Judaism, Antisemitism, and Holocaust
Making the Connections

David Patterson offers original insights into the dynamics that underlie the phenomenon of endemic antisemitism.

David Patterson (Author)

9781009100038, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 March 2022

312 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.4 cm, 0.61 kg

'… a deeply insightful exposé of anti-Semitism alongside a powerful affirmation of Jewish life amid the desolation of the post-Holocaust world … Highly recommended.' P. K. Steinfeld, Choice

In this book, David Patterson offers original insights into the dynamics that underlie the phenomenon of endemic antisemitism, arguing that in all its manifestations, antisemitism is fundamentally anti-Judaism. Structured in a unique matrix of chapters that are linked historically and theoretically, his book elucidates the interconnections that tie antisemitism with the Holocaust, as well as the Judaism that the Nazis sought to obliterate from the world. As Patterson demonstrates this is an ongoing effort and is the basis of today's antisemitism. Spelling out the historical, theological, and philosophical viewpoints that led to the Holocaust and that are with us even now, he offers insights into the basis of the hatred of Jews that permeates much of today's world. Patterson here addresses the 'big questions' that define our humanity. His volume is written for those who wish to have a deeper understanding of both the history and the current manifestations of Antisemitism.

Introduction
Part I. Judaism
1. What makes Jews Jewish?
2. The stranger, my brother
3. Exile and the movement of return
4. A reflection on the Messiah
Part II. Antisemitism: 5. The why of antisemitism
6. Word, blood, redemption: The essence of antisemitism
7. Anti-Zionism: A morally required antisemitism
8. Islamic Jihadism: The legacy of Nazi antisemitism
Part III. Holocaust: 9. The philosophical foundation of the Holocaust
10. Killing God
11. The Nazi refashioning of the image and the likeness: The Muselmann
12. The recovery of a name after the assault on the name: The testimony of diaries and memoirs.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ]