The Left, the Right and the Jews

Download or read book The Left, the Right and the Jews written by W.D. Rubinstein and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-16 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1982, this book examines anti-semitism in the Western world. The author concludes that, fringe neo-Nazi groups notwithstanding, significant anti-semitism is largely a left-wing rather than a right-wing phenomenon. He finds that Jews have reacted to this change in their situation and in attitudes towards them by making a shift to the right in most Western countries, with the major exception of the United States. Considering the contribution of Jews to socialist thought from Marx onwards and the equally lengthy history of right-wing anti-semitism, this shift is one of the most significant in Jewish history. This movement to the right is discussed in separate chapters, as is Soviet anti-semitism and the status of the State of Israel. Examined in depth are the implications of this shift in attitude for Jewish philosophy and self-identity.