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A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism
A Convenient Hatred chronicles a very particular hatred through powerful stories that allow readers to see themselves in the tarnished mirror of history. It raises important questions about the consequences of our assumptions and beliefs and the ways we, as individuals and as members of a society, make distinctions between us and them, right and wrong, good and evil. These questions are both universal and particular.
432 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 21, 2017
This book was disturbing, of course, and eye-opening. To see the ways in which hatred persists and is used despite various tools of hatred having been debunked many times over is almost enough to pull one into despair. Yet, to see the examples of people coming together to help the world understand that it is as an individual, rather than by group stereotype, and each person must be judged (and that based on the "content of his character" rather than anything else), brings hope.
to hope, and to The Human Potential for Creating Kindness
ShiraDest,
21 March, 12017 HE
to hope, and to The Human Potential for Creating Kindness
ShiraDest,
21 March, 12017 HE
March 24, 2019
A Surprising Read
Definitely a good start and a clear introduction to an immensely broad topic. I learned more than a few nuggets of information regarding other historical events that made their way into this particular strand of history. I would advise reading this if you happen to be starting a journey into understanding Anti-semitism, hatred of Jews, or study of religion in general.
My only criticism is that I felt information surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was slightly short. I was anticipating it throughout the book, yet it was quite a brief discussion upon arrival. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the conflict requires in-depth, independent analysis across multiple essays / articles / books, so I would not advise this book as your sole source of information.
However, I would also argue that Phyllis Goldstein only talks about how Anti-Semitism has risen FROM the conflict. It is the title and subject of the book after all, and I don't believe it was his job to create in depth discussion about the conflict in general (there are other books for that). Therefore I reserve judgement until I feel more confident about the topic in question.
Before finishing this review, I would actually recommend Hannah Arednts Origins Of Totalitarianism as a topic regarding Anti Semintism in the modern world. It certainly makes a compelling subject when placed alongside this book and read together.
However, starting from biblical times, right up to the post-holocaust years, this book unloaded a frankly disturbing amount of information regarding how this particular hatred has indeed, been a 'convenient' one.
Definitely a good start and a clear introduction to an immensely broad topic. I learned more than a few nuggets of information regarding other historical events that made their way into this particular strand of history. I would advise reading this if you happen to be starting a journey into understanding Anti-semitism, hatred of Jews, or study of religion in general.
My only criticism is that I felt information surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was slightly short. I was anticipating it throughout the book, yet it was quite a brief discussion upon arrival. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the conflict requires in-depth, independent analysis across multiple essays / articles / books, so I would not advise this book as your sole source of information.
However, I would also argue that Phyllis Goldstein only talks about how Anti-Semitism has risen FROM the conflict. It is the title and subject of the book after all, and I don't believe it was his job to create in depth discussion about the conflict in general (there are other books for that). Therefore I reserve judgement until I feel more confident about the topic in question.
Before finishing this review, I would actually recommend Hannah Arednts Origins Of Totalitarianism as a topic regarding Anti Semintism in the modern world. It certainly makes a compelling subject when placed alongside this book and read together.
However, starting from biblical times, right up to the post-holocaust years, this book unloaded a frankly disturbing amount of information regarding how this particular hatred has indeed, been a 'convenient' one.
September 11, 2017
An Important Book on Antisemitism
This is a very thorough book on the history of antisemitism. It documents how long it has existed and the toll it has caused those who are Jewish. I was surprised how clear and concise it is and somewhat clear headed about its causes. It also highlights how Jews have struggled to exist and their desire to thrive has been. Today antisemitism raises its head when people need a scapegoat or struggle with the existence of Judaism. I think in the U.S. right now our government is full of white nationalists and rallies have been filled with people chanting antisemitic views. It's a time to clamp down on racial and ethnic hatred .
This is a very thorough book on the history of antisemitism. It documents how long it has existed and the toll it has caused those who are Jewish. I was surprised how clear and concise it is and somewhat clear headed about its causes. It also highlights how Jews have struggled to exist and their desire to thrive has been. Today antisemitism raises its head when people need a scapegoat or struggle with the existence of Judaism. I think in the U.S. right now our government is full of white nationalists and rallies have been filled with people chanting antisemitic views. It's a time to clamp down on racial and ethnic hatred .
