A well-reasoned, coolheaded argument that could be used fruitfully in current roiling debates.
An evenhanded examination of how the “massive instability unleashed by decades of intensifying economic inequality” has exacerbated forces of age-old antisemitism.
In his careful delineation of the causes of the most recent flare-up of antisemitism, Lappin, a professor of natural language processing, first looks at the big-picture forces that are feeding much of global society’s grievances, including widespread anti-immigration sentiment and ethno-nationalism. As the author demonstrates, extremist movements—such as those whose members chant, “Jews will not replace us”—seem to share four elements: loss of control over their lives and social context; diminished faith in existing institutions; the embrace of anti-elitism, or “populism”; and a sense of oppression caused by another ethnic identity. Lappin walks readers through these events since World War II, and he uses charts to show the increased prosperity of the top percentile and the impoverishment of the lower—and how social media feeds “dislocation” and “dispossession.” In addition to an examination of the roots of ancient and modern antisemitism, the author addresses the extremes on both right and left, as well as perspectives both Islamic and Jewish. All groups have exhibited deeply problematic periods of harassment and violence so that diaspora Jews have been forced “to choose between coping with a barrage of public abuse and personal insecurity or the concealment of their Jewish identity (passing quietly under the radar).” In the closing chapter, “Notes for a New Progressive Politics,” Lappin posits that since the state of affairs has broken down, a new approach is necessary, the elements of which should include a relearning of the history of antisemitism, steadfast support for both labor movements and immigration, and strict monitoring of the continued explosion of AI and the disinformation campaigns the technology makes possible.
A well-reasoned, coolheaded argument that could be used fruitfully in current roiling debates.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781509558568
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Polity
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.
Two bestselling authors engage in an enlightening back-and-forth about Jewishness and antisemitism.
Acho, author of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, and Tishby, author of Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, discuss many of the searing issues for Jews today, delving into whether Jewishness is a religion, culture, ethnicity, or community—or all of the above. As Tishby points out, unlike in Christianity, one can be comfortably atheist and still be considered a Jew. She defines Judaism as a “big tent” religion with four main elements: religion, peoplehood, nationhood, and the idea of tikkun olam (“repairing the world through our actions”). She addresses candidly the hurtful stereotypes about Jews (that they are rich and powerful) that Acho grew up with in Dallas and how Jews internalize these antisemitic judgments. Moreover, Tishby notes, “it is literally impossible to be Jewish and not have any connection with Israel, and I’m not talking about borders or a dot on the map. Judaism…is an indigenous religion.” Acho wonders if one can legitimately criticize “Jewish people and their ideologies” without being antisemitic, and Tishby offers ways to check whether one’s criticism of Jews or Zionism is antisemitic or factually straightforward. The authors also touch on the deteriorating relationship between Black and Jewish Americans, despite their historically close alliance during the civil rights era. “As long as Jewish people get to benefit from appearing white while Black people have to suffer for being Black, there will always be resentment,” notes Acho. “Because the same thing that grants you all access—your skin color—is what grants us pain and punishment in perpetuity.” Finally, the authors underscore the importance of being mutual allies, and they conclude with helpful indexes on vernacular terms and customs.
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781668057858
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon Element
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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