Antisemitism and the American Far Left
"The far left in America went into decline decades ago, but its virulent denigration of Jews and Israel persists to this day. Anyone wishing to understand the origins of this hostility and its role in contemporary antisemitism will benefit greatly from reading Stephen Norwood's copiously documented, revealing book."Alvin H. Rosenfeld, Indiana University"Most American Jews are politically progressive and are accustomed to thinking of antisemitism as an expression of right-wing ideology. Liberal Jews are often surprised and dismayed to discover how pervasive antisemitism, often thinly disguised as anti-Zionism, has become on the political left. In this brilliant work, Stephen Norwood traces the roots of the antisemitism of the left and discovers that what nineteenth-century German Social Democratic leader August Bebel called 'the Socialism of fools' has a long history on the left side of the political spectrum. This book should be read by everyone who refuses to acknowledge that liberal politics is perfectly capable of accommodating antisemitism. As Bebel knew, there is no shortage of antisemitic Socialist fools."Benjamin Ginsberg, David Bernstein Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, and author of How the Jews Defeated Hitler"... [a] prodigious work of scholarship ..."Chicago Jewish Star"... [a] bracing new book ..."Ronald Radosh, Commentary"Norwood's documentation provides a detailed and useful tool for understanding a[n] under-illuminated aspect of ... US anti-Semitism ..."Sina Arnold, translated from H-Soz-u-Kult