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Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
Journalists Shane Burley and Ben Lorber present a sorely-needed progressive and intersectional approach to the vital What can we do about antisemitism?
From online trolling of Jews by the ‘alt-right’ to synagogue shootings by white nationalists to the spread of QAnon and George Soros conspiracy theories, antisemitism is a fixture of U.S. politics today. Its rise is part and parcel of growing exclusionary nationalist movements – putting multiracial democracy itself at risk.
At the same time, conversations about antisemitism are more polarized than ever.
Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Lorber and Burley help the reader understand how antisemitism works, what’s at stake in contemporary debates, and how we can build true safety in solidarity.
From online trolling of Jews by the ‘alt-right’ to synagogue shootings by white nationalists to the spread of QAnon and George Soros conspiracy theories, antisemitism is a fixture of U.S. politics today. Its rise is part and parcel of growing exclusionary nationalist movements – putting multiracial democracy itself at risk.
At the same time, conversations about antisemitism are more polarized than ever.
Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Lorber and Burley help the reader understand how antisemitism works, what’s at stake in contemporary debates, and how we can build true safety in solidarity.
376 pages, Paperback
Published June 4, 2024
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April 1, 2024
I've read, respected, and loved both previous books and the many essays I’ve read by Shane Burley, so when I saw him post on Facebook asking for people to read and review his book that hasn't been released yet, I messaged him immediately. I was pleasantly shocked when he got back to me quickly and sent me an uncorrected advanced reader's copy of Safety Through Solidarity, a book I'd been hearing about for months. While I'd never heard of Ben Lorber, I did enough research to be excited about his potential contributions. Being a non-Zionist Jew isn't easy; people on the right (fellow Jews and others) call me a self-hating Jew at best, and question whether or not I'm a real Jew, while making threats at worst; and non-Jews on the left have let me down in the past when it's come to calling out antisemitism or checking in on me when something scary happens to Jews. Both Burley and Lorber can relate to this, which was a great starting point.
Whenever reading a book about antisemitism, or really anything “Jewish,” I nervously wait for talk of Israel and/or Palestine. Too many books either ignore the genocide and colonialism of Israel or cheer it on. This book does neither; it takes a hard look at what's happening, from a fairly unique point of view. They dive into the differences between principled criticism of Israel and straight up antisemitism from both sides of the political aisle, and they do it in a way that I was able to wholeheartedly relate to and learn from. They also do a wonderful job of not only noticing the antisemitism of Zionists (both Jewish and Christian) but also of the liberal and further left spaces.
After centuries of pogroms and other abuses, culminating in the Holocaust, many Jews (including members of my family) felt that the only chance of not being eventually wiped out was to have their own state. Many modern Jews believe that eventually they’re going to come for us again, and when they do we need a place to go. Burley and Lorber use their depth and way with words to unpack the reasonableness of these feelings while recognizing that genocide and colonialism are not the way to accomplish goals.
One of my favorite things about this book was the way they break down antisemitism and it’s uniqueness. Because Jewish people, especially in the US, aren’t obviously systemically held down, it’s not as glaring as most other forms of hate. And most antisemitism is based on the belief that Jews run the world (bankers, Hollywood, etc) and/or are secretly working behind the scenes to organize “illegal” immