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Saying No to Hate grounds readers 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.
In this timely volume, Finkelstein—whose previous books include two National Jewish Book Award winners, also published by JPS –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.
“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,” said Rabbi Charles E. Savenor, Executive Director of Civic Spirit. “Saying No to Hate should be required in every high school and college. More than a book, this is a tool for strengthening our society.”
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.
“Especially during a time when so many of us find ourselves confronting truly frightening levels of antisemitism, hatred, and polarization,” wrote Dr. Elias Sacks, Director of JPS, “we are proud to publish a book that exemplifies the moral passion, deep knowledge, and profound integrity that Norman H. Finkelstein brought to everything that he wrote. May his memory be for a blessing.”
Rabbi Laura Bellows, a curriculum designer and facilitator of teen and adult learning programs, added that “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.”
In a recent review, Publishers Weekly praised the book, noting that “two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Finkelstein…draws on exhaustive research for an account that’s comprehensive, accessible, and nuanced.”
For more information, please visit jps.org.
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About The Jewish Publication Society:
Since 1888, The Jewish Publication Society has been the preeminent not-for-profit publisher of books at the heart of Jewish life in the English-speaking world. The mission of JPS is to promote accessible scholarship, presenting the very best of Jewish learning in an intellectually rigorous and engaging way to a broad public. As a non-partisan, non-denominational organization, JPS brings voices from across the Jewish tradition, past and present, into conversations at the heart of contemporary life, ensuring that Jewish sources continue to speak in an ever-changing world. JPS is proud to partner with the University of Nebraska Press, which produces and distributes JPS books.
Contact:
Deena Schoenfeld
JPS Director of Communications and Marketing
dschoenfeld@jps.org
(215) 832-0601
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