A Convenient Hatred chronicles a very particular hatred through powerful stories that allow readers to see themselves in the tarnished mirror of history. It raises important questions about the consequences of our assumptions and beliefs and the ways we, as individuals and as members of a society, make distinctions between "us" and "them," right and wrong, good and evil. These questions are both universal and particular.
A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Many of the famous villains of literature were compelling orators, as was Hitler, using the power of speech to feed their frustrations and hatred into their audiences. So long as we have language, we will have its abusers on behalf of their pernicious programs, and the need to challenge them will remain. A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism will make both a valuable and timely contribution to our understanding of this subject."
-Lawrence L. Langer, author of Holocaust Testimonies: The Ruins of Memory, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism
"This book is a tour de force of one of the most intriguing and disturbing phenomena in history. Tracing the origins and evolution of antisemitism from antiquity to the present day, this book provides a well-informed, highly accessible, and admirably balanced account that should become a basic tool for educators and an essential textbook for students in all fields concerned with the humanities and social sciences."
-Omer Bartov, John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History, Brown University
"Facing History has done a characteristically masterful job in exploring antisemitism from ancient times to its current manifestation in a clear and lucid way accessible to students and their parents and to all concerned about the all too enduring quality of what has been termed "the longest hatred."
- Michael Berenbaum, American Jewish University in Los Angeles
"This book delineates with clarity and intelligence the long history of discrimination, insult, and assault against Jews. It makes depressing reading unless you remember what Facing History and Ourselves always remembers: that understanding the past helps us see how we can contribute to making the world better."
-Anthony Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University
About the Author
Phyllis Goldstein is the senior writer and researcher on key Facing History and Ourselves publications including the latest edition of "Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior," as well as "The Jews of Poland" and "Race and Membership in American History." She graduated from the University of Chicago and holds a master's degree in teaching from Harvard University. She has worked as a teacher, author, editor, and editorial director.
Harold Evans is editor-at-large of Thomson Reuters, the world's largest international multimedia news provider. He is also the author of two critically acclaimed best-selling histories of America: "The American Century" and "They Made America." His most recent book is his memoir, "My Paper Chase," which covers his early life and his years as editor of The Sunday Times and The Times of London. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Press Institute, Evans was honored as one of 50 World Press Heroes.
Harold Evans is editor-at-large of Thomson Reuters, the world's largest international multimedia news provider. He is also the author of two critically acclaimed best-selling histories of America: "The American Century" and "They Made America." His most recent book is his memoir, "My Paper Chase," which covers his early life and his years as editor of The Sunday Times and The Times of London. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Press Institute, Evans was honored as one of 50 World Press Heroes.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
106 of 115 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
With impeccable references and well-researched examples, Ms. Goldstein has created a tour de force.
December 9, 2011
Format:Paperback
A Convenient Hatred, with foreword by Sir Harold Evans, chronicles the evolution of anti-Semitism from the time of Alexander through the Holocaust and modern Israel.
This powerful treatise explores with exquisite detail the pernicious foundations of bigotry against Jews, from ancient times through the dark ages, the enlightenment and into contemporary examples. A Convenient Hatred could just as easily been called A Convenient History, as it illustrates the magnitude of anti-Jewish vitriol, loathing and detestation over the ages, leading to a unique and mendacious version of history that blames Jews for impossibly disparate and disconnected events and catastrophes.
Ms. Goldstein has produced a masterful exposition on the vulnerability of Jews throughout history, highlighting how malicious pagan and Christian leaders exploited the Jewish people. She also addresses the unending value of education within Jewish culture, a trait that has served them well for dozens of centuries. That Jews have been able to survive at all seems miraculous, considering the fact that until recently, Jews were largely forbidden from owning land and property and from most skilled occupations--including crafts and guilds--and were forced to take up the most distasteful occupation among Christians: money lending.
A Convenient Hatred is a profoundly authoritative resource for educators. Its examples, stories, references, maps, pictures, and illustrations bring the history of the Jews to life in a powerful way not experienced since James Michener's The Source, a work of fiction.
A Convenient Hatred communicates the magnitude of anti-Jewish prejudice throughout the centuries, offering well-researched examples of why so many people throughout time have found it convenient to hate Jews. A Convenient Hatred belongs globally in every high-school history classroom. With impeccable references and well-researched examples, Ms. Goldstein has created a tour de force.
The author carefully examines the origins of anti-Semitism in an age when Jews were forced from their ancestral homes and temples in ancient Israel to Europe and Asia. She methodically details the separation of Jews from Christians leading to centuries of Jewish slavery, incarceration, and extermination during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, The Reformation, and the English Expulsion.
