Book Description: John Mann, Antisemitism : The Oldest Hatred

Bibliographic Information: 
Mann, John. Antisemitism: The Oldest Hatred ; [Essays, Speeches and Other Writings]. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. 
ISBN: 978-1-4729-2076-8 978-1-4729-2075-1

Summary

John Mann is a British political figure who served for many years as a Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party. Mann is not Jewish. He represented a constituency with few Jewish members. Nevertheless, he made the fight against antisemitism a central pillar of his public career. In 2019, around the time it raised him to the House of Lords, the British Government appointed Mann to a critical coordinating role in the national efforts to combat antisemitism.

Context

Antisemitism: The Oldest Hatred appeared in 2015 while Mann still served as a Labour Party MP. The subtitle describes it as a compilation of essays, speeches, and other writings. The book includes over thirty contributions, along with explanatory notes. The components are united in espousing the need to fight bigotry. Still, not all of them deal directly or at length with antisemitism. Some are inspirational and well known in the discussion of antisemitism. Zola’s “J’Accuse” comes to mind. Some are well known, but it is not clear why they appear in a compilation that declares itself about Jew-Hatred. Anwar Sadat’s Address to the Knesset during his 1977 historic trip to Israel is an example. So does Charlie Chaplin’s anti-Nazi speech in his film “The Great Dictator.” Other examples include the work of people who participated in the discussion of antisemitism, particularly in Europe. However, their significance for contemporary discussion may not be significant. Moreover, not all wrote with the panache of Barack Obama. His “A More Perfect Union” is an eloquent repudiation of bigotries expressed by the pastor of his erstwhile church community. In short, not all of the documents employed in this compilation belong there.

Style

Style varies, as noted above. Some of the documents are a joy to read, inspirational, and moving. Others will be hard to tie in with a discussion focused on antisemitism (as opposed, for example, to a broad debate about the history of Zionism). Some employ language that is hard to accept today. One, Winston Churchill’s disturbingly antisemitic essay “A Struggle for the Soul of the Jewish People,” seems out of place in this book. Unless, perhaps, it is to illustrate the embedded nature of antisemitism even among people who may see themselves taking philosemitic positions. Mann’s editorial comments address this, but inadequately.

Classroom

Having this book in your library can save a lot of running around if you seek to locate some of its documents. However, they must be carefully selected for use. Moreover, Mann’s editorial comments are not extensive or deep enough to contextualize each of the documents in the context of teaching about antisemitism.