December 10, 2011
A Convenient Hatred, with foreword by Sir Harold Evans, chronicles the evolution of anti-Semitism from the time of Alexander through the Holocaust and modern Israel.
This powerful treatise explores with exquisite detail the pernicious foundations of bigotry against Jews, from ancient times through the dark ages, the enlightenment and into contemporary examples. A Convenient Hatred could just as easily been called A Convenient History, as it illustrates the magnitude of anti-Jewish vitriol, loathing and detestation over the ages, leading to a unique and mendacious version of history that blames Jews for impossibly disparate and disconnected events and catastrophes.
Ms. Goldstein has produced a masterful exposition on the vulnerability of Jews throughout history, highlighting how malicious pagan and Christian leaders exploited the Jewish people. She also addresses the unending value of education within Jewish culture, a trait that has served them well for dozens of centuries. That Jews have been able to survive at all seems miraculous, considering the fact that until recently, Jews were largely forbidden from owning land and property and from most skilled occupations—including crafts and guilds—and were forced to take up the most distasteful occupation among Christians: money lending.
A Convenient Hatred
is a profoundly authoritative resource for educators. Its examples, stories, references, maps, pictures, and illustrations bring the history of the Jews to life in a powerful way not experienced since James Michener’s The Source, a work of fiction.
A Convenient Hatred communicates the magnitude of anti-Jewish prejudice throughout the centuries, offering well-researched examples of why so many people throughout time have found it convenient to hate Jews. A Convenient Hatred belongs globally in every high-school history classroom. With impeccable references and well-researched examples, Ms. Goldstein has created a tour de force.
The author carefully examines the origins of anti-Semitism in an age when Jews were forced from their ancestral homes and temples in ancient Israel to Europe and Asia. She methodically details the separation of Jews from Christians leading to centuries of Jewish slavery, incarceration, and extermination during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, The Reformation, and the English Expulsion.
The rise of the Islamic empire and holy wars are also carefully explored. Centuries of intolerance produced the Diaspora, in which Jews fled to safe haven in places far and wide, but were again faced with extermination when blamed for the Black Death (plague) across Europe. This marked a period in which Jews were charged with ritual murder and blood libel; as well, the Talmud was universally attacked by Christians and Muslims. Jews were also almost universally oppressed during the Dark Ages. They sought reprieve in places as disparate as Poland and the Ottoman Empire. But for hundreds of years, Jews remained ostracized, antagonized, and isolated.
The ages of enlightenment and nationalism are also painstakingly explored. Ms. Goldstein proffers “the power of publicity” as a tool used by anti-Semites to attack and condemn Jews in a prolific manner.
The same level of discriminating detail continues in an examination of anti-Semitism during Renaissance France and Russia, continuing into the age of nationalism and World War I. Ms. Goldstein carefully describes the consistent deleterious effect of anti-Jewish propaganda in incongruent Renaissance societies with France being democratic and Russia communist.
The age of written communication via printing presses almost immediately delivered anti-Semitic books, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, one of the most significant attacks upon Jews. She describes Hitler’s rise to power largely upon the backs of Jews, through propaganda and putsches by the proletariat against Germany’s Jewish population. The “turning point” came in 1941 with the Nazi establishment of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question.”
Finally, Ms. Goldstein adroitly illustrates anti-Semitism after the Holocaust, throughout the Cold War, and into contemporary society, which she calls, “a convenient hatred.” Here, nationalism and xenophobia collide in a perfect storm of bigotry and persecution. The result of this collision is a brainwashing of impoverished youth, the economically and socially oppressed, and the politically disadvantaged, resulting in a unified hatred of all things Jewish, especially Israel.
