The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism

Walter Laqueur offers both a comprehensive history of Antisemitism and 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 Antisemitism-stretching back to the middle ages-to a racial Antisemitism 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 Antisemitism, explaining its origins and rationale, how it manifests itself, in what ways and why it is different from Antisemitism in past ages, and what forms it may take in the future. The book reveals that what was historically a preoccupation of Christians and right-wing movements has become in our time far more frequent among Muslims and left-wing groups. Here is both a summing up of the entire trajectory of Antisemitism-the first comprehensive history of its kind-and an exploration of the new wave of Antisemitism that will be of interest to all concerned about the future of Jews, Judaism, and Israel.