Book Review: Antisemitism Before and Since the Holocaust, Edited by Anthony McElligott and Jeffrey Herf

When one considers the most despised people of all time, he cannot go far without reaching the Jews. Countries and people groups have attempted to eliminate the Jewish nation for centuries- millennia even. This hatred has become known as antisemitism and it has grown through the ages, up to what many would consider being the high point of antisemitic thinking, the Holocaust. This book, as the title suggests, is an analysis of antisemitism both before the Holocaust and after. 

The first part of this book is dedicated to 2 separate false viewpoints: Holocaust denial and Holocaust inversion. Denial is simply saying that the Holocaust never happened. Inversion is the belief that the Jews were the true villains of the Holocaust and deserved what “punishment” they received. Part two of this book looks at three major religions and their views of the Jewish nation: Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam. Part three takes a deep view of the historical and political views that contribute to or against antisemitism. From the USA to Germany, to Great Britain, to the other Middle Eastern Nations, antisemitism is analyzed from the past and the present. Part four deals with antisemitism in public conversation- how do individuals exhibit or not exhibit antisemitic qualities. Part five is two more observations of the Holocaust denial that has permeated our society.

This book was an excellent analysis of this issue. While some would deny that the Holocaust happened, this could not be further from the truth. The Holocaust was one of the most poignant events of human history in religion. This book did a good job analyzing antisemitism for what it is: racism. For these reasons, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319488653

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

McElligott, Anthony and Jeffrey Kerf. Antisemitism Before and Since the Holocaust. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.