The Devil That Never Dies: The Rise and Threat of Global Antisemitism
Anti-Semitism has often been compared to a deadly virus, characterized by long latent periods and then reemerging in new and even more virulent forms. Goldhagen, who has specialized in provocative, controversial works on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, examines the virus in its latest, terrifying form. Per this author, anti-Semitism has broken free of its centuries-old host in Europe and now infects institutions and individuals across the world. Facilitated by the global nature of modern communication, the old blood libels, distortions, and wild conspiracy theories about Jews are now widely believed and expressed in places as far flung as Malaysia, West Africa, and Pakistan, none of which have indigenous Jewish populations. Goldhagen maintains that international organizations, including the United Nations and some so-called human-rights groups, use the mask of anti-Zionism or opposition to Israel to nurture and reinforce hatred of Jews. At the same time, there has been a resurgence of anti-Semitism in traditional places in Europe, and it transcends the political barriers of the Left and the Right. As in his earlier works, Goldhagen tends to paint with too broad a brush, but this is still an important investigation of an undeniably dangerous phenomenon. --Jay Freeman