal basis I find myself disagreeing with the comments supportive of ecumenism as well as some of those pertaining to the support of Israel by Evangelical Christians. Readers must make up their own minds on the presentation confronting them on all these issues. I personally feel that the book has not gone far enough on some issues and too far on others. Having said that, the seriousness of the issue here cannot be ignored and the importance of this study cannot be over-emphasised.

The book describes in some detail how the hatred of the Jews is openly endorsed by Arab governments throughout the Middle East, where it is cited as being disseminated by the media, taught in schools & universities and preached from the Mosques. Anti-Semitism is depicted as being well and truly "out of the Arab closet" with no differentiation between Jews and Israelis when radical imams call upon their Islamic followers to kill the Jews.

The reader is shown how this helps to fuel the flames of hatred towards the Jews amongst a billion Muslims across the globe. Muslim communities being described as constituting a rapidly growing force in dozens of countries, eager to influence anti-Jewish policies upon the nations in which they reside. Whilst discussing this issue the book is careful to distinguish between anti-Semitism and fair, contextual opposition of some Israeli leaders or policies.

Pursuing this virulent hatred of the Jews is further illustrated as serving the purpose of distracting attention from the alleged failures, corruption & incompetence of some Arab leaders such as Yasser Arafat, with the Arab populace being convinced that the source of it's troubles is solely the "tyranny of Israel & the Jews". The book further elaborating with the example that when Palestinian suicide bombers embark on their missions, they wrap themselves, not in the banner of the Palestinian Authority, but in the green & white flag of Islam. It being further described that any pre-recorded videos by the bombers talk of "religious martyrdom" and their wish to "kill the Jews".

The book is described as a "wake-up call" to a looming International emergency, declaring that people are not born bigots and must be taught to hate, whilst simultaneously listing a number of honest measures which need to be taken in order to confront an evil where men, women and children are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views. History must not repeat itself. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: Well, I read the book. And then I read the reviews here. And I see that there may be some misconceptions that need to be cleared up.

Jews and Christians have indeed been traditional enemies. Obviously, that isn't good for either of them, particularly for the much less numerous Jews. Matter of fact, Jews and Pagans have also been traditional enemies. Anyway, Foxman explains some of the history of Christian antisemitism and its effect on Jewish attitudes today.

But there is a point to what might otherwise look like mere whining. Jews are looking for reasonable behavior from others. And Foxman makes it clear what sorts of things one can do to be polite and reasonable. No matter what religious views one has, one does not need to be an antisemite, nor does one need to look like an antisemite. That's important to know if one wants to socialize with Jews or support human rights for Jewish Israelis.

Can we criticize Judaism without being thought of as antisemites? Absolutely. Can we criticize Israeli policies without being thought of as antisemites? Yes. Foxman's "sensitivity" is a blessing in that respect. Let's not forget that everyone is offendable, not just Jews. If we're not socially adept enough to avoid offending Jewish friends, maybe we need to read this book.

Of course, Foxman shows that there is more to it than this. Antisemitism, while it can start out as simple fun and games, has had serious consequences for over fifteen centuries. The latest metastasy of this phenomenon has passed itself off as "mere" antizionism. But if it involves calling Zionism a form of racism, or denying Israel (and only Israel) a right to nationhood, it is simply more of the same taunting, baiting, and dishonesty that has traditionally led to violence - first against Jews and later against others.

Finally, we ought to think twice before we dismiss all concerns about antisemitism. While it is true that there have been very few deaths caused by antisemitic attacks during the past few years compared to the number of Jewish deaths during World War 2, there have been quite a few recent attacks and the number of dead is not negligible. In addition, anti-Jewish propaganda in the Arab world is as intense as anything seen before. Foxman shows the extent to which some of it has become a part of our global culture. That's a valuable warning and lesson for all of us.