The rise of the Islamic empire and holy wars are also carefully explored. Centuries of intolerance produced the Diaspora, in which Jews fled to safe haven in places far and wide, but were again faced with extermination when blamed for the Black Death (plague) across Europe. This marked a period in which Jews were charged with ritual murder and blood libel; as well, the Talmud was universally attacked by Christians and Muslims. Jews were also almost universally oppressed during the Dark Ages. They sought reprieve in places as disparate as Poland and the Ottoman Empire. But for hundreds of years, Jews remained ostracized, antagonized, and isolated.
The ages of enlightenment and nationalism are also painstakingly explored. Ms. Goldstein proffers "the power of publicity" as a tool used by anti-Semites to attack and condemn Jews in a prolific manner.
The same level of discriminating detail continues in an examination of anti-Semitism during Renaissance France and Russia, continuing into the age of nationalism and World War I. Ms. Goldstein carefully describes the consistent deleterious effect of anti-Jewish propaganda in incongruent Renaissance societies with France being democratic and Russia communist.
The age of written communication via printing presses almost immediately delivered anti-Semitic books, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, one of the most significant attacks upon Jews. She describes Hitler's rise to power largely upon the backs of Jews, through propaganda and putsches by the proletariat against Germany's Jewish population. The "turning point" came in 1941 with the Nazi establishment of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question."
Finally, Ms. Goldstein adroitly illustrates anti-Semitism after the Holocaust, throughout the Cold War, and into contemporary society, which she calls, "a convenient hatred." Here, nationalism and xenophobia collide in a perfect storm of bigotry and persecution. The result of this collision is a brainwashing of impoverished youth, the economically and socially oppressed, and the politically disadvantaged, resulting in a unified hatred of all things Jewish, especially Israel.
Ms. Goldstein calls to mind a speech by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, in which he states that we cannot judge contemporary Germans for the genocide perpetrated by their ancestors. At the same time, all Germans can be held accountable for preserving the memory of the Holocaust--for its link from past to future holds in the balance the potential for the survival of the human spirit as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
A Convenient Hatred is a powerful, historically astute, contemporary masterpiece and a superb illustration of prejudice. It is a groundbreaking educational tool and an indispensable textbook for students of history, anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Phyllis Goldstein's cogent examination of the history of anti-Semitism is a seminal work, lucidly explaining the magnitude of illogical hatred and its centuries-old influence against the Jews.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob's Courage
This powerful treatise explores with exquisite detail the pernicious foundations of bigotry against Jews, from ancient times through the dark ages, the enlightenment and into contemporary examples. A Convenient Hatred could just as easily been called A Convenient History, as it illustrates the magnitude of anti-Jewish vitriol, loathing and detestation over the ages, leading to a unique and mendacious version of history that blames Jews for impossibly disparate and disconnected events and catastrophes.
Ms. Goldstein has produced a masterful exposition on the vulnerability of Jews throughout history, highlighting how malicious pagan and Christian leaders exploited the Jewish people. She also addresses the unending value of education within Jewish culture, a trait that has served them well for dozens of centuries. That Jews have been able to survive at all seems miraculous, considering the fact that until recently, Jews were largely forbidden from owning land and property and from most skilled occupations--including crafts and guilds--and were forced to take up the most distasteful occupation among Christians: money lending.
A Convenient Hatred is a profoundly authoritative resource for educators. Its examples, stories, references, maps, pictures, and illustrations bring the history of the Jews to life in a powerful way not experienced since James Michener's The Source, a work of fiction.
A Convenient Hatred communicates the magnitude of anti-Jewish prejudice throughout the centuries, offering well-researched examples of why so many people throughout time have found it convenient to hate Jews. A Convenient Hatred belongs globally in every high-school history classroom. With impeccable references and well-researched examples, Ms. Goldstein has created a tour de force.
The author carefully examines the origins of anti-Semitism in an age when Jews were forced from their ancestral homes and temples in ancient Israel to Europe and Asia. She methodically details the separation of Jews from Christians leading to centuries of Jewish slavery, incarceration, and extermination during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, The Reformation, and the English Expulsion.
The rise of the Islamic empire and holy wars are also carefully explored. Centuries of intolerance produced the Diaspora, in which Jews fled to safe haven in places far and wide, but were again faced with extermination when blamed for the Black Death (plague) across Europe. This marked a period in which Jews were charged with ritual murder and blood libel; as well, the Talmud was universally attacked by Christians and Muslims. Jews were also almost universally oppressed during the Dark Ages. They sought reprieve in places as disparate as Poland and the Ottoman Empire. But for hundreds of years, Jews remained ostracized, antagonized, and isolated.
The ages of enlightenment and nationalism are also painstakingly explored. Ms. Goldstein proffers "the power of publicity" as a tool used by anti-Semites to attack and condemn Jews in a prolific manner.
The same level of discriminating detail continues in an examination of anti-Semitism during Renaissance France and Russia, continuing into the age of nationalism and World War I. Ms. Goldstein carefully describes the consistent deleterious effect of anti-Jewish propaganda in incongruent Renaissance societies with France being democratic and Russia communist.
