The need to balance the ‘oy’ with the ‘joy’
A review of Deborah Lipstadt’s new book Antisemitism Here And Now
There can be very few of us who are not concerned about the rise and spread of antisemitism around the world.
Antisemitism is not a one-dimensional topic and in Antisemitism Here And Now, Deborah Lipstadt has given us a vital and timeous analysis of the issue.
Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is maybe best known for her book History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving and the film Denial (starring Rachael Weisz) which was based on it.
According to Professor Lipstadt, antisemitism is not the hatred of people who happen to be Jews. It is hatred of them because they are Jews. And like other forms of prejudice, this one occurs independently of any action by Jews.
The book, amongst other things, asks and answers these questions: What is antisemitism? Does it come from the right or the left? Is anti-Zionism the same as antisemitism? Are there different kinds of anti-Semites? and, What can be done to combat this extremely racist ideology?
“Given that I have already spent so much of my scholarly and personal time skulking in the sewers of antisemitism and genocide, why should this project have been any different from the many others that preceded it? As horrific as the Holocaust was, it is firmly in the past. When I write about it, I am writing about what was. Contemporary antisemitism is not. It is about the present. That gave this subject and immediacy that no historical act possesses.”
The book’s detailed look at the modern manifestation of antisemitism and its impact on Jewish society as a whole makes for very sobering reading. It would be quite understandable for its readers to become despondent and remain so. But as it says on the book’s back cover: Antisemitism will calm the fearful, rouse the complacent and demand a response from readers.
Professor Lipstadt ends the book with this entreaty: “You can participate in a vibrant Jewish future. You will encounter antisemitism along the way, but I entreat you to avoid letting this ‘longest hatred’ become the linchpin of your identity. Jewish tradition in all its manifestations — religious, secular, intellectual, communal, artistic, and so much more — is far too valuable to be tossed aside and replaced with a singular concentration on the fight against hatred. This need for Jews to balance the ‘oy’ with the ‘joy’ is an exhortation that could well be shared with many other groups that have become the objects of discrimination and prejudice. In the words of the Hebrew Scriptures, ‘be strong and of good courage.’ Never stop fighting the good fight, even as you rejoice in who you are.”
Antisemitism Here and Now should I believe be essential reading to all of us who are concerned about prejudice, racism and the disturbing surge of anti-Jewish rhetoric. Deborah Lipstadt has cleverly pitched the tone of her book so that it and its many important messages will be clearly accessible to any level of reader.
This is not a weighty, intimidating tome, it is an important and topical read that will resonate loudly with all its readers.
Immediately after I’d finished reading it, I felt the need to go for a jog by myself in Newlands forest, to absorb and to reflect.
Reflections by Julian Richfield on meeting the author
I was lucky enough to meet Deborah Lipstadt at the 2017 Franschhoek Literary Festival and we had a chat for a couple of minutes. She mentioned then that she was busy with a book on antisemitism and I said that I looked forward to reading and reviewing it. I remember that she said I shouldn’t be in a hurry, it was still a work in progress. The wait was certainly rewarded, the book, Antisemitism Here and Now, is outstanding. After I finished reading it, we chatted online about a few antisemitism-related things and I thought you might find Professor Lipstadt’s views on a few of these useful and interesting: I told her that I had heard from quite a few people in our community that they liked Donald Trump because he was good for Israel… “I think Donald Trump has done some excellent things for Israel. Every candidate committed to moving the embassy and never did it. He did it. However, I think he has done some dangerous things as well. He has emboldened white supremacists and white power groups who are inherently antisemitic. I am not suggesting that he is a white supremacist, but he has made them feel that he is, and he has never disavowed them. “ I then asked her if we should be wary of Jeremy Corbin and the Labour Party? “I think we should be very concerned. Since I wrote the book, things have only gotten worse. At the heart of things is the complete failure of Labour leadership to take antisemitism seriously. They look at Jews and see privileged white people who could not possibly be victims. Then, instead of taking it seriously, they turn around and blame Jews for using the false claim of antisemitism to their benefit.” And I ended our chat with a request for some advice. What advice can you give South African Jewish bodied regarding their public reactions to antisemitism? “I think we must approach this fight in a strategic — not emotional — fashion. We must carefully decide when to cry ‘gevalt’ and when to take a more tempered approach. We must also carefully differentiate between true antisemitism and either anti-Israel or just plain obnoxious behavior. Not all criticism of Israel is antisemitic. If we cry antisemitism when it is not antisemitism, we become akin to ‘chicken little’”.
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