Antisemitism

Robert S. Wistrich

A history of antisemitism, written to accompany the Thames Television series "The Longest Hatred" (1991). Surveys the evolution in antiquity from pagan hostility toward Jews to Christian anti-Judaism, and the latter's overwhelming influence on modern antisemitism. Mentions the antisemitic leanings of 19th-century socialist ideologues and of Karl Marx. Traces the evolution of Austrian and German antisemitism and their culmination in Hitler's racist ideology and the legitimation of the Final Solution. Examines postwar forms of antisemitism in both countries, focusing on Fassbinder's play and the Waldheim affair. Reviews past and present-day antisemitism in Britain, America, France, and Eastern Europe. Remarks on the extent of anti-Zionist propaganda in the Soviet Union and ideological antisemitic tendencies among former Soviet dissidents (e.g. I. Shafarevich). Surveys the status of the Jews in Islamic lands, blood libels in those countries, widespread anti-Jewish stereotypes, the "world Jewish conspiracy" accusation, and Islamic fundamentalist antisemitism.