Loved this book. Lots of interesting information to digest. This is a great read for anyone who loves to read about history. Very well written. The title Why the Jews? I’ve often wondered this too

This book is thought provoking. To read it around the time of Passover when there have been so many outbreaks of anti-semitism in recent years both from the far right and the far left, is timely. Many of the witnesses to the Holocaust are gone. For a brief time, in my childhood, not long after WW II, the shock and horror of what was perpetrated silenced many voices, although anti-semitism was pernicious but less obvious. Hatred of Jews is different from racism. Whereas racism is hatred against people who look and act differently to you, the Jews around the world do not look too dissimilar and for many, they have integrated and assimilated into the cultures of the countries in which they live.

The book examines why Jews have suffered from pervasive hatred throughout history. Why have they, time and again, been the handy scapegoats for whatever is perceived wrong with society. It is well documented and considered and while nothing can truly explain why so often in history, attempts have been made to eradicate a people whose identity nevertheless has survived for thousand upon thousands of years.

I have sincere doubt that anything in this book will dissuade a hater from hating. Nor will it eliminate the lies and the vitriol. What it will do, to those whose minds are open, is provide food for thought.. It seeks answers where there are none and continues to ask the question- why the Jews.

Five purrs and two paws up.

An interesting book which packs a lot of ideas into its short page count. I'm not sure I can agree with where Halter ultimately lands in his attempt to answer the question posed in the title; it seems to rely a little too heavily on the general public understanding more about Judaism and Jewishness than I think the majority of us actually do, but I think it's a question which is probably ultimately unanswerable anyway.

Although I expected a more direct attempt to engage with the question of the book's title, a good third of the book turned out to be a historicising of the writing of the Ten Commandments rather than grappling with the question at hand. Halter clearly has an impressive breadth of ideas and influences, evidenced by the numerous philosophers and theorists he quotes from (Durkheim works particularly well here with his theory of scapegoating) and I feel like perhaps this book would have worked better if Halter had the space to go off on the tangents he evidently enjoys, and which are often ideologically fruitful. In a short work like this, it sometimes felt more as though the tangents evaded the central thesis.

As I say, it was an interesting book, but not necessarily one I feel gave me as much insight as I expected.

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Why the Jews?: The Need to Scapegoat by Marek Halter (translated by Grace McQuillan) is a collection of short essays examining the titled question. Mr. Halter is a French citizen born in Poland, he is the founder of the International Committee for a Negotiated Peace Agreement in the Near East and played a crucial role in the organization of the first official meetings between Palestinians and Israelis.

This book is short, but thought provoking. The question of “why the Jews?” has been asked for centuries without a good answer other than racism, probably because there isn’t one. As is tradition in the Jewish religion the book asks a lot of poignant, hard hitting questions but gives very few answers.
Why the Jews?: The Need to Scapegoat by Marek Halter, might not have many answers, but it does make you think.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise, again, in Europe and the United States (not a surprise for many, including the author I’m sure), and in these essays Mr. Halter tries to deconstruct several preconceived prejudices about the Jews and all the perceived evils they are responsible for. Many of these notions, of course, do not pass the “laugh test” for any person with a drop of critical thinking skills. Throughout his lifelong journey, the author recounts of meetings he had with many famous thinkers including David Ben Gurion and Jean-Paul Sartre, who both had some insight, but – again – no answers.

Mr. Halter tries to understand and investigate where the hatred towards Jews comes from. He goes back very far to do so, even trying to get an explanation by examining the behavior of Moses and the Ten Commandments, an interesting exercise, but a futile one. I, for one, think that trying to explain hatred and anti-Semitism by delving into, or blaming, religious texts is, frankly, a bit lazy. For generations the haters used religious nonsense to justify their pre-existing, or learned, notions. Deep down, however, even they knew its ridiculous drivel, at best, speaking only to weak minded losers trying to blame their own incompetence and bad decisions on others.

I appreciated the tone of the book, more investigative than preachy, which servers it well. Great job by translator Grace McQuillan who managed to keep the tone throughout on this difficult subject . I thought the author’s conclusion was on point, and probably the best one could hope for.
Ironically it comes from Pope John Paull II: “Do not be afraid!”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own. thanks to NG and the publisher for this opportunity.
I found this book interested since the title is an age old question and one I truly didn't understand. I'm not sure i understand it a whole lot better after reading this and not sure i can subscribe to the author's rationale. however it is an interesting read, made more so due to the author's inclusion of his own experiences with anti-semitism. I think i might have been looking for more in the world's history...but this was thought provoking. The fact that anti-Jewish sentiment is still occurring 75 years after WW II and the "never again" sentiment is very interesting. More so as people from the era are growing older and disappearing.

I've read a lot of books in the past year about Judaism and the struggles the Jewish people have been through since recorded history. What made this one unique, in my opinion, is that it is filled with memories and events of the author's life as well as some generally good information on antisemitism and the problems that it is still creating for society at large, and for the Jewish people specifically.

The author does not shy away from the truth, that this is still happening, that Jews are still targets and that now Israel gives some people another reason to make judgements against Jewish peope. With all of the upheaval over equality that society has faced in the last year, I think it is important that we continue to publish and support books with clear mesages against hatred. That is what this book does, and does it well.

My only critical comment of this work, is that I felt there was so much more that could have and should have been said. It was too short, although there was no wasted space and no extra words just for lengthening the manuscript, and that was nice, it could have covered more ground comfortably.

Still, if you have a moment or two, and you want to spend it reading, please consider this book. It may surprise you.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own

This is a short and thought-provoking book. What separates this work from some of the other recent (and worthy) books on anti-Semitism is that it is filled with Halter’s personal story and reminiscences. It is a quick and important read. It certainly makes the reader think!