Book · 2024 · Social Science
Safety through Solidarity
A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
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I spent two hours this morning reading through the book. It was very good. I strongly recommend people read it.
What they say about it
- Discussing the book6
The best things said about it
And I think this book came out really at a moment when like these conversations are needed more than ever and also at a moment when the Jewish left is just, you know, growing by leaps and bounds.
I'm Garrison Davis, and today I'm joined with authors Shane Burley and Ben Lorber who have a new book out called Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Anti-Semitism.
It is interesting looking at like how much the right-wing has been able to weaponize claims of anti-Semitism against the left. I think the term that you use in the book is selective outrage on anti-Semitism.
And you make a really good comparison in the book about how like anti-Semitic conspiracy theories inhibit a actual understanding of like the mechanisms of capital, right?
Why people recommend it
Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Anti-semitism by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber is an examination of contemporary antisemitism and strategies for combating it. On Behind the Bastards, Garrison Davis welcomed authors Shane Burley and Ben Lorber to discuss their newly published work and the challenges surrounding antisemitism. Garrison asked the authors about how the war in Gaza affected the scope of the project and how to define antisemitism, while Shane explained that antisemitism can be difficult to recognize and discuss. Garrison highlighted how the political right has weaponized claims of antisemitism against the left, utilizing the book's term selective outrage. Additionally, Shane noted the book's discussion of the ADL's historical focus on spying on left-wing activists. Garrison noted that the book arrived at a crucial moment when conversations on the topic are urgently needed and the Jewish left is experiencing significant growth. Having spent hours reading through it, Garrison praised the book as very good and strongly encouraged listeners to read it, particularly given recent events.
Every mention
Shane Burley Yeah. I mean, I think there's a few reasons for this and we talk about this in the book. 3
“Yeah. I mean, I think there's a few reasons for this and we talk about this in the book.”
“Like you know in our book we talk about how even in the 1970s and the 80s the ADL was like spying on leftwing activists as part of their pivot towards seeing the most important site of anti-semitism on what they call the radical left.”
“So, you know, we talked with lots of folks that have been sort of litmus tested when entering kind of left spaces of Alzheit. I talked to folks where other organizers asked to see their passport before they were allowed to come to meetings.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker11
“I'm Garrison Davis, and today I'm joined with authors Shane Burley and Ben Lorber who have a new book out called Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Anti-semitism.”
“So, I guess, how long have you been putting together this book? And how much did the war in Gaza this past year kind of change the scope of it as you were writing this?”
“Would one of you be willing to give like a workable definition of anti-mitism? Because this is a word that's certainly been used a lot, but I think it's a word that signifies possibly a lot of different things.”
“It is interesting looking at like how much the right-wing has been able to weaponize claims of anti-semitism against the left. I think the term that you use in the book is selective outrage on anti-semitism”
“Yeah, I did like there was this part in the book where you were talking about the good Jew bad Jew binary specifically on the left where there's like a minority of Jews who identify as anti or non-Zionist”
“I feel like some people think they can just like control f Jews to Zionists and like I if you're able to control f Jews to Zionists and the sentence still works that means that you're doing it wrong”
“And you make a really good comparison in the book about how like anti-semitic conspiracy theories inhibit a actual understanding of like the mechanisms of capital, right? Like it it makes you unable to actually like analyze how capitalism operates.”
“Something else you also bring up in the book is like Marxist Leninism has a very mixed history with their relationship to anti-semitism.”
“It's kind of like a cowardly way out because as you point out in the book, it's kind of hell to actually have to deal with and work with people who have some degree of like morally compromised politics”
“And I think this book came out really at a moment when like these conversations are needed more than ever and also at a moment when the Jewish left is just, you know, growing by leaps and bounds.”
“Thank you both so much for coming on to talk about these not very fun topics. I spent two hours this morning reading through the book. It was very good. I strongly recommend people read it”
