Help for Understanding Anti-Semitism
The new year should start with hope and promise. This year does not seem to promise the dream of each of us sitting under his or her own figurative fig tree in peace.
To help understand the history behind the anti-Semitic events of the past few weeks, the following books look at the topic from both a historic perspective and more recent events.
Most are non-fiction, but sometimes it is easier to understand when fact is clothed in the disguise of fiction.
The books are available in our library-or will be shortly.
Books are arranged by publication date.
Reading leads to understanding. Please read!
Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews: the medieval conception of the Jew (1943)
Anti-semitism in American History (1986)
Lewis, Semites and anti-Semites: an inquiry into conflict and prejudice (1986)
Nicholls, Christian antisemitism : a history of hate (1993)
Cohn, The Christmas menorahs (1995)
Greene, The Temple Bombing (1996)
Newman, The Nuremberg Laws: institutionalized anti- semitism (1999)
Carroll, Constantine’s Sword: the Church and the Jews (2001)
Foxman, Never again? the threat of the new anti- Semitism (2004)
Goldstein, A Convenient Hatred: the history of antisemitism (2012)
Goldman, The American Jewish Story Through Cinema (2013)
Weisman, (((Semitism))): being Jewish in America in the age of Trump (2018)
Carlton, In the Neighborhood of True (2019)
Lipstadt, Anti-Semitism: here and now (2019)
Medoff, The Jews Should Keep Quiet (2019)
Weiss, How to Fight anti-Semitism (2019)
Aileen has once again done us all a vitally important service. Thank you, Aileen!
have read Carroll’s Constantine’s Sword and Weisman’s Semitism. I can recommend both unreservedly, Weisman’s book is excellent for a “down and dirty” snapshot of where we Americans are now and how we got here; Carroll’s book is magisterial and finally provided me, an embarrassed ex-Catholic, with a cogent explanation of the Church’s Jew-hatred. But it is very long and has so much detail it may be overwhelming to the average reader. I’m not familiar with the other books, but I trust Aileen’s judgment completely.
Happy New Year to all!
Aileen has once again done us all a vitally important service. Thank you, Aileen!
have read Carroll’s Constantine’s Sword and Weisman’s Semitism. I can recommend both unreservedly, Weisman’s book is excellent for a “down and dirty” snapshot of where we Americans are now and how we got here; Carroll’s book is magisterial and finally provided me, an embarrassed ex-Catholic, with a cogent explanation of the Church’s Jew-hatred. But it is very long and has so much detail it may be overwhelming to the average reader. I’m not familiar with the other books, but I trust Aileen’s judgment completely.
Happy New Year to all!