Looking for an Enemy: 8 Essays on Antisemitism

by Jo Glanville (Editor)

Overview

Great Jewish thinkers offer salient historical commentary on the roots of antisemitism and its contemporary resurgence.

From medieval accusations that Jews murder Christians for their blood to the far-right conspiracy theories animating present-day political discourse, it’s clear that the belief that Jews are plotting against society never dies—it just adapts to suit the times. In eight illuminating essays from brilliant Jewish writers and thinkers, Looking for an Enemy offers an urgent, profound take on the experience of antisemitism and its historical context.

In order to present a nuanced, global understanding of antisemitism, editor Jo Glanville solicited essays from writers across a wide spectrum of ages, political ideologies, and nationalities. American rabbi Jill Jacobs and respected Israeli historian Tom Segev explore the thorny question of antisemitism in politics. British journalist Daniel Trilling investigates how antisemitism drives far-right extremism, while author Philip Spencer rethinks the forms that antisemitism takes on the left. Polish writer Mikolaj Grynberg reflects on a childhood shadowed by the trauma of the Holocaust; journalist Natasha Lehrer and novelist Olga Grjasnowa explore the culture of antisemitism, and the forces behind it, in France and Germany. In her own contribution, Glanville searches for the historical roots of this dangerous hatred.

In moving memoir, rich history, and incisive political commentary, these essays navigate the complex differences in each country’s relationship to its Jewish citizens and reveal the contemporary face of antisemitism. Eye-opening and evocative, Looking for an Enemy explores how an irrational belief can still flourish in a supposedly rational age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324020653
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,027,404
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jo Glanville is a journalist and award-winning editor. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, London Review of Books, New York Times, Jewish Quarterly, and Financial Times, among other publications. She lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Family Stories Mikolaj Grynbepg 1

France's Model Minority Natasha Lehrer 18

Looking for an Enemy Daniel Trilling 36

The Ashes Are Still Warm Olga Grjasnowa 50

Bloody Jews Jo Glanville 65

Jews Behaving Badly Philip Spencer 81

A Licence to Hate Jill Jacobs 94

Living with the Holocaust Tom Segev 109

Afterword 123

Biographies 131

Acknowledgements 137

Endnotes 139

Editorial Reviews

05/23/2022

Journalist Glanville brings together an impressive set of essays on antisemitism in Europe, Israel, and America. In the title piece, British journalist Daniel Trilling explores how “far-right politics is structurally incapable of cutting its links with antisemitism” and describes how conspiracy theories bind together far-right groups. In “Living with the Holocaust,” historian Tom Segev tracks the legacy of the Holocaust in Israel, homing in specifically on how “manipulative statements” about it are often used for political ends, as in instances of Israeli politicians “comparing each other to Hitler.” “A License to Hate” by Rabbi Jill Jacobs, meanwhile, traces the rise of anti-Jewish prejudice in America during Donald Trump’s presidency, and photographer Mikołaj Grynberg’s “Family Stories,” translated from the Polish by Sean Gasper Bye, is a look at the cultural and political landscape in Poland: “The Polish version of ‘Make America Great Again’ is ‘Poland Rising From its Knees.’ In reality, it was Polish antisemitism that rose from its knees.” The contributors bring a healthy diversity of experiences, and while Glanville acknowledges in her introduction that “the far right remains a bigger threat to Jews,” the pieces, taken as a whole, transcend partisan positions for a larger look at “antisemitism’s resurgence.” The result is eye-opening. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"This collection of essays is demanding in the best possible way. It is tough because the authors, who do not all agree in their approach, do not compromise on this most explosive of topics. It is painful because there are narratives here that won’t leave you after you’ve put the book down."

Sir Trevor Phillips

"Like all the best meetings of Jewish minds, this book will make you think, argue and see the world anew."

Hadley Freeman

06/01/2022

As one essayist aptly notes, when it comes to antisemitism, Judaism is both a religion and a racial category of hate that, even if every Jew converted to Christianity, would still remain as a problem. Thus, one would be hard-pressed to find such a succinct and yet fulsome discussion on the state of antisemitism today as is found in this collection authored by historians, journalists and activists involved in documenting and counteracting deeply ingrained historical and political hatred of Jewish people. Even the vocabulary of these essays is something of a primer on trending ideas such as philosemitism and Holocaust manipulation. Furthermore, these writers are not reluctant to disparage the tin-eared rhetoric of President Trump, nor to challenge Israel itself for acting in ways towards Palestinians that eerily mimic Nazi Germany's official intolerance. But what these essays ultimately demonstrate is unwavering evidence that the white-hot maelstrom of antisemitic hatred remains alive and well. VERDICT A bold yet troubling treasure.—Sandra Collins

Library Journal

2022-06-15
Dispatches from the harrowing resurgence of global antisemitism.

One theme that emerges in this well-curated collection of essays is that while antisemitism has become more visible in recent years, it has never ebbed. As Glanville writes, “the perception of Jews as a globally united group, operating clandestinely across borders, has survived as a formula to be applied in any era.” Photographer and writer Mikołaj Grynberg describes how Poland’s Jewish population has eroded due to pogroms, Communist-era edicts, and gag orders. It is illegal there to assert that Poland played a role in the Holocaust despite it being the site of the most infamous Nazi death camps. Writer and translator Natasha Lehrer discusses how France’s culture of “universalism” provides cover for antisemitic rhetoric. Novelist Olga Grjasnowa shows the pervasiveness of antisemitism in Germany, often fobbed off on Muslim immigrants but common among native Germans as well. All of this has a long history, as Glanville discusses in an essay on “blood libel” and persistent false accusations of Jews committing murder for religious rituals. As many of the contributors note, antisemites are newly emboldened by a global wave of populism spearheaded by Donald Trump, infecting not just QAnon conspiracy theorists, but legislators in the U.S., England, and other nations. That line of demonization has a long history, as well: Activist Jill Jacobs points out that in the 1940s people spread rumors of murderous Communist Jews massing at the Mexican border. Israeli journalist Tom Segev thoughtfully explores how this shift has changed politics within and around Israel, intensifying debates over distinctions between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. The subject merits a longer, more comprehensive study, but the variety of perspectives in this slim collection captures the emotional intensity of the subject and the urgent need to address it. The other contributors are Philip Spencer and Daniel Trilling.

Thoughtful considerations on the intersection of history, bigotry, folklore, and politics.

Kirkus Reviews

"[A] tough, brilliant little book [that] pins down antisemitism in its fluorescent modern form, but with its bizarre, repetitious history.… This collection, full of vivid intelligence and wit,… tells stories that we need to think about right now"

Observer - Jean Seaton

"In this collection of essays, serious writers grapple with a serious and increasingly urgent question: What drives those who hate Jews, and why is that hatred stirring once more? Whether through careful analysis or evocative and moving memoir; whether writing from Europe, Israel or the US; and whether you agree with all, some or none of them, they combine to offer a timely perspective on what, rather bleakly, seems to be a timeless problem. Looking for an Enemy sheds fresh and revealing light on an ancient menace."

Jonathan Freedland