9780253018656_medAlvin Rosenfeld’s latest book “Deciphering the New Antisemitism”, is due for release early next year. The book is comprised of 18 essays written by an international group of scholars, including LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus, that discuss a wide-range of topics about the increasing occurrences of anti-Semitism around the world. This analyzes the various forms of anti-Semitism across the globe, its roots, and its relationship to other bodies of society. Rosenfeld is the director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at the University of Indiana and professor of Jewish and English studies, as well as a member of LDB’s Academic Advisory board. In 2014, he hosted a conference in which LDB President Kenneth L. cheapcarrent Marcus and numerous other scholars presented their research and ideas on the rise of contemporary anti-Semitism.

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The following are reviews by Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly about the forthcoming book:

“An old, noxious contagion of prejudice is on a rapid, virulent rise.
These scholarly essays, collected by Rosenfeld (English and Jewish
Studies/Indiana Univ.; The End of the Holocaust, 2011, etc.),
review the epidemiology of anti-Semitism and seek to determine
the etiology, roots, and history of this special form of bigotry.
Throughout history, many of the world’s problems have been blamed
on the Jews. As this anthology’s contributors report, renewed
Holocaust denial, naked prejudice in sectors of England, France, and
the rest of Europe, calls for boycott, divestment, and sanctions,
the rise of militant jihad, and the unique standards applied only to
Israel since the start of the 21st century all attest to what has
come to be know! n as “the New anti-Semitism.” Zionism and the
establishment and achievements of the Jewish state in the Muslim
heart of the Middle East are central to the rise of hatred of all things
Jewish. Notions that were once limited to the lunatic right are now,
frequently, proud badges of the left. Certain precincts of academe
accommodate the myths and misanthropy of anti-Semitism,
supported by spurious public intellectuals. Ignorant entertainers,
as well, have their say, and the notorious forgery The Protocols
of the Elders of Zion sells quite well everywhere. International
organizations and national governments allied with Hamas and
Hezbollah threaten a minuscule spot on the planet, Israel, as
well as Jews worldwide. These various essays, fully footnoted,
consider each of these matters and others in detail in an effort to
parse and tease out the history and historiography of today’s
anti-Semitism. Some are stunningly perceptive, some explore new
dimensions, and while not all offer! lapidary prose (they are written
by academics, after all), each offers new insights about the thoughts
and activities of current anti-Semites and the evil they purvey.
A source book that will be of special value to those who see and are
concerned about the new anti-Semitism.”

-Kirkus Reviews

“The 18 essays assembled in this illuminating book explore what
editor Rosenfeld (Resurgent Antisemitism) identifies as a recent
increase in global anti-Semitism. The many thoughtful and
informative articles include Bernard Harrison’s parsing of claims
concerning the Holocaust’s uniqueness; Gunther Jikeli and Sina
Arnold’s analyses of anti-Semitism in, respectively, France and
the American left; and Eirik Eiglad’s look at connections between
anarchism and anti-Zionism. Jean Axelrad Cahan contributes an
impassioned essay about how the work of social constructionists in
literary theory, such as Edward Said, Erich Auberbach, and Hayden
White, might delegitimize Israeli statehood by challenging its
foundational national story. The essays occasionally fall into
polemics, labeling opponents as idiots and crackpots, but most take
pains to be fair to the individuals whose ideas the authors oppose.
This volume, rich in information, is not for the casual reader, but
is recommended as a valuable compilation of research and analysis
that will help concerned readers track the evolution of
anti-Semitism and determine which trends are most worrisome.”

-Publishers Weekly