Critically Discussing Neumann’s “What is Anti-Semitism?”

Introduction

Neumann’s essay What is Anti-Semitism? critically discusses the use and abuse of “anti-Semitism” while highlighting two main issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 1. Israel’s decades old settlement practices, and 2. Israel’s crimes against humanity. Neumann thinks anti-Semitism is often inappropriately invoked to explain (or explain away) criticisms of Israel, serving as a diversion from the real issues of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Neumann also believes “that Israel, backed by a pronounced majority of Jews, happens to be waging a race war against the Palestinians …”. It is important to understand, therefore, that Neumann is making a very strong claim by characterizing Jewish actions toward Palestinians in terms of a race war. He believes he (you, me) can make this claim - based on the facts - and it is not anti-Semitic to do so. Indeed, he thinks it is our moral obligation.

Neumann discusses three arguments where anti-Semitism does too much work. He then discusses what anti-Semitism actually is before challenging numerous contemporary views about anti-Semitism’s prevalence and actual threat to world Jewry. He concludes noting the group most commonly being persecuted at present, making the case that logically, this group deserves all the alerts, watches and vigilance (in short, all the press) given to the far less persecuted Jew.

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