On Anti-Semitism

Since I am Jewish, the subject of anti-semitism is of particular interest to me. Fortunately, I have been personally subject to this only rarely in my sixty-five years. But that doesn't mean that this vice has disappeared.

I have just finished reading "The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day" by Walter Laqueur (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195304292/102-613 t6048-4237728) . Frankly, the book is not terribly well organized or written, but it does present a useful history of the subject.

For a more up-to-date commentary on anti-semitism in the United States, I would recommend reading the in Vanity Fair to be found at the following web address and described below:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/11/wolff200611?printable=true¤tPage=all

This article probably raises more questions than it answers, but the questions are well worth pondering. Any more thoughts on this issue?

Slurs and Arrows

Mel Gibson's meltdown, Günter Grass's past, and Joe Lieberman's primary loss all have reminded the world of a centuries-old hatred. But right now, the author argues, given Israel's controversial influence in Washington and recent invasion of Lebanon, people might be a little too eager to cry anti-Semitism.

by Michael Wolff November 2006