Ms. Goldstein calls to mind a speech by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, in which he states that we cannot judge contemporary Germans for the genocide perpetrated by their ancestors. At the same time, all Germans can be held accountable for preserving the memory of the Holocaust—for its link from past to future holds in the balance the potential for the survival of the human spirit as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
A Convenient Hatred is a powerful, historically astute, contemporary masterpiece and a superb illustration of prejudice. It is a groundbreaking educational tool and an indispensable textbook for students of history, anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Phyllis Goldstein’s lucid and cogent examination of the history of anti-Semitism is a seminal work, lucidly explaining the magnitude of illogical hatred and its centuries-old influence against the Jews.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob's Courage
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com
This powerful treatise explores with exquisite detail the pernicious foundations of bigotry against Jews, from ancient times through the dark ages, the enlightenment and into contemporary examples. A Convenient Hatred could just as easily been called A Convenient History, as it illustrates the magnitude of anti-Jewish vitriol, loathing and detestation over the ages, leading to a unique and mendacious version of history that blames Jews for impossibly disparate and disconnected events and catastrophes.
Ms. Goldstein has produced a masterful exposition on the vulnerability of Jews throughout history, highlighting how malicious pagan and Christian leaders exploited the Jewish people. She also addresses the unending value of education within Jewish culture, a trait that has served them well for dozens of centuries. That Jews have been able to survive at all seems miraculous, considering the fact that until recently, Jews were largely forbidden from owning land and property and from most skilled occupations—including crafts and guilds—and were forced to take up the most distasteful occupation among Christians: money lending.
A Convenient Hatred
is a profoundly authoritative resource for educators. Its examples, stories, references, maps, pictures, and illustrations bring the history of the Jews to life in a powerful way not experienced since James Michener’s The Source, a work of fiction.
A Convenient Hatred communicates the magnitude of anti-Jewish prejudice throughout the centuries, offering well-researched examples of why so many people throughout time have found it convenient to hate Jews. A Convenient Hatred belongs globally in every high-school history classroom. With impeccable references and well-researched examples, Ms. Goldstein has created a tour de force.
The author carefully examines the origins of anti-Semitism in an age when Jews were forced from their ancestral homes and temples in ancient Israel to Europe and Asia. She methodically details the separation of Jews from Christians leading to centuries of Jewish slavery, incarceration, and extermination during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, The Reformation, and the English Expulsion.
The rise of the Islamic empire and holy wars are also carefully explored. Centuries of intolerance produced the Diaspora, in which Jews fled to safe haven in places far and wide, but were again faced with extermination when blamed for the Black Death (plague) across Europe. This marked a period in which Jews were charged with ritual murder and blood libel; as well, the Talmud was universally attacked by Christians and Muslims. Jews were also almost universally oppressed during the Dark Ages. They sought reprieve in places as disparate as Poland and the Ottoman Empire. But for hundreds of years, Jews remained ostracized, antagonized, and isolated.
The ages of enlightenment and nationalism are also painstakingly explored. Ms. Goldstein proffers “the power of publicity” as a tool used by anti-Semites to attack and condemn Jews in a prolific manner.
The same level of discriminating detail continues in an examination of anti-Semitism during Renaissance France and Russia, continuing into the age of nationalism and World War I. Ms. Goldstein carefully describes the consistent deleterious effect of anti-Jewish propaganda in incongruent Renaissance societies with France being democratic and Russia communist.
The age of written communication via printing presses almost immediately delivered anti-Semitic books, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, one of the most significant attacks upon Jews. She describes Hitler’s rise to power largely upon the backs of Jews, through propaganda and putsches by the proletariat against Germany’s Jewish population. The “turning point” came in 1941 with the Nazi establishment of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question.”
Finally, Ms. Goldstein adroitly illustrates anti-Semitism after the Holocaust, throughout the Cold War, and into contemporary society, which she calls, “a convenient hatred.” Here, nationalism and xenophobia collide in a perfect storm of bigotry and persecution. The result of this collision is a brainwashing of impoverished youth, the economically and socially oppressed, and the politically disadvantaged, resulting in a unified hatred of all things Jewish, especially Israel.
