Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England
Search in google:
Trials of the Diaspora is a ground-breaking book that reveals the full history of anti-Semitism in England. Anthony Julius focuses on four distinct versions of English anti-Semitism. He begins with the medieval persecution of Jews, which included defamation, expropriation, and murder, and which culminated in 1290 when King Edward I expelled all the Jews from England. Turning to literary anti-Semitism, Julius shows that negative portrayals of Jews have been continuously present in English literature from the anonymous medieval ballad "Sir Hugh, or the Jew's Daughter," through Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, to T. S. Eliot and beyond. The book then moves to a depiction of modern anti-Semitism—a pervasive but contained prejudice of insult and exclusion that was experienced by Jews during their "readmission" to England in the mid-17th century through the late 20th century. The final chapters detail the contemporary anti-Semitism that emerged in the late 1960s and the 1970s and continues to be present today. It treats Zionism and the State of Israel as illegitimate Jewish enterprises, and, in Julius's opinion, now constitutes the greatest threat to Anglo-Jewish security and morale. A penetrating and original work, Trials of the Diaspora is sure to provoke much comment and debate. The Barnes & Noble Review At 811 pages, which includes 194 pages of notes, the sheer heft of Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England might easily provoke some prospective readers into secretly waiting for a less monumental history, perhaps British Jew-Baiting for Dummies. I say this not to diminish the commitment, clarity, or scholarship of Anthony Julius's most worthwhile book, but to point out that a work of this kind relies upon a dual but asynchronous investment on the part of author and reader. In this case, the profound nature of the former's contribution is without a doubt; Julius's deep emotional commitment to the subject is a link between his career as a lawyer and writer. As for the matter of the reader's dedication, I don't believe Julius wrote this book with a specific audience in mind, but a specific obligation to discharge.
Acknowledgements ixIntroduction xiiiPart I Contexts1 Enmities 32 Defamations 69Part II Versions3 Medieval English Anti-Semitism 1054 English Literary Anti-Semitism 1485 Modern English Anti-Semitism 2426 The Mentality of Modern English Anti-Semitism 3487 Contemporary Secular Anti-Zionisms 4418 Contemporary Confessional Anti-Zionisms, and a Conclusion 532Notes 589Extract acknowledgements 784Index 785
