Poisoning the Wells

In the United States, antisemitism has once again risen, and is spread in all our major institutions and political and cultural venues.  In a series of essays by leading scholars, this work provides a detailed analysis of contemporary antisemitism and examines its origins, development, and alarming implications for the future.

In twenty-first century America, antisemitism is on the rise, especially on the extreme left, the radical right, and within political Islamism. Expressions of this oldest hatred are also increasingly prevalent in popular culture, where they are spread by politicians, entertainers and celebrities, the media, social justice activists, and religious leaders, as well as in universities, in schools, on the streets, and even, in some instances, by Jews. Once, Jews regarded the United States as die Goldene Medina–the Golden Land–where they could escape persecution and finally be free. However, this dream has not been realized and major trends are moving in the opposite direction. In Poisoning the Wells, leading scholars analyze contemporary antisemitism in the United States.

Foreword

Charles Asher Small, Founder and Executive Director of ISGAP

Introduction: The End of Jewish Innocence: Antisemitism in Contemporary America
Corinne E. Blackmer and Andrew Pessin

1. Antisemitism in Jewish American Academia
Edward Alexander

2. Pinkwashing Antisemitism: The Origins of Queer Anti-Israel Discourse
R. Amy Elman

3. Left Antisemitism: The Rhetoric and Activism of Jewish Voice for Peace
Miriam F. Elman

4. Holocaust Denial on the Web: Confronting the Future of Antisemitism
Joel Finkelstein, Corinne E. Blackmer, and Charles Rubin

5. Intersectionality and the Jews: Theory and Praxis
Elliot Kaufman

6. The Rise of Black Antisemitism: An All Too Familiar Tension Returns
James Kirchick

7. Why So Many Social Scientists Misunderstand Contemporary Antisemitism
Neil J. Kressel

8. “Falling Down a Rabbit Hole:” Antisemitism Becomes the New Normal at Oberlin College
Melissa Landa

9. Micro-Boycotts: Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism in the Personal Boycott Movement
Cary Nelson

10. “Happy Dhimmis, Happy Darkeys”: Myths Past and Present
Eunice G. Pollack and Steven H. Norwood

11. Crusaders for Armageddon: Christian Zionism and Antisemitism in the United States
Molly Benjamin Patterson

12. Epistemic Antisemitism, or “Good People Gone Wild:” How Decent People Can Be Antisemites and Not Even Know It
Andrew Pessin

13. The Perpetual Scapegoat: Antisemitism in the Ideology and Activities of Hate Groups in the United States before and after Trump’s Election 

Ashley V. Reichelmann, Stanislav Vysotsky, and Jack Levin 

14. Antisemitism, Soft Jihad, and Extremism in US and Canadian Universities: The Contextualization of National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP)

Charles Asher Small and David Patterson

15. Israel as the Repugnant Other: Anti-Zionism in Liberal Protestant Denominations

Dexter Van Zile

16. The University of California Principles against Intolerance: Efforts to Integrate Them into Campus Policy and Practice

Kenneth Waltzer

Contributors

Index