Ms. Goldstein calls to mind a speech by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, in which he states that we cannot judge contemporary Germans for the genocide perpetrated by their ancestors. At the same time, all Germans can be held accountable for preserving the memory of the Holocaust—for its link from past to future holds in the balance the potential for the survival of the human spirit as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
A Convenient Hatred is a powerful, historically astute, contemporary masterpiece and a superb illustration of prejudice. It is a groundbreaking educational tool and an indispensable textbook for students of history, anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Phyllis Goldstein’s lucid and cogent examination of the history of anti-Semitism is a seminal work, lucidly explaining the magnitude of illogical hatred and its centuries-old influence against the Jews.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob's Courage
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com
May 17, 2019
A compilation of world history’s atrocities against the Jewish people, this book does an outstanding job at incorporating names, places and timelines to the events that occur. Judaism has been under attack for millennia, and no matter where the Jewish people reside, they have often found themselves at odds with both authorities and the populace. This book does a great job at exposing the superstitions and rumors that surrounded the Jewish communities throughout history and unmasking the hate that surrounded them for over 4000 years. Certainly a book I’ll remember forever.
May 2, 2020
I was having lunch in a restaurant with a friend when he suddenly blurted out a completely wayward remark about the Jews whom he described as a vile people and gave the example of how Jews supposedly treat their servants: they’d allegedly feed them like dogs, dropping food on the floor so they could eat them there.
I really had no idea where this came from. I am sure it was not from any first-hand experience. I knew he had lived all his life in the Philippines and here there isn’t any significant Jewish congregations unlike, say, the Chinese, Koreans or even Indians. He may have picked it up somewhere, although truly shocking was how he could have easily believed such an obviously tall tale and equate it with an entire race or creed.
Personally, I had always been perplexed about antisemitism. I find it to be an emotion, theory or idea which is completely devoid of logic or sense. I therefore lost no time devouring this book, hoping to find answers, an aha moment, but all its 400 plus pages still failed me.
One new thing I learned, however, is that what the Nazis did to the European Jews—deportation, economic/political persecution, ghettoing, forcing them to wear distinctive badges (the yellow star), pogroms/massacres/mass executions—were all NOTHING NEW. These things have been done to them FOR CENTURIES already, the old experiences no less horrific.
But is there, at least, a semblance of an acceptable explanation? Well, like many great evils in this world, the story of antisemitism began with religion. Many early Christians had this antagonism towards Jews, labelling them as Christ’s killers. The Jews, on the other hand, looked down upon Christians as deluded worshippers of a false messiah.
A great contributor to what evolved into a prevalent antisemitic sentiment among societies is the fact that Jews, wherever they go, always tend to preserve their identity, culture and practices. The consequence is that they’ve enveloped themselves with a distinctive aura of exclusivity, strangeness and esotericism. Which bred suspicion. In many instances across the past centuries Jews, as a group of people, have been accused of ritual murders, of poisoning wells, of causing epidemics and plotting to take over governments. And the rest of the populace found these accusations easy to believe, with so strong a belief that they won’t feel even a slight pang of guilt committing those atrocities to these sons and daughters of the Old Testament.
The economic and the political also played roles in the persecutions. The old societies’ antagonism against the Jews resulted to laws prohibiting them from owning land or engaging in agriculture so that faced without any prospect of earning a living from this traditional mode of earning one’s keep, the Jews were forced to resort to trade and business, principally that of money lending. They would become so adept with these that even royalties and entire governments would end up owing them large sums of money. Money lenders, then as now, were also pictured as soulless and avaricious, profiting from the misery of others. On a not too few occasions these had provided impetus for their deportations and even outright murders, ostensibly for some crimes, but in reality to erase debts by eliminating the creditors. Again this found an echo during the Nazi regime where the Nazis would confiscate/steal the properties of the Jews they’ve expelled or murdered.
All these, however, I found to be just history—not an explanation.
I really had no idea where this came from. I am sure it was not from any first-hand experience. I knew he had lived all his life in the Philippines and here there isn’t any significant Jewish congregations unlike, say, the Chinese, Koreans or even Indians. He may have picked it up somewhere, although truly shocking was how he could have easily believed such an obviously tall tale and equate it with an entire race or creed.
Personally, I had always been perplexed about antisemitism. I find it to be an emotion, theory or idea which is completely devoid of logic or sense. I therefore lost no time devouring this book, hoping to find answers, an aha moment, but all its 400 plus pages still failed me.
One new thing I learned, however, is that what the Nazis did to the European Jews—deportation, economic/political persecution, ghettoing, forcing them to wear distinctive badges (the yellow star), pogroms/massacres/mass executions—were all NOTHING NEW. These things have been done to them FOR CENTURIES already, the old experiences no less horrific.
