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Ratings: ★★★★☆(4.2/5)
Genre: History / Jewish Studies / Holocaust Studies / Sociology / Religion

Book Review:
A Concise and Powerful Overview of a Persistent Hatred
Dan Cohn-Sherbok's ''Anti-Semitism'' is a valuable and accessible introduction to one of the most persistent and destructive hatreds in human history. In a relatively short space, the book manages to trace the complex and tragic story of Jew-hatred from its ancient origins to its contemporary manifestations.

The book is structured chronologically, moving from the pagan anti-Judaism of the Greco-Roman world, through the theological anti-Judaism of the early Church, to the persecutions, expulsions, and blood libels of the Middle Ages. It then charts the transformation of anti-Judaism into modern racial antisemitism in the 19th century, exploring the rise of pseudo-scientific theories of race and the spread of poisonous conspiracy theories like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The heart of the book, inevitably, is the Holocaust. Cohn-Sherbok provides a clear and sobering account of the Nazi genocide, the systematic murder of six million Jews. He does not dwell on the gruesome details, but he makes the horror unmistakable. The book includes a particularly powerful excerpt from Leon Weliczker Wells's memoir, ''The Janowska Road,'' which describes the forced labor of Jewish prisoners who were made to burn the bodies of their own people. The excerpt, quoted on the back cover, is a stark and unforgettable reminder of the depths of human cruelty.

The final chapters of the book bring the story up to the present, examining the rise of post-Holocaust antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and the resurgence of antisemitic incidents in Europe and elsewhere in the 21st century.

''Anti-Semitism'' is not a deeply scholarly work, but it is a reliable and readable overview. It is an excellent starting point for students, general readers, or anyone who wants to understand the history behind a hatred that continues to plague the world. It is a sobering and essential read.