Because They Were Jews: A History of Antisemitism

In Because They Were Jews, Meyer Weinberg examines the history of antisemitism in twelve representative countries from ancient times to the present. His selection includes the eight European countries with the largest number of Jews, as well as countries where Jews amounted to less than one percent of the population. He raises questions about traditional approaches to the study of antisemitism and chooses instead to analyze it as a systematic pattern emerging from particular political situation. A comprehensive discussion includes anti-Jewish actions in education, employment, housing, government and religion in each of the twelve countries. Concluding chapters integrate the material on each country and analyze similarities and differences. A bibliographic essay provides an exhaustive guide to the English-language references on this topic.