But is there, at least, a semblance of an acceptable explanation? Well, like many great evils in this world, the story of antisemitism began with religion. Many early Christians had this antagonism towards Jews, labelling them as Christ’s killers. The Jews, on the other hand, looked down upon Christians as deluded worshippers of a false messiah.
A great contributor to what evolved into a prevalent antisemitic sentiment among societies is the fact that Jews, wherever they go, always tend to preserve their identity, culture and practices. The consequence is that they’ve enveloped themselves with a distinctive aura of exclusivity, strangeness and esotericism. Which bred suspicion. In many instances across the past centuries Jews, as a group of people, have been accused of ritual murders, of poisoning wells, of causing epidemics and plotting to take over governments. And the rest of the populace found these accusations easy to believe, with so strong a belief that they won’t feel even a slight pang of guilt committing those atrocities to these sons and daughters of the Old Testament.
The economic and the political also played roles in the persecutions. The old societies’ antagonism against the Jews resulted to laws prohibiting them from owning land or engaging in agriculture so that faced without any prospect of earning a living from this traditional mode of earning one’s keep, the Jews were forced to resort to trade and business, principally that of money lending. They would become so adept with these that even royalties and entire governments would end up owing them large sums of money. Money lenders, then as now, were also pictured as soulless and avaricious, profiting from the misery of others. On a not too few occasions these had provided impetus for their deportations and even outright murders, ostensibly for some crimes, but in reality to erase debts by eliminating the creditors. Again this found an echo during the Nazi regime where the Nazis would confiscate/steal the properties of the Jews they’ve expelled or murdered.
All these, however, I found to be just history—not an explanation.
October 29, 2018
Really just a 9th grade level ‘primer’. Disappointing
May 20, 2024
There is a lot of information packed into this book. I was looking for context as to why this specific kind of hate continues to be a problem after thousands of years. I felt this is especially relevant given what is happening lately across college campuses.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the history of this ancient hatred.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the history of this ancient hatred.
April 27, 2015
A good overview and introduction. I think this was clearly meant for someone who does not have an extremely deep understanding of history or even religion. I think that there were some implied conclusions rather than stated ones. If you have a strong understanding of history and religion, this won't be any new information. I did like how it was more of a surgery than a super detailed account of history, thus I never lost interested or felt bogged down by the undertaking. I'd like to have had more about the origins of Judaism in order to understand how/why it is a minority religion, thus establishing it as something to "fear." Why did it never take off the way other religions did? Is fear of the other really the only reason for anti-semitism? Again, these things were implied rather, but no firm conclusion, was really laid out.
November 14, 2022
This is a very insightful review of the history of antisemitism over the past 2,000 years. I very much appreciate the author’s ability to trace the flow of history through time with such detail and nuance. Although I am not Jewish, I have studied Jewish history and Judaism, yet I still learned a lot from this book.
January 7, 2012
Although the book is not particularly well written, and is fairly repetitive, it is certainly a comprehensive in its history of anti-semitism. If you are looking to better understand the history of the Jews, and how they have been oppressed over time, this book is well worth your time.
July 7, 2021
4.5 stars. Overall, a wonderful summary. It's slightly Eurocentric in ways it didn't have to be (I think). And also this line really bugged me...
"Ku Klux Klan, which terrorized Jews and Catholics (as well as African Americans regardless of their religious affiliation)."
As well as. Chile.
"Ku Klux Klan, which terrorized Jews and Catholics (as well as African Americans regardless of their religious affiliation)."
As well as. Chile.
Want to read
December 16, 2011I heard about this on Morning Joe on MSNBC.
September 2, 2024
An extremely important and horrifying study of the history of civilization's hatred for Jews, one of the most important considerations about this book today, considering circumstances roiling the world, is that it was published in 2012, and predicts future terrorist attacks, and Israel's increasingly heated, overwrought, and possibly excessive responses. Which of course is where we are right now.
