Subject and Thesis Statement
Antisemitism is one of the commonly discussed themes in American society and worldwide. Regarding the presence of facts and data falsification, it is not always easy for ordinary citizens to create a specific opinion and stay confident in the correctness of the chosen position. The contributions made by Deborah Lipstadt cannot be ignored in the current analysis, and her book Antisemitism: Here and Now is a solid source for consideration. The chapter “A Matter of Antisemitism, not History” focuses on evaluating facts, opinions, lies, and truths about antisemitism shared by supporters and deniers. The main idea of this reading is to show how to understand and treat historical views and recognize true and false statements. Lipstadt informs that her decision to investigate such a specific topic provoked multiple discussions because of the “dubious distinction” between the documents about the Holocaust (140). She admits that all survivors must be wrong if deniers are right, and all documents must be proved false (Lipstadt 140). Thus, the number of illogical arguments and confronting contradictions continue to grow, and it is important to investigate all pros and cons to reinforce antisemitism ideas.
Summary of Content
The chapter begins with the letter from Abigail to Professor Lipstadt and the desire to know why, despite the already made achievements and discoveries about antisemitism, deniers’ opinions are still taken seriously and affect society. Lipstadt agrees that such questions regularly occur and that many people want to research the topic in the Jewish and eastern or western European context (140). First, the author addresses the historical overview of the details, the confessions made by perpetrators, and the arguments shared by victims. Then, she underlines the illogic nature of statements with respect to Hitler’s letter and other Third Reich documentation.
The next step in Lipstadt’s discussion is to prove the implausibility of the deniers’ arguments that leads to extremism (143). The climax of her evaluation is that antisemitism is never about history only but about attacks, discredit, and demonization of Jews that provoked financial and moral burdens (Lipstadt 143-144). In her conclusion, the author mentions the impact of social media and deniers’ threat only as another source of information, not objective but rather subjective. It is impossible to neglect all Holocaust deniers, but they could never become worthy equivalents to theories and evidence.
Critical Comments
In my opinion, the author’s treatment of the subject matter seems to be appropriate and sufficient because the goals were properly identified and achieved through the examination of objective facts and observations. The purpose of the reading is based on one of Abigail’s letters, where she questions the impact of antisemitism deniers. Lipstadt identifies the grounds for such worries and explains how she wants to cooperate with the reader. At the end of the chapter, the author repeats the question and answers that there is always room for concern (Lipstadt 144). In this way, her contribution to the field remains remarkable because she neither denies the worth of antisemitism opponents nor accepts their position. Considering all available information, observations, opinions, and attitudes, it is hard to conclude if it is correct to define the Holocaust as the “genocide of such proportions” (Lipstadt 141). Still, it is useless to try to prove that it was not real or innocent.
The objectivity of the author’s treatment of the problem is supported by mentioning the current steps and words. For example, despite being a global political player, the German government supported the necessity to build a memorial to murdered Jews, admitting the country’s relation to military murders (Lipstadt 141). Relying on the facts, people could not ignore the birth of a new neo-Nazi group. Its representatives celebrate Hitler’s birthday, wear uniforms, repeat the specific salute, and add swastikas to their bodies and places of living (Lipstadt 142). The Second World War was a terrible experience for all nations, and if people begin to appreciate those traditions and terror, they demonstrate the ambiguity of most historical events and achievements.
Therefore, Lipstadt succeeds in her interpretation of the details and does not omit evidence that is present today. Someone could find enough reasons for proving the Holocaust as the myth the Jews created to obtain an independent state and financial support from Germany (Lipstadt 144). The author supports her position that deniers should not be ignored because many schools continue developing their programs on the fact that the Holocaust did not exist. This approach allows for interpreting the same data to alternate ends because some young individuals are raised with the idea that the Jews were not victims but predators who achieved their goals at all costs.
In general, the book raises many significant issues for discussion about absenteeism and the Holocaust. Instead of giving clear definitions and arguments, Lipstadt initiates a talk about how people who support and oppose the Holocaust emerge and what makes them think this particular way. It happens that both sides have enough subjective and objective arguments, and it is their right to use them for their purposes. The chapter verifies the fact that the Holocaust is a part of the world’s history, but it remains a free choice to everyone either to explain it as the most terrible genocide or an unfair falsification of facts.
Work Cited
Lipstadt, Deborah E. Antisemitism: Here and Now. Schocken Books, 2019.