The age of written communication via printing presses almost immediately delivered anti-Semitic books, such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, one of the most significant attacks upon Jews. She describes Hitler's rise to power largely upon the backs of Jews, through propaganda and putsches by the proletariat against Germany's Jewish population. The "turning point" came in 1941 with the Nazi establishment of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question."
Finally, Ms. Goldstein adroitly illustrates anti-Semitism after the Holocaust, throughout the Cold War, and into contemporary society, which she calls, "a convenient hatred." Here, nationalism and xenophobia collide in a perfect storm of bigotry and persecution. The result of this collision is a brainwashing of impoverished youth, the economically and socially oppressed, and the politically disadvantaged, resulting in a unified hatred of all things Jewish, especially Israel.
Ms. Goldstein calls to mind a speech by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, in which he states that we cannot judge contemporary Germans for the genocide perpetrated by their ancestors. At the same time, all Germans can be held accountable for preserving the memory of the Holocaust--for its link from past to future holds in the balance the potential for the survival of the human spirit as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
A Convenient Hatred is a powerful, historically astute, contemporary masterpiece and a superb illustration of prejudice. It is a groundbreaking educational tool and an indispensable textbook for students of history, anthropology, psychology, and sociology. Phyllis Goldstein's cogent examination of the history of anti-Semitism is a seminal work, lucidly explaining the magnitude of illogical hatred and its centuries-old influence against the Jews.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob's Courage
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By Al Frank
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am almost half way through the book (~350 readable pages) and started reading this only 2 days ago. I consider myself a slow reader but this book and subject matter is very interesting and reads easily. I never understood why the world hates Jews no matter where they are, who they are, or what they do but this book explains it clearly using historical documents and eyewitness accounts. This book does a great job of showing exactly where the hatred and antisemitism started, how it evolved, how and why it was and continues to be perpetuated. If I were a member of the school board, this is a book that I would make required reading for every highschooler. Any one with an interest in either world history, history of antisemitism, and even history of Israel would appreciate having read it. Phyllis Goldstein has written one of the best history books in my opinion.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an urban public high school chemistry teacher my usual home reading is fiction for entertainment. This book appeared too important to ignore.
Many people believe that the success of individual Jews proves antisemitism no longer exists. There has been improvement but Nazi Germany is part of modern history. Pope John the XXIII excused the Jews of blame for the death of Christ, part of Catholic dogma for almost 2000 years, only 60 years ago.
Today Jews get blamed for the failures of Wall Street and almost every problem in the Islamic world.
Unfortunately, this excellent work is too relevant in current events. The contemporary style makes the book especially readable, informative and disturbing. I learned things I didn't want to know but the issues can effect all of us.
Many people believe that the success of individual Jews proves antisemitism no longer exists. There has been improvement but Nazi Germany is part of modern history. Pope John the XXIII excused the Jews of blame for the death of Christ, part of Catholic dogma for almost 2000 years, only 60 years ago.
Today Jews get blamed for the failures of Wall Street and almost every problem in the Islamic world.
Unfortunately, this excellent work is too relevant in current events. The contemporary style makes the book especially readable, informative and disturbing. I learned things I didn't want to know but the issues can effect all of us.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, thorough book
This book came highly recommended to me by the director of the International School of Holocaust Studies at Yad Va Shem in Jerusalem, Israel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Barbara Aharoni
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good and easy read , well researched.
In an easy to read book it gives a good over view of how we got to were we are.
I will continue to use this as a refference book in my collection of books in this... Read more
I will continue to use this as a refference book in my collection of books in this... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. S. Winston
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism
This is a very informative book. I am Jewish but learned things I never knew about antisemitism from this book..
Published 3 months ago by Beverly A. Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended text
This was an excellent reference for an adult education course. The information was well presented, and I benefited from this book.
Published 3 months ago by D
5.0 out of 5 stars
an eye-opener
this is a comprehensive and interesting history. it is also depressing as it seems some things never change. Read more
Published 3 months ago by geebee
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too Simplistic
Reading level appears to be targeted at middle school. Author missed a good chance to inform a larger audience. Hmmm.
Published 4 months ago by Alan Oubre
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book.
Have just started reading it, and realize many others have questioned this subject in the same manner as I have.
Published 4 months ago by mcgundich
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Convenient Hatred The History of Antisemitism
Iove history// I had no idea what this would be about but if you have unanswered questions this is the book to read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by regina.horkun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learned more than I imagined
I am not Jewish and I bought this book to better understand why people seemingly throughout history have "hated the jews. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jeff Overman
1.0 out of 5 stars
Suffering by minorities
Was very interesting, but it seemed somewhat biased. There are other minorities that also suffered during this time also, but the author seemed to think that the suffering of the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Manuela Garrison
