A confrontational but always lucid view of Jewish identity and hatred of Jews.
Examining the “fragmentary and divisive antagonism against Jews, even by Jews.”
Gilman, a professor emeritus at Emory University, is one of America’s most prolific scholars of Jewish history and identity. Here, he posits that there is no single, historical hatred of Jews, irrespective of culture and context. Instead, he says, “antisemitisms” depend on moments in history and on the particular kinds of Jews addressed. He argues that the vast range of modern Judaism—from secular Americans and ultra-Orthodox Israelis to anti-Zionist political activists—makes it impossible to think of a single, unified object of prejudice. Furthermore, there may be no stable Jewish sense of self over the life of an individual. “I take seriously the claims of an individual’s identity as a Jew, understanding that such identity can shift over time and place,” he writes. The most recent catalyst for such shifts has been Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. After the 1950s, the author writes, “All Jews, no matter how defined, came to be enveloped in a new global community, demarcated now by the symbolic role that the State of Israel had taken in defining ‘Jewishness’.” For some, the 2023 attack has enabled a support of Palestinian rights that may echo a psychological “identification with the oppressor” and may even morph into “Jewish self-hatred.” But in the U.S., he writes, “The charge of antisemitisms during the period after 2023 became a cudgel, as in Imperial Germany, to attack any and all institutions or individuals seen…as the ‘foe’. The second Trump administration used it to suspend grants to medical research institutions, which had no relationship whatsoever to antisemitisms, as well as to demand the firing of members of academic Jewish studies departments whose views they found unacceptable.” We are all, now, Gilman writes, “caught in the web of our need to define those whom we feel as not only different but dangerous.” The line between the antisemite and the Jew, never truly sharp, is now, perhaps, irrevocably blurred.
A confrontational but always lucid view of Jewish identity and hatred of Jews.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781836391807
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
An eye-opening and thought-provoking read.
Antisemitism is alive and well and worth talking about.
Fersko, senior rabbi at the Village Temple in Manhattan and vice president of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, argues that Americans of all backgrounds must discuss antisemitism. The author notes that many people view antisemitism as a problem of the past, an issue that is rare and isolated in 21st-century America. She demonstrates convincingly that this mindset is misinformed and that antisemitism is on the rise. Early on Fersko provides a lengthy explanation of antisemitism as “the longest-held, farthest-reaching conspiracy theory in the world.” She explains that antisemitism is a belief in a variety of lies and stereotypes about Jews and Judaism, which manifests in everything from seemingly innocuous remarks to outright physical violence. Fersko points to seven points of dialogue that Jews and non-Jews need to address in order to help battle antisemitism, including race, Christianity, microaggressions, the Holocaust, and Israel. Throughout, she urges readers to educate themselves about the past and to learn to recognize the prejudices about Jews that many Americans inherit unknowingly. Though Fersko addresses such obvious sources of antisemitism as right-wing and racially based extremist groups, she makes it clear throughout the book that the American left is also a major source of antisemitism today. In some cases, this is seen in virulent anti-Israel stances, where left-wing activists portray Jews as racists and oppressors. In other cases, American liberals simply perpetrate tropes and stereotypes about their Jewish friends and neighbors, often through microaggressions, misplaced humor, miseducation about the Holocaust, etc. Though there are certainly points for debate, the text serves as a meaningful starting point for dialogue. If nothing else, she provides the important reminder that the age-old specter of antisemitism is not extinct; in many ways, it’s stronger and more dangerous than at any time since the Holocaust.
An eye-opening and thought-provoking read.Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781541601949
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Seal Press
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
