Blaming the Jews: Politics and Delusion (Studies in Antisemitism)

Product Description
In recent years Western countries have seen a proliferation of antisemitic material in social media, and attacks on Jews such as that on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. Much of this has stemmed, not from personal hostility to Jews on the part of this or that individual, but from a resurgence in groups at both ends of politics of the ancient delusion that "the Jews" collectively dominate world affairs and lie at the root of all the world's evils.
In Blaming the Jews author Bernard Harrison, offers a new and unique analysis of this second and far more dangerous form of antisemitism and its persistence as a cultural phenomenon. Questioning the assumption that antisemitism affects or targets only Jews, he demonstrates that, allowed to go unrecognised or unchecked, antisemitism is potentially damaging to us all.
In a world where rhetoric is fashioned on stereotypes and driven by political ideology, Harrison argues it is our responsibility to be vigilant in exposing the delusions of antisemitism and their consequences for Jews and non-Jews alike.
Review
Harrison's book, in short, offers great insight into the feverish hate and hysteria displayed by the hardcore anti-Israel crowd. Those interested in the phenomenon of anti-Zionism/anti-Israelism, scholars and laypersons alike, should definitely consult their eye-opening work. -- David Rodman ―
Israel Affairs
Review
"Blaming the Jews has several ambitious aims: to define antisemitism accurately; to show that it comes in two varieties, social and political, of which the latter is the dangerous kind; to distinguish political antisemitism from legitimate criticism of Israel; to show that the 'new' appearances of political antisemitism are not new but belong to the classic genre; to show that antisemitism misses and misunderstands its target, Judaism; and finally to show that it serves a projective function―costly to it perpetrators hold on reality and threatening to the health and survival of the society that harbors it. To an extraordinary degree, Bernard Harrison actually accomplishes his far-reaching aims." -- Abigail L. Rosenthal, author of A Good Look at Evil
About the Author
Bernard Harrison is Emeritus E. E. Eriksen Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah and Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Sussex. He is author of What is Fiction For? and The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism: Jews, Israel, and Liberal Opinion.