Fully updated to address the events of 7 October and all that followed
On 7 October 2023, Hamas killed over a thousand Israelis, sparking a devastating new phase in the long-running conflict in Israel and Palestine. In the days and weeks that followed, a wave of anti-Jewish hatred swept across the world. Synagogues were burned, Jews attacked and protests raged, with calls for Israel to be erased from the map. Despite our abhorrence of racism, this most ancient of prejudices continues to seduce even the most educated, empathetic and well-meaning members of society. This, Dave Rich argues, is the particular quality of antisemitism: it hides in plain sight. Our task is to understand where it came from in order that it might be rooted out.
This book is a tour de force of the history and present reality of antisemitism; from Shakespeare to South Park, Israel to Covid-19, Rich shows us where each of the enduring stereotypes about Jews came from, what they look like in modern society and how they can be challenged. Fully updated to address the events of 7 October and all that followed, this book shines a light on the almost-unnoticed prejudices that perpetuate anti-Jewish hatred, explaining how antisemitism continues to thrive in the interactions, assumptions and views of decent people around the world – and how we can change this for the better.