By
– December 26, 2011
Philosemitism, the idealization of Jews and Judaism, has not generated much scholarship and reflection. Too often it has been treated as either existing on the margins of non-Jewish attitudes or as a mask for anti-Semitism. The term, coined in Germany in 1880, is awkward and problematic since it was invented by avowed anti-Semites (anti-Semitism as a term was invented a few years earlier) to deride their opponents. Even though the word “philosemitism” is tainted by its association with its antonym and vague and ill-defined, the phenomenon it generally covers is worthy of careful consideration. Most of the existing work on the subject assumes one of two approaches: either that philosemitism is the exact opposite of anti-Semitism, or that it is itself a form of anti-Semitism.
This book takes a different approach, exploring the complex and nuanced interplay of positive and negative attitudes toward Jews, recognizing the problematic nature of many currents of idealization of Jews and Judaism while taking seriously the significance of non-Jewish efforts to support, defend, and appreciate the contributions of Jews to Western civilization, religious thought, literature, economics, and politics. The fourteen essays in this volume represent a broad range of disciplines and approaches from history, religious studies, literary studies, and anthropology, ranging from antiquity to the Middle Ages, to such contemporary topics as philosemitism in African American culture, the rise of Christian evangelical Zionism, philosemitic television in post-Shoah Germany and the current idealization of Eastern European Jewish culture in Poland bordering on kitch and exploitation. The book also has an extensive introductory chapter by the editors that provides a wonderful overview of the topics and a survey of the scholarly literature. In this time of increasing anti-Semitism, rising tensions in the Middle East and Europe, challenges to the legitimacy of the State of Israel and continuing threats of global terrorism, this book provides a timely and dispassionate treatment of philosemitism and a reminder that there is a rich history of positive responses to Jews and Judaism and that Jewish-non-Jewish relations should not be viewed only through the prism of anti-Semitism.
This book takes a different approach, exploring the complex and nuanced interplay of positive and negative attitudes toward Jews, recognizing the problematic nature of many currents of idealization of Jews and Judaism while taking seriously the significance of non-Jewish efforts to support, defend, and appreciate the contributions of Jews to Western civilization, religious thought, literature, economics, and politics. The fourteen essays in this volume represent a broad range of disciplines and approaches from history, religious studies, literary studies, and anthropology, ranging from antiquity to the Middle Ages, to such contemporary topics as philosemitism in African American culture, the rise of Christian evangelical Zionism, philosemitic television in post-Shoah Germany and the current idealization of Eastern European Jewish culture in Poland bordering on kitch and exploitation. The book also has an extensive introductory chapter by the editors that provides a wonderful overview of the topics and a survey of the scholarly literature. In this time of increasing anti-Semitism, rising tensions in the Middle East and Europe, challenges to the legitimacy of the State of Israel and continuing threats of global terrorism, this book provides a timely and dispassionate treatment of philosemitism and a reminder that there is a rich history of positive responses to Jews and Judaism and that Jewish-non-Jewish relations should not be viewed only through the prism of anti-Semitism.
Michael N. Dobkowski is a professor of religious studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is co-editor of Genocide and the Modern Age and On the Edge of Scarcity (Syracuse University Press); author of The Tarnished Dream: The Basis of American Anti-Semitism; and co-author of The Nuclear Predicament.
