Safety through Solidarity

April 1, 2024
Two social activists and journalists investigate the complicated layers of persistent antisemitism in society, especially in light of what they consider Israel's unjust treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. Self-described Jewish leftists, Burley, author of Fascism Today and Why We Fight, and Lorber urge an "intersectional" approach to combating antisemitism, which has gained traction across the globe since Israel's strong-arm tactics in clearing the Gaza Strip of Hamas terrorists. Rather than excluding Muslims, Christians, and rightists, for example, the authors aim for a better strategy by "forming alliances across differences, building bridges not walls, and striving alongside others for a future free from inequality, exploitation, and oppression in all its forms." The authors first examine the roots of antisemitism, beginning with the demonization of the "other," though they reject the notion that antisemitism is simply an "eternal hatred" that has always been and will always be. Rather, it is rooted in conspiracy theories, drawing from "a deep reservoir of stereotypes and narratives" and serving to explain the "hidden hand behind worker revolt, changing gender and social norms, racial justice movements, and other despised progressivism." In short, antisemitism involves power, class, and politics. The authors examine the tropes used in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion ("jumbled and disorganized, switching haphazardly between a broad array of topics, presenting little in the way of clear argumentation"), as well as QAnon, Trumpism, Christian Zionism, and white nationalism, among others. They devote a third of the book to the importance of being able to criticize Israeli and American policies in the name of social justice while avoiding the "chilling" accusation of antisemitism. Burley and Lorber admirably and forthrightly explore the "multitudes" of Jewish experience through a variety of voices and organizations. A timely book that avoids the "cudgel" of antisemitism, "cynically deployed to silence voices for Palestinian human rights."

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.