Esau's Tears: Modern Anti-Semitism and the Rise of the Jews

by Albert S. Lindemann

Book Overview

Esau's Tears explores the remarkable and revealing variety of modern anti-Semitism, from its emergence in the 1870s in a racial-political form to the eve of the Nazi takeover, in the major countries of Europe and in the United States. Previous histories have generally been more concerned with description than analysis, and most of the interpretations in those histories have been lacking in balance. The evidence presented in this volume suggests that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521795389
• ISBN13: 9780521795388
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 600 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

lucid, frank, serious, informative

This is the second book by Albert Lindemann i read - again with pleasure. Being a professional historian, he's also a gifted, even talanted writer and philosopher. He has his own, very recognizable style, sometimes witty and aphoristic, sometimes deep and thoughtful.The book touches upon many "uncomfortable" issues, especially for a Jew, because any Jew, who attempts to come up with some more balanced approach to those issues, is immediately labeled "self-hating".Fortunately, Lindemann's credentials as a historian let his voice be heard, even if there are attempts to discredit his work. What is especially attractive, Lindemann never degrades himself (neither in his books nor in the exchanges on the Internet) by indulging in acrimony and accusations, so pervasive in writings of his opponents.To appreciate Lindemann's depth as a philosopher, one only needs to read the last chapter of this book, "Epilogue and Conclusions". It deserves, to my taste, to be published separately, as a very profound essay of Jewish history and their position in the modern world.I found chapters about Jews in Italy, about history of fascism in that country, especially interesting, but the chapters on Russian Revolution and Nazi Germany also contain many interesting facts about such supposedly well-known figures like Trotsky and Hitler.Here's a quote from the last chapter of Lindemann's book: "My inspiration ... is captured in the deceptively simple words of a famous Jew, Baruch Spinoza: "With regard to human affairs, not to laugh, not to cry, not to become indignant, but to understand."

Toward a More Balanced View of Anti-Semitism

Author Albert Lindemann has written a history of anti-Semitism that attempts to explain some of the animosity towards Jews, without blaming Jews for that animosity. He argues that books like Hitler's Willing Executioners are polemical in nature trying to convince people what an awful thing "hate" is without giving an objective view of what the tensions between Jews and Gentiles are all about. Lindemann looks at the ambivalence of attitudes towards Jews of many of the people labelled wholly anti-Semitic by later historians. Lindemann certainly does not believe that there was a rise of anti-Semitism from the late 1800s on that culminated with the Holocaust that many other historians attest to. He says the World War 2 itself opened up opportunities for the Nazis to implement the Holocaust. Lindemann believes in the Holocaust and the death count of six million Jews, but he also gives some examples of Jews sometimes exaggerating atrocities against them in other cases.Lindemann is willing to admit that the unethical behavior of some Jews causes anti-Semitism and anti-Semites are not suffering from delusional fantasies, as is often claimed. He says that anti-Semites get their views from reality and then also exaggerate with a mix of fantasy also. He thinks that Jews since the Enlightenment has helped modernize the economy of different nations, working in the professions. He says the rise of Jews brought with it corruption, but also progress, and you cannot have one without the other. He says that many a complaint of anti-Semites are plausible, but not justifiable. He could have elaborated some more on what he meant by that statement.Lindemann also gives examples of Jews in the press mocking the culture of the "commoners", such as in turn of the century Vienna and examples of some Jews stating that they wish to make the culture around them more Jewish since some consider themselves "a light unto the nations". Lindemann also goes over the issue of Jews being over-represented in positions of cultural influence, financial crimes, radical and subversive movements, draft-dodging, and other things that irritate anti-Semites; he gives plausible reasons as to why that is, such as high verbal intelligence and being disloyal to host countries that did not treat them well. Some of the anti-Semites' complaints can be attributed to envy and rivalry, knowing that these former Jewish losers are winning against the Gentiles.

A definitive study--highly recommended

This is a superbly-written, well-documented book on a subject that has the potential of evoking deep and sometimes vicious emotions. Especially thought-provoking and on-target are the preface and first chapter. In the subsequent text, Mr. Lindemann seems to bend over backwards (sometimes at excessive length) to present more than the traditional one-sided view of such "anti-Semitic" ideologues as Treitschke, Lueger, and Drumont (and notes that neither Churchill nor Roosevelt, nor any number of others, generally considered pro-Semitic, were above making what might be considered anti-Jewish comments). (The author offers the surprising revelation that German radical socialist Karl Liebknecht was not Jewish, contrary to what has been stated in at least one work on the Weimar Republic.) To conclude, as some have done, that the author finds European Jews being somehow complicit in or responsible for the tragedy that befell them is a deliberate distortion of Mr. Lindemann's argument. But equally false is the "politically correct" notion, that the causes of Jewish-Gentile friction in recent European history have been entirely one-sided. In sum, this work will surely stand as the definitive historical of this subject. There are only one or two typographical and other errors, none serious. A final remark: One would have to read through the entire book to the Epilogue and Conclusions to find that Robert Wistrich (who has critiqued Esau's Tears on this Web page) is criticized in the book as being one sided--a fact which, in better days, used to cause a potential reviewer with some sense of decency to decline the urge to strike back. Times have changed.

Must Reading for Understanding Our World

Lindemann demonstrates quite convincingly why antisemitism hasso often occurred where Jews have taken up residence. The process isinteractive, and the result is variegated, sometimes transitory and sometimes violent. The cliches (i.e., "envious Gentiles") are fully dispelled and replace with compelling and nuanced insights.At nearly 600 pages Esau's Tears is more than historical analysis--it is packed with perceptive views on culture, people, ideas, writings and events of the modern period. Early into this engrossing work I realized that one cannot possibly understand our world and society without the prism of Jewish-Gentile relations as the definitive perspective. Esau's Tears is surely the best book to provide that.It also serves as a counter-weight to recent polemical excesses, such as "Hitler's Willing Executioners," and steers us back from the emotive, ahistorical ruminations of others. At this critical point in the dialogue, Lindemann offers a dose of sense, logic and evidence. Esau's Tears is so temperate and balanced, in fact, that I honestly could not decide whether its author was Jewish or Gentile until well into it. Lindemann's style is clear, engaging and far above the expected academic norm as a pleasurable experience. At times he writes provocatively, yet always with sensitivity and fairness. I was disappointed only in Lindemann's omission of a few topics of my own interest, such as his take the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and why it found an audience. I would have liked to learn more on modern Christian antisemitism. Yet, even with these few gaps, Esau's Tears is a masterpiece, and rarely have I been sorrier to reach the conclusion of any book. In sum it is probably the best historical study I've ever read.

Recommend highly; provides through and objective analyses.

I read this book before reading any of the reviews here. That turned out to be wise. The subject matter is obviously very important and very complex. Unfortunately, it is also highly emotionally charged to many. Understandably? Definitely yes! Understandably to the degree that all objectivity is thus lost? No. I have absolutely no axe whatsoever to grind here and am submitting this brief "review" simply to encourage other readers not to be put off by some of the negative comments of others here. I found the book to be very thorough, thoughtful and well-balanced --- a rarity indeed when addressing any subject matter so sensitive. The assertion that the author or this work is somehow "anti-Semitic" is wholly unfounded and unfair.