The story here goes back to ancient Egypt, at a time of resentment over slaves devising a belief system that discounted the variety of gods they worshipped, and announced that their new belief featured only one God that stands higher than all the rest (religious history beyond the scope of this book can offer greater depth into the unending animus created at the dawn of monotheism). This of course inspired resentment, and growing brutality until whatever the reality was behind the magical retellings from thousands of years later when Moses was said to have led the Jews out of Egypt into Jerusalem. This book does not discuss mythology either.
What the focus here is about how throughout history, when things have gone wrong in society, be it economically, environmentally, or with civilization as a whole and the advent and destruction of wars, the easiest people to blame have always been the Jews. Stories get told about fang-faced monsters casting spells and eating Christian children as a Passover feast, and terrified people who do not understand what has gone wrong with their lives, or their nation, or the whole world at large, find comfort in being able to point fingers at a group of people who look and sound and smell and pray differently than the majority (and of course this applies far more broadly than simply religion, and into race, gender, and ideology, which more often than not throughout history has also been attributed to the Jews casting spells or something.)
The long history of Jew-hatred is disturbing yet fascinating should the reader be interested in studying how nationalism and nativism and just flat racism (of every race) has been used to destroy civilization under the firm belief that the world was being saved.. Destroying the world to save it was part of the Nazi code, after all. People need to be eliminated, according to thousands of years of hatred, in order to purify the world for people who deserve it.
It is ghastly to read about pogroms and holocausts and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and the propaganda that has oozed out and remains relevent today. After all, belief that the holocausr was a hoax by the Jews in order to steal Israel from Great Britain is again a spreading belief, although that real history has been sublimated into claiming Israel was stolen from Islam itself, as if the Crusades never happened and the Catholic Church is clean. What it provides, at least to this reader who's been studying awfulness like this for some time, is that organized religion itself is the virus that has infected civilization since the One God over All idea claimed the world in the 300s AD.
Standard Jew hatred has evolved from there too--they killed Jesus, they are the cause of plagues, they are secretly controlling the world and manipulating everyone, with their Jewish Press and their Jewish Businesses, and the Jewish control of world government. They are blindly killing Palestinians with no precipitating factor to provoke an overreaction, it is claimed, and that the murder of 1,139 individuals at a music festival on October 7, 2023 deserved no right to a response. After all, is the growing claim, they deserved it.
The brutal stereotype--the cliche--of Jewish world dominance is on the rise yet again, yet again. This is not to say that Israel itself is not to blame for some of the more recent horrors in the middle east. What it means is that blame does not belong at a single place, and that everyone is responsible for violence or hatred, no matter which side you are on.
Again, this horrifying study of the history of hatred was published in 2012. It is discouraging to see how little has changed in the rising and falling and rising again of easy finger-pointing, then the blind dismissal of who is the cause of the world's ills.
The story here goes back to ancient Egypt, at a time of resentment over slaves devising a belief system that discounted the variety of gods they worshipped, and announced that their new belief featured only one God that stands higher than all the rest (religious history beyond the scope of this book can offer greater depth into the unending animus created at the dawn of monotheism). This of course inspired resentment, and growing brutality until whatever the reality was behind the magical retellings from thousands of years later when Moses was said to have led the Jews out of Egypt into Jerusalem. This book does not discuss mythology either.
What the focus here is about how throughout history, when things have gone wrong in society, be it economically, environmentally, or with civilization as a whole and the advent and destruction of wars, the easiest people to blame have always been the Jews. Stories get told about fang-faced monsters casting spells and eating Christian children as a Passover feast, and terrified people who do not understand what has gone wrong with their lives, or their nation, or the whole world at large, find comfort in being able to point fingers at a group of people who look and sound and smell and pray differently than the majority (and of course this applies far more broadly than simply religion, and into race, gender, and ideology, which more often than not throughout history has also been attributed to the Jews casting spells or something.)
The long history of Jew-hatred is disturbing yet fascinating should the reader be interested in studying how nationalism and nativism and just flat racism (of every race) has been used to destroy civilization under the firm belief that the world was being saved.. Destroying the world to save it was part of the Nazi code, after all. People need to be eliminated, according to thousands of years of hatred, in order to purify the world for people who deserve it.
