Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left

From the late '60s on, Améry was a frequent presence in Germany's press and was often on the radio, a living reminder of what so many Germans wanted to repress. Now Indiana University Press has issued Améry's Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left, which contains Améry's polemic for Israel, and against the German left's endorsement of Palestinian terror. These vital works continue to haunt us, as Améry would have wanted.

Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left is a personal life-wrenching collection of writings by Jean Améry

Améry saw leftist antisemitism as dangerous not so much because of antisemitic intentions but because the new moral masquerade of anti-Zionism turns antisemitic content into something virtuous and respectable.

Améry develops an illuminating triangle viewpoint as he examines the interrelationship between antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and the New Left. In his critique of "virtuous antisemitism" (also: "latent antisemitism"), he unmasks its dangers and emphasizes the importance of vigilance in the face of changing ideologies.

It is a valuable and frustrating collection. It is valuable because Améry is an important voice from the Left-critical of his colleagues for their moral, ethical, and intellectual failures particularly relating to Jews and Israel. It is frustrating because Améry sees Jew hate/antisemitism as "ineradicable."