[lbo-talk] Tony Judt on European anti-Semitism, old and new

Jim Farmelant farmelantj at juno.com
Mon Dec 20 12:23:57 PST 2004


Goodbye to All That?

by Tony Judt

"Anti-Semitism" today is a genuine problem. It is also an illusory

problem. The distinction between the two is one of those contemporary

issues that most divide Europe from the United States. The

overwhelming majority of Europeans abhors recent attacks on Jews and

Jewish institutions and takes them very seriously. But it is

generally recognized in Europe that these attacks are the product of

local circumstances and are closely tied to contemporary political

developments in Europe and elsewhere. Thus the increase in

anti-Jewish incidents in France or Belgium is correctly attributed to

young people, frequently of Muslim or Arab background, the children

or grandchildren of immigrants. This is a new and disconcerting

social challenge and it is far from clear how it should be addressed,

beyond the provision of increased police protection. But it is not,

as they say, "your grandfather's anti-Semitism."

See the rest of this article at:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050103&s=judt



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