The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism

As anti-Semitism seems on the upsurge in Europe and the Islamic world, this compact volume serves as a timely reminder that what has been called "the longest hatred" remains a potent force. Laqueur, director of the Wiener Library in London, the leading institute for the study of anti-Semitism, traces the history of anti-Semitism (or its precursor, anti-Judaism) from the classical period to its new manifestations in our present age. He traces the evolution of this hatred from a xenophobic distrust in the pre-Christian era to a rage against "Christ killers" in the medieval Christian world. In the nineteenth century, it morphed into racial hatred, forming the basis of twentieth-century genocide. But it is Laqueur's analysis of anti-Semitism today that gives the work special value. Racial anti-Semitism is today largely confined to extreme right-wingers. However, on the left of the political spectrum, extreme hostility toward the State of Israel is common. This is a disturbing but important work likely to spur further debate. Jay Freeman
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