In his newest book, Norman H. Finkelstein writes, “In the more than two-thousand-year history of the Jewish diaspora, no country has offered Jews more freedom, legal protection, and opportunity than the United States of America. Yet, American Jews have always been aware of a residue of anti-Jewish hate lurking in the background, ready to emerge at any time.” Indeed, Saying No to Hate traces the history of American antisemitism and the Jewish community’s response. It offers us a deeper understanding of how events in America’s past have informed the meteoric rise in hatred and violence we see today.
Organized chronologically, the book first explores the roots of antisemitism in Europe, which preceded the arrival of North America’s first Jewish community in 1654. It then describes antisemitic sentiment through the centuries, guiding readers through events such as Grant’s General Order Number 11, the “Great Wave” of Jewish immigration in the 1880s, American antisemitism during the Holocaust and after the establishment of the State of Israel, the not-too-distant attacks on the Pittsburgh and Poway synagogues, and the rise of Jewish hatred following October 7, 2023. The author concludes with two appendices, one on fighting antisemitism with advocacy and pride and a second on how to prepare for an active-shooter attack.
Toward the end of the book, a chapter titled “Zionism = Judaism?” explores the challenge of trying to recognize when antisemitism is being disguised as a legitimate critique of Israel. Here, the author addresses the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement, the rise of antisemitism on university campuses, the claim that Israel is an apartheid state, and the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s “working definition” of antisemitism. The concluding chapter, titled “The Changing Landscape of Hate,” considers social media’s role in fomenting antisemitism, as well as the intersection of Jewish hate and the insurrectionist movements that came to light during the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021. This chapter also examines the rhetoric of extremist voices in Congress, including those of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senator Josh Hawley. Both use tropes that question Jewish loyalty to country and American values — an antisemitic sentiment that can be traced back through the centuries.
Finkelstein’s book is not just a narrative of oppression. It also shares how the American Jewish community, through institutions such as the American Jewish Committee, the ADL, and Hillel, have responded to Jewish hatred. Say No to Hate offers readers an accessible introduction to antisemitism in America. This is particularly important for a generation of Jews who, until recently, were shielded from the overt antisemitism that plagued Jewish Americans of years past.
