The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It is bound to provoke controversy. But it's also a wakeup call, pointing to groups of particular concern as Jews try to come to grips with this disturbing phenomenon.
Chesler, who's written 11 other books, mainly on women, is also an emerita professor of psychology and women's studies.
Her central argument here is that a worldwide coalition of Islamic terrorists, misinformed university students, leftwing academics and other likeminded people has carried on a campaign, since 9/11, of demonizing Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
"Something awful is happening to the world's Jews," Chesler says at the beginning of her book. "If the daily violence and demented propaganda against them is not effectively countered, I fear that the Jews may again be sacrificed to a world gone mad and in search of a sacred scapegoat."
As the above quotation suggests, Chesler is often shrill, but she makes some convincing arguments.
Osama Bin-Laden, she notes, called the September 11 attacks on the U.S. as "blessed attacks against the infidel...the new Christian-Jewish crusade." Bin-Laden explained that the World Trade Centre's twin towers had been destroyed because of American support for Israel.
"Jews and Zionists" are being "blamed for 9/11 in Chinese as well as in Arabic. Nobel Prize winners, European and American academics, antiglobalization activists, and Jews on the Left have all condemned Israel for daring to defend itself while remaining menacingly silent about the suicide bombing of Israeli civilians."
Chesler examines many of the above groups, one by one. Readers may not agree with her that all are necessarily working together. But her detailed study results in a scary picture of how powerful the bias is against Israel and Zionism these days, around the world.
After offering an historical overview of the "old anti-Semitism" over the millennia, based largely on Christian demonizing of Jews, she defines what she considers the new version: obsessive demonization of Israel.
"The world - including many people in the Jewish world - still seems to have one standard for Jews and the Jewish state (and it's a high standard) and another, much lower standard for everyone else."
"...What's new about the new anti-Semitism is that for the first time, it is being perpetrated in the name of antiracism and anticolonialism."
Those making the charges of "apartheid Zionism" claim to be championing the oppressed "in the name of anticolonialism, anti-imperialism, antiracism and pacificism..." So "what they say, by definition, cannot be (considered) racist....The new anti-Semites are not anti-Semites because they say they are not." The new anti-Semites can also spread their ideas instantly and often, thanks to the Internet, television and other electronic media.
Jews now are experiencing four intifadas, Chesler claims.
The first is in the Islamic world, where it's the most blatant. Chesler speaks partly from experience here. She was first married to an Afghan Muslim, living in Kabul for several years, and her second marriage, which also ended in divorce, was to an Israeli Jew.
In 2002, she notes, Egyptian TV producers turned The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious old piece of propaganda alleging an international wealthy Jewish conspiracy, into a TV series, broadcast, via satellite, to "100 million viewers a day."
Al-Manar, a Lebanese-based Shiite TV station, "broadcasts hate-Israel-all-the-time videos twenty-four seven." And an historical Middle Eastern tendency toward exaggeration in oral storytelling colors Arab media coverage of alleged Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.
The second intifada is in Europe, where Jews are being attacked with frightening frequency, partly in retaliation for "Israel's continued existence", and partly, because of a "general propaganda-driven resurgence of anti-Semitism."
In France, attacks on synagogues have become "quite common". One was burned to the ground in a Paris suburb, and worshippers were stoned at several others.
"No visibly Jewish place is a refuge for Jews," Chesler claims.
Germany, the United Kingdom and South Africa also saw sharp increases in anti-Semitic violence, starting in 2000. Perhaps Chesler's most damning indictment comes against anti-Israel university students and professors.
In North America, "divestment campaigns", pressuring university administrations to withdraw investments from Israel, were active, as of last year, on "at least 17 campuses", and being explored at another 17.
"The New McArthyism on campus consists of the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian view. No other view will be tolerated."
Academics churn out a "steady stream" of "anti-Israel courses, conferences...books" and other material and events. Feminists are also often active in the selective criticism of Israel. And like university students and academics, they include a disturbing number of Jews. Chesler agrees that criticism of Israeli government policy is sometimes warranted, and she's done so, herself.
But "what are we to make of those Jews who, for the last three years, have spent all their energies endlessly criticizing the Jewish state - but have not criticized the Arab and Islamic nations for using the Palestinians...and for abusing their own Arab and Muslim citizens?"
Chesler fears Diaspora Jewish leftists are afraid of appearing "too Jewish", but also acknowledges the longstanding Jewish tradition of debate and dissension.
Ultimately, the author recommends solutions for the new anti-Semitism, including Jews forming "alliances" with Christian groups to support Israel. She also suggests reaching out to Palestinian moderates, and encourages Jewish academics to set examples of "civility" on university campuses, when discussing racism, the Middle East and Jews. Chesler also provides useful statistics documenting the history of Arab terrorism against Israel, starting well before the Six Day War. She ends her book with some frequently-asked questions, and her answers.
"Aren't Jews just imagining that people are out to get them, or at least exaggerating the danger they are facing?" says question numnber one. She answers, in part: "Israel, the Jewish state, has been under daily or weekly attack from the moment of its birth."
Many will still undoubtedly contend that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to blame for much of this new anti-Semitism. And in the Western world, contrary to what Chesler suggests, Jews generally are far more broadly accepted by non-Jews than ever.
But The New Anti-Semitism is a highly-useful overview of the growing international demonization of Israel in the past few years. It also raises challenging questions for Diaposra Jews obsessed with criticizing only the Jewish state. It's worth reading for those reasons, alone.
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