The Definition of Anti-Semitism

Abstract

This book explores, in the context of the new anti-Semitism, the question that has become central to its field of scholarship: What is anti-Semitism? Efforts to define “anti-Semitism” have been complicated by the disreputable origins of the term, the discredited sources of its etymology, the diverse manifestations of the concept, and the contested politics of its applications. Some authors have indeed argued that the task of defining anti-Semitism is so hopeless that the term should be abandoned altogether, but none has provided an acceptable substitute. Nevertheless the task is an important one, not only because definitional clarity is required for the term to be understood, but also because the current conceptual confusion prevents resolution of many incidents in which anti-Semitism is manifested. The book explains how the failure to properly define anti-Semitism has exacerbated regulatory paralysis at a regulatory agency responsible for combating it. The book explores the various ways in which anti-Semitism has been defined, demonstrates the weaknesses in prior efforts, develops a new definition of anti-Semitism, and explain the implications for efforts to combat this problem, especially in the context of the “new anti-Semitism” in American higher education and recent effort to impose boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.