Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left

JEAN AMÉRY was born in Vienna in 1912 as Hans Maier. As a young man, he trained as a bookseller and attended lectures on philosophy and literature. In the mid 1930s he edited a literary journal and wrote his first novel. When the Nazis came to power in Austria in 1938, he fled to Belgium and joined the resistance there. He was caught distributing leaflets and was tortured and sent to Auschwitz. He survived Auschwitz and after the war made his home in Brussels, changing his name to Jean Améry. His most famous works available in English include At the Mind's Limits, On Aging, and On Suicide.Lars Fischer is a professional translator.

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.- David Mikics (Tablet) Essays on Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and the Left is a personal life-wrenching collection of writings by Jean Améry- Zev Garber, Los Angeles Valley College. (Reading Religion) 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.- Pavel Brunssen (H-Antisemitism H-net) 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.(H-Antisemitism) 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."- Daniel Mallock (New English Review)

• ForewordIntroductionEssays1. On the Impossible Obligation to Be a Jew2. Between Vietnam and Israel3. Virtuous Antisemitism4. The New Left's Approach to "Zionism"5. Jews, Leftists, Leftist Jews6. The New Antisemitism7. Shylock, Kitsch, and Its Hazards8. Virtuous Antisemitism9. The Limits of Solidarity10. My JewishnessEpilogueNote on SourcesBiographical TimelineContributor BiographiesIndex