It is ghastly to read about pogroms and holocausts and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and the propaganda that has oozed out and remains relevent today. After all, belief that the holocausr was a hoax by the Jews in order to steal Israel from Great Britain is again a spreading belief, although that real history has been sublimated into claiming Israel was stolen from Islam itself, as if the Crusades never happened and the Catholic Church is clean. What it provides, at least to this reader who's been studying awfulness like this for some time, is that organized religion itself is the virus that has infected civilization since the One God over All idea claimed the world in the 300s AD.
Standard Jew hatred has evolved from there too--they killed Jesus, they are the cause of plagues, they are secretly controlling the world and manipulating everyone, with their Jewish Press and their Jewish Businesses, and the Jewish control of world government. They are blindly killing Palestinians with no precipitating factor to provoke an overreaction, it is claimed, and that the murder of 1,139 individuals at a music festival on October 7, 2023 deserved no right to a response. After all, is the growing claim, they deserved it.
The brutal stereotype--the cliche--of Jewish world dominance is on the rise yet again, yet again. This is not to say that Israel itself is not to blame for some of the more recent horrors in the middle east. What it means is that blame does not belong at a single place, and that everyone is responsible for violence or hatred, no matter which side you are on.
Again, this horrifying study of the history of hatred was published in 2012. It is discouraging to see how little has changed in the rising and falling and rising again of easy finger-pointing, then the blind dismissal of who is the cause of the world's ills.
April 19, 2018
I borrowed this book from my European history teacher after she recommended it to my class during a discussion of the Dreyfus Affair. If you are not aware of the Dreyfus Affair or countless other antisemitic moments of history other than the Holocaust, I would highly recommend reading this book. Spanning from the hatred of Jewish individuals in the Roman Empire because they were monotheistic to modern antisemitism like Holocaust denial, this book is an eye opening tale of history. Even for individuals who are not fans of or knowledgeable in history, Goldstein walks the reader through over 21 centuries with jargon free narration and multiple images and diagrams, making it an obtainable book for even the most historically inept readers. I cannot recommend this book enough! If you have free time, or are simply looking to be a more aware and socially conscious individual, consider borrowing this book from your local library or purchasing it to support the efforts that went into compiling such an in depth history. The individuals at Facing History have written a book that I truly believe deserves to be on lists of books everyone should read before they die.
August 5, 2020
A sadly too timely book for 2020. This book starts waaaay back at the very beginnings of time with Moses and Aaron and the Golden Calf and the 10 Commandments and Jesus and all of those important guys in the Bible. If you need a basic primer on how Jesus created Christianity and the Roman Catholic empire, without all of the "begats," this is your book. This book really does well as an actual history book, just with extra bits of anti-semitism thrown in. You'll learn stuff and be appalled at the same time. Like that yellow Juden star that Hitler made all the Jews wear during the Holocaust? Totally borrowed that from the Catholics in the 13th century. Rounding up the Jews and making them all live in ghettoes? Also an idea borrowed from the Catholics in Italy in the 1500's. See? You'll learn stuff in here. A lot of it is depressing, yes, but is important to remember in case someone tries to bring old ideas back into vogue.
March 2, 2023
4.5*
An excellent history of antisemitism from 586 BCE through the early 2000s. It deserves a place in all high schools and seminaries, and should be widely read and discussed.
In general, the text is written with great care and sensitivity, but, as others have pointed out, there are some disturbing phrasings (for instance, the KKK "terrorized Jews and Catholics (as well as African Americans...)"; "The Soviets and the Arabs used..." ).
I also found a few places where the overview nature of the writing left me looking for more details, for instance in the discussion of the so-called predictions in the reprehensible "Prorocols" that enable them to be applied to whatever events the reader desired.
Despite these quibbles, this is an important and powerful book that ends on a note of cautious hope:
"Only through the process of facing history and ourselves can we hope to reduce the hatred and prevent further violence." (p. 359)
An excellent history of antisemitism from 586 BCE through the early 2000s. It deserves a place in all high schools and seminaries, and should be widely read and discussed.
In general, the text is written with great care and sensitivity, but, as others have pointed out, there are some disturbing phrasings (for instance, the KKK "terrorized Jews and Catholics (as well as African Americans...)"; "The Soviets and the Arabs used..." ).
