Author Description

For Thirty Years The Director Of The Wiener Library In London--the Leading Institute For The Study Of Anti-semitism--walter Laqueur Here Offers Both A Comprehensive History Of Anti-semitism As Well As An Illuminating Look At The Newest Wave Of This Phenomenon. Laqueur Begins With An Invaluable Historical Account Of This Pernicious Problem, Tracing The Evolution From A Predominantly Religious Anti-semitism--stretching Back To The Middle Ages--to A Racial Anti-semitism That Developed In The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries. The Author Then Uses This Historical Account As Backdrop To A Brilliant Analysis Of The Newest Species Of Anti-semitism, Explaining Its Origins And Rationale, How It Manifests Itself, In What Ways And Why It Is Different From Anti-semitism In Past Ages, And What Forms It May Take In The Future. The Book Reveals That What Was Historically A Preoccupation Of Christian And Right-wing Movements Has Become In Our Time Even More Frequent Among Muslims And Left-wing Groups. Moreover, Laqueur Argues That We Can't Simply Equate This New Anti-semitism With Anti-zionism And Write It Off As Merely Anti-israel Sentiments. If Israel Alone Is Singled Out For Heated Condemnation, Is The Root Of This Reaction Simply Anti-zionism Or Is It Anti-semitism? Here Is Both A Summing Up Of The Entire Trajectory Of Anti-semitism--the First Comprehensive History Of Its Kind--and An Exploration Of The New Wave Of Anti-semitism. Walter Laqueur Provides Us With Powerful New Insights Into An Age-old Problem. Distinguished Scholarship And An Authoritative Moral Voice Are The Hallmarks Of This Important Book. Anyone Wanting To Understand The History And Persistence Of Anti-jewish Hatred Should Read It. --abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-defamation League