ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA TODAY

A superb collection of 20 essays on American anti-Semitism seen in historical, sociological, political, psychological, and other perspectives by leading academics, Jewish communal professionals, journalists, and one particularly articulate and forceful writer (Anne Roiphe). Despite a moderate increase of vandalism and assaults against Jews and their institutions, in recent years anti-Semitic sentiments have declined steadily in the US. Various contributors adduce a plethora of reasons for this decline, from the growing acceptance of pluralism to the effect of anti-discrimination laws to generational and class factors (those over 65 are twice as likely to have anti-Semitic attitudes as those under 65; individuals in lower socioeconomic groups are more prone to bias). What of black anti-Semitism? Hatred of Jews in that community, as in others, is inversely correlated with level of education, despite the efforts of such hate-mongers as Leonard Jeffries and Khalid Muhammad. (That college-educated blacks tend to be more anti- Semitic than their less-educated peers is one myth that several authors of this study genuinely do ``explode.'') Why then is American Jewry so obsessed with anti-Semitism? Undoubtedly, the trauma of the Holocaust is one reason. Another may be that, as political analyst Barry Rubin and historian Arthur Hertzberg note, anti-Semitism is almost ``needed'' as a spur to ethnic identity. Also, political trends can change abruptly, so while the Jewish communal focus shifts to issues of Jewish education and continuity, anti-Semitism will and should remain a major, if not the preeminent, concern. Chanes's introductory essay, Jonathan Rieder's in-depth contextualization of the 1991 Crown Heights riot, and Barry Rubin's essay on ``American Jews, Israel, and the Psychological Role of Antisemitism'' alone are worth the asking price of this volume. Forget the hyperbolic subtitlethese pieces generally are measured, thoughtful, and well documented.