Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate

by Alvin H. Rosenfeld (Editor)

Overview

Today's highly fraught historical moment brings a resurgence of antisemitism. Antisemitic incidents of all kinds are on the rise across the world, including hate speech, the spread of neo-Nazi graffiti and other forms of verbal and written threats, the defacement of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, and acts of murderous terror.

Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate is an edited collection of 18 essays that address antisemitism in its new and resurgent forms. Against a backdrop of concerning political developments such as rising nationalism and illiberalism on the right, new forms of intolerance and anti-liberal movements on the left, and militant deeds and demands by Islamic extremists, the contributors to this timely and necessary volume seek to better understand and effectively contend with today's antisemitism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253058133
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Series:	Studies in Antisemitism
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	423
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alvin H. Rosenfeld holds the Irving M. Glazer Chair in Jewish Studies at Indiana University and serves as the founding director of the university's Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. He is the author of numerous books including A Double Dying: Reflections on Holocaust Literature, Imagining Hitler, and The End of the Holocaust.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Dina Porat
Introduction, by Alvin H. Rosenfeld
Part 1: The IHRA Definition of Antisemitism and Its Ramifications
1. The IHRA Definition and Its Critics, by Bernard Harrison and Lesley Klaff
2. Applying the IHRA Working Definition to the UN and Human Rights NGOs, by Gerald M. Steinberg
Part 2: Intellectual and Ideological Currents of Antisemitism
3. Israel as a White Colonial Settler State in Activist Social Science, by Balázs Berkovitz
4. Traditionalism or the Perennial Philosophy, by Mark Weitzman
5. Antisemitism on the Left, by Miriam F. Elman
Part 3: Antisemitism on College and University Campuses
6. Contending with Antisemitism in its Many Forms on American Campuses, by Kenneth Waltzer
7. In the Context of a Coarsened Climate, by Linda Maizels
8. Rethinking Campus Antisemitism in America and How to Address It, by Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Part 4: The Global Reach of Antisemitism
9. Orchestrating Public Blindness in Contemporary France, by Daniel Dayan
10. Legislating and Distorting the History of the Holocaust, by Jan Grabowski
11. The Changing Faces of European Antisemitism, by János Gadó
12. Contradiction as Program, by Marc Grimm
13. A "Serious Attack on Jewish Life", by Dana Ionescu
14. What Role Does Antisemitism Play in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party?, by Dave Rich
15. Antisemitism and the Left in the UK and the Global Significance of the Return of the "Jewish Question", by Philip Spencer
16. Rethinking the Role of Religion in the Arab-Israeli Conflict and its Reflection on Arab Antisemitic Discourse, by Esther Webman
17. Can the European Institutions Combat Antisemitism Effectively?, by Mike Whine
Index

What People are Saying About This

David Patterson

Alvin Rosenfeld has done a masterful job of gathering together a group of internationally known scholars to examine one of the world's most pressing global problems, a threat that has implications not only for the Jews but also for all of humanity: antisemitism.  As timely as it is penetrating, this collection of insightful essays presents a deft and needful exploration of the horror of antisemitism that haunts today's social and political landscape.  There is no way of responding to antisemitism without understating it. Rosenfeld's book provides just such an understanding.  It is a must-read for anyone with a conscience. 

Doron Ben-Atar

As Jew hatred moves from the margins of society into the mainstream of cultural discourse Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate offers first-rate disciplined academic examinations of the varieties Antisemitisms of the right and left in their cultural, social and political manifestations. The essays in this sobering volume are a must read for all who remember that the oldest hatred begins with Jews but quickly spreads to societies at large. 

Robert J. Williams

Alvin Rosenfeld has compiled an essential resource for those seeking to understand better the threats posed by resurgent antisemitism and its relationship to present-day political dynamics, particularly in Europe. Reading this volume's chapters will allow scholars, policymakers, and non-specialists to identify the many trends and manifestations of antisemitism that plague the world and undermine the shared values of the international community.

Catherine Chatterley

This important new collection of articles on contemporary antisemitism clearly illustrates the global reach and diverse manifestations of the phenomenon today. Readers will appreciate this deeper analysis of the antisemitic developments they see briefly in the press.

R. Amy Elman

Alvin Rosenfeld's aptly titled anthology, Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate, provides a wide range of historical insights, fresh analytical frameworks and potential strategies to reverse antisemitism's potent resurgence and normalization.  Readers are challenged to do more than simply define and/or identify antisemitism; we are encouraged to better understand how the growing reluctance to recognize it vindicates the perpetrators.

Matthias Küntzel

This volume provides by far the best overview of the latest research into the various manifestations of antisemitism worldwide that is currently available. Despite its ugly subject matter, reading this book, edited by Professor Alvin H. Rosenfeld, is an intellectual pleasure. Every one of the excellently edited essays issues a scientifically rigorous call for a more effective struggle against the hatred of Jews, whether in right-wing, left-wing or Islamic milieus. This is a must-read for anyone with a professional interest in the topic but can also be highly recommended for general readers.

Bruno Chaouat

Written by the best scholars in the field, this collection bears witness to the urgent need to reflect upon antisemitism in specific rather than general terms. From campus ideology and so-called new 'antiracist' theories to Eastern Europe, the Arab world, and U.N. public policy, no other book contributes as powerfully as this one to our understanding of the rise of contemporary antisemitism.

Matthias Küntzel

This volume provides by far the best overview of the latest research into the various manifestations of antisemitism worldwide that is currently available. Despite its ugly subject matter, reading this book, edited by Professor Alvin H. Rosenfeld, is an intellectual pleasure. Every one of the excellently edited essays issues a scientifically rigorous call for a more effective struggle against the hatred of Jews, whether in right-wing, left-wing or Islamic milieus. This is a must-read for anyone with a professional interest in the topic but can also be highly recommended for general readers.

Editorial Reviews

"This important new collection of articles on contemporary antisemitism clearly illustrates the global reach and diverse manifestations of the phenomenon today. Readers will appreciate this deeper analysis of the antisemitic developments they see briefly in the press."—Catherine Chatterley, Editor-in-Chief, Antisemitism Studies

"Alvin Rosenfeld has done a masterful job of gathering together a group of internationally known scholars to examine one of the world's most pressing global problems, a threat that has implications not only for the Jews but also for all of humanity: antisemitism.  As timely as it is penetrating, this collection of insightful essays presents a deft and needful exploration of the horror of antisemitism that haunts today's social and political landscape.  There is no way of responding to antisemitism without understating it. Rosenfeld's book provides just such an understanding.  It is a must-read for anyone with a conscience."—David Patterson, Hillel A. Feinberg Distinguished Chair in Holocaust Studies, University of Texas at Dallas

"As Jew hatred moves from the margins of society into the mainstream of cultural discourse Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate offers first-rate disciplined academic examinations of the varieties Antisemitisms of the right and left in their cultural, social and political manifestations. The essays in this sobering volume are a must read for all who remember that the oldest hatred begins with Jews but quickly spreads to societies at large."—Doron Ben-Atar, Fordham University

"Written by the best scholars in the field, this collection bears witness to the urgent need to reflect upon antisemitism in specific rather than general terms. From campus ideology and so-called new 'antiracist' theories to Eastern Europe, the Arab world, and U.N. public policy, no other book contributes as powerfully as this one to our understanding of the rise of contemporary antisemitism."—Bruno Chaouat, University of Minnesota

"Alvin Rosenfeld has compiled an essential resource for those seeking to understand better the threats posed by resurgent antisemitism and its relationship to present-day political dynamics, particularly in Europe. Reading this volume's chapters will allow scholars, policymakers, and non-specialists to identify the many trends and manifestations of antisemitism that plague the world and undermine the shared values of the international community."—Robert J. Williams, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Former Chair, Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

"This volume provides by far the best overview of the latest research into the various manifestations of antisemitism worldwide that is currently available. Despite its ugly subject matter, reading this book, edited by Professor Alvin H. Rosenfeld, is an intellectual pleasure. Every one of the excellently edited essays issues a scientifically rigorous call for a more effective struggle against the hatred of Jews, whether in right-wing, left-wing or Islamic milieus. This is a must-read for anyone with a professional interest in the topic but can also be highly recommended for general readers."—Matthias Küntzel, author of Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11

"Alvin Rosenfeld's aptly titled anthology, Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate, provides a wide range of historical insights, fresh analytical frameworks and potential strategies to reverse antisemitism's potent resurgence and normalization.  Readers are challenged to do more than simply define and/or identify antisemitism; we are encouraged to better understand how the growing reluctance to recognize it vindicates the perpetrators."—R. Amy Elman, author of The European Union, Antisemitism and the Politics of Denial

From the Publisher