The New Anti-Semitism
Just a note that I read Phyllis Chesler’s The New Anti-Semitism today. In the book she divides anti-semitism into two parts: the “Old” anti-Semitism which culminated in the systematic slaugher of 6 million people, and the “New” anti-Semitism which seeks to make Israel and Jews into modern day pariahs.
What struck me at the end of the book was this realization:
There is no real division between the two – and I believe that this was Chesler’s intention. The “New” anti-Semitism is just the “Old” anti-Semitism in a modern wrapper.
She cites relatively intelligent people stating the most heinous “facts” and “opinions” about Jews that my ancestors in the Pale heard 150 years ago. These people consider themselves modern, yet make no attempt to fight their prejudice against Jews.
It’s stunning – and scary. People like to think that they are so much more advanced than their predecessors – yet they carry the same fears, biases and hatreds that their predecessors held.
Consider this must reading for freedom loving peoples everywhere.
The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It