I also found a few places where the overview nature of the writing left me looking for more details, for instance in the discussion of the so-called predictions in the reprehensible "Prorocols" that enable them to be applied to whatever events the reader desired.
Despite these quibbles, this is an important and powerful book that ends on a note of cautious hope:
"Only through the process of facing history and ourselves can we hope to reduce the hatred and prevent further violence." (p. 359)
July 28, 2024
Goldstein does a wonderful job in presenting the long history of antisemitism in a concise, approachable and nuanced way. She reaches back to the conflicts that involved the Jewish people from the beginning of recorded history and shows the near impossibility of defeating the pernicious fictions that form and accumulate whenever the dominant group is in need of a scapegoat. She similarly shows how the very act of defending themselves as a community against these imagined crimes tends to reinforce the view of many anti-Semites of the overarching power and influence of “all Jews”. An extremely worthwhile read that shows the need to properly understanding the past and the danger of mindlessly repeating malicious lies.
June 15, 2023
One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. This book gives a true and detailed history of the Jews and Antisemitism. As a Catholic I was fearful that this book would put a bad light on the Church and the Pope over the centuries but it did the opposite. I was impressed with the non-biasness of the many authors who painstakingly put this work together for ten years.
I hope many more people read this book and to understand the simple fact that we all have a tendency toward discrimination which needs to be repressed. Awareness is the first step towards a changed life.
I hope many more people read this book and to understand the simple fact that we all have a tendency toward discrimination which needs to be repressed. Awareness is the first step towards a changed life.
February 24, 2019
This is an incredibly interesting book that covers antisemitism from the earliest written history and how it has evolved until now. It is furthermore interesting to read it now as there have been a significant increase in anti-Semitic acts in Europe.
I only wish the author has included how similar or different persecution and discrimination against Jews has been to other minority groups of the same time.
I only wish the author has included how similar or different persecution and discrimination against Jews has been to other minority groups of the same time.
September 10, 2023
I got this book out of the UN bookshop when I was a teenager. The experience of reading it was sort of overshadowed by the Diary of a Young Girl, but I loved this book when I read it. It both confirmed what I knew about antisemitism and taught me about the history I needed to know as a young Jew. I especially enjoyed the ending chapters about modern antisemitism, even if they are a bit outdated now. This is a good book for learning about antisemitism in simple, concise, emphatic language.
May 31, 2020
This would be a good introduction to the basic fact patterns of antisemitism throughout history. But the book itself falls flat. There's no thesis really. The subtitle (a convenient hatred) is never born out at all (what makes it convenient? To who?). Some of the writing is good but most is just fine. Overall meh
December 30, 2020
This book was incredibly detailed and I highly recommend it to history fans. At times, it felt a little repetitive and dense which made it a little difficult to get through. However, the book was worth it, as I feel much more educated on the topic of antisemitism due to the context that the book provided me. I believe that everyone should read this book, in order to clear up their misconceptions about Jewish people and understand the historical persecution that these people have suffered.
December 5, 2018
A highly accessible survey or refresher that takes a reader back to pre -common era to the present day in showing the ever precarious role of Jews throughout history. Very well done and suitable for many reading levels.
January 22, 2024
This was rough going sometimes......look how long it took to finish.
Not because it was uninteresting or badly written; I just had to drop it sometimes.
Long ago I read a review saying, among other things, that this is a pretty good general history lesson. That would seem to be true.
Not because it was uninteresting or badly written; I just had to drop it sometimes.
Long ago I read a review saying, among other things, that this is a pretty good general history lesson. That would seem to be true.
December 26, 2024
This book is a history of anti-Semitism beginning in BCE years and going on to the 21st century. It is a fabulously, fascinating work and perhaps the best history book I have ever read (and I have read a good number of history books.)
May 7, 2018
Excellent.
November 14, 2018
I had to read this for a course, but I'm glad I did. It was very informing but it was possible to read at the same time. Never found it boring, and it wasn't a drag when I had a reading assignment.
July 16, 2020
Actually 3.5 stars. Not the most in depth, and does not have a lot of political complexity, but a worthwhile overview of the history.
October 13, 2020
interesting material but lay out could have been better.
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