Everyday Hate
How antisemitism is built into our world – and how you can change it
Why, after all this time, are we still talking about antisemitism?
Anti-Jewish hatred is supposed to have disappeared with the Dark Ages. Medieval myths about Jews are for the history books, racism is abhorred and we all say: ‘Never again.’ Yet today anti-Jewish hate crime is rising, Jewish blood is spilt in Europe once more and arguments over antisemitism, whether in politics or literature, theatre or sport, are increasingly hard to avoid.
All this, when Jews make up less than half a per cent of the British population and most people say they bear no ill will towards Jewish people. What is going on?
It would be tempting to put this all down to a handful of extremists, but today you can find antisemitism everywhere. At a time of economic, political and social turmoil, fuelled by conspiracy theories on your smartphone and war in the Middle East, antisemitism is back.
Blending personal anecdotes, contemporary examples and historical insights, Everyday Hate takes you on a journey through this contentious and often confusing subject. Spanning Shakespeare to South Park, Covid-19 to Israel and Palestine, and ancient stereotypes to internet memes, Everyday Hate reveals the surprising truths about what antisemitism really is, why it continues to thrive and, crucially, how we can all play a part in stopping it.
There have been so many books on racism over the past few years but far fewer on antisemitism. Everyday Hate seeks to appeal to readers of writers such as Reni Eddo-Lodge, Afua Hirsch and Gary Younge who haven’t necessarily engaged with antisemitism in the same way so far.
Dr Dave Rich is one of the UK’s leading authorities on antisemitism. He has worked for almost thirty years for the Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity that protects the UK Jewish community and advises the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, football clubs, the Labour Party and many other organisations on how to tackle antisemitism. Dave appears regularly in the media to discuss antisemitism, including broadcast appearances on BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, Radio 5 Live, LBC, Panorama and Newsnight, and has written for The Guardian, the New Statesman, the New York Times, Haaretz, the Jewish Chronicle and others. This is his second book, following The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Antisemitism (Biteback, 2016 and 2018).
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