Saying No to Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America

by Norman H. Finkelstein Narrated by Josh Bloomberg

Overview

Saying No to Hate grounds listeners contextually in the history of antisemitism in America by emphasizing the legal, political, educational, communal, and other strategies American Jews have used through the centuries to address high-profile threats.



Norman H. Finkelstein shows how antisemitism has long functioned in America in systemic, structural, and interpersonal ways, from missionaries, the KKK, and American Nazis to employment discrimination, social media attacks, and QAnon. He explains how historic antisemitic events such as General Ulysses S. Grant's General Order No. 11 (1862); the Massena, New York blood libel (1928); and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue (2018) galvanized the Jewish community. Finkelstein shines light on Jews such as Louis Brandeis and Admiral Hyman Rickover who succeeded despite discrimination and on individuals and organizations that have tackled legal and security affairs, from the passage of Maryland's Jew Bill (1826) to groups helping Jewish institutions better protect themselves from active shooter threats.



Far from a victim narrative, Saying No to Hate is as much about Jewish resilience and ingenuity as it is about hatred. Engaging high school students and adults with personal narratives, it prepares each of us to recognize, understand, and confront injustice and hatred today, in the Jewish community and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

While the alarming increase in antisemitism in the U.S. is cause for concern, storyteller Norman Finkelstein shows us this is just the latest iteration of prejudice Jews have fought on these shores for hundreds of years. Saying No to Hate should be required in every high school and college, and encouraged as necessary for adults as well, for its promise to open needed dialogues about long-standing hatred of Jews and the Jewish community’s courage and perseverance in combating it. More than a book, this is a tool for strengthening our society.”—Rabbi Charles E. Savenor, executive director, Civic Spirit


“Learning to recognize how antisemitism functions in America in systemic, structural, and interpersonal ways—which Norman Finkelstein teaches masterfully, in tandem with robust stories of Jewish resilience and courage—will help both adolescents and adults address instances of injustice and hatred today, in the Jewish community and beyond.”—Rabbi Laura Bellows, curriculum designer and facilitator of teen and adult learning programs

Kirkus Reviews

2024-02-10
A survey of the origins and history of antisemitism and how only a vigorous response from the community can stop it.

Finkelstein (1941-2024), a two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Awards, begins with the New Testament: “Embedded in its messages of love and compassion is a clear contempt for Jews and Judaism.” The author then concentrates on Jewish settlement in early America and resistance to it, e.g., by New Amsterdam governor Peter Stuyvesant, who called Jews a “deceitful race.” Nevertheless, the Jewish community grew, and many prominent Jews supported the American Revolution, including Haym Solomon, who helped finance it. In response to Jewish nervousness about equal treatment in the new republic, George Washington assured them in a 1790 letter that “all possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” Finkelstein shows how Jews fervently believed in America’s promise of equality and opportunity, despite efforts to restrict them. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln swiftly countermanded Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s outrageous Order No. 11 expelling all Jews from his military district, which covered parts of three states. In the decades to come, the swelling of Jewish immigration would create a powerful new voting bloc. The 1915 lynching of Leo Frank and the fomenting of anti-Jewish feelings by Henry Ford were counterbalanced by the creation of the Anti-Defamation League and the appointment of Louis Brandeis to the Supreme Court. The author also examines the important relationship between Jews and African Americans during the civil rights struggle. The rise of Israel has been both a boon in public perception of Jews and, in recent years, a negative, as Zionism has been equated with racism. After the 2018 Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh and other antisemitic violence, Finkelstein emphasizes the importance of education.

A brief, even-toned overview of American antisemitism, suitable for all readers.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194475223
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/07/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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