Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Accusations of “antisemitism” are cast about frequently these days. Delving into the history of antisemitism through Hannah Arendt's writing can be an eye-opening experience.

Volume 1 of her series on totalitarianism--"Antisemitism"--is a tough read, but it is worth the effort. Her intertwining of politics, sociology, history, culture, psychology, economics, banking, discrimination, and a variety of other topics (including, very infrequently, religion) is certainly new to me. As I took notes I found myself frequently typing (I read the Kindle edition) “I do not understand this.”

The book suggests to me that many people who use the term "antisemitic" have little understanding of what it means. Some familiarity with 18th and 19th Century European history helps to fully understand the political and social aspects of how different nation-states evolved and how that is related to “antisemitism.” The book concludes with an overview of the Dreyfus Affair and how it encapsulated the sheer complexity of understanding the roots of antisemitism as it played out in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Arendt shows how one cannot begin to understand antisemitism without a basic appreciation of how politics, culture, economics, finance, and religion can messily interact. Unsettling for me is how Arendt describes the role of “the mob” in influencing the direction that the French government and the courts took in (mis)managing the Dreyfus affair. Nor does she spare Dreyfus himself and his family in bearing some responsibility for the horrorshow of Dreyfus’ prosecution and imprisonment.

One recommendation I have for readers of this book: read the footnotes and bibliographic entries in parallel with the main text. They often explain why the author makes a particular statement or draws a conclusion that may not be explained at all in the main text.

Finally, Arendt’ commentary about “the mob” in France and its extra-legal influence on the handling of Dreyfus, with all its overtones of anti-Jewish sentiment, are eerily prescient of how we see the role of social media playing out today in promoting dangerous sentiments of all types.

Copyright (c) 2023 by Dennis D. McDonald. This review was updated on December 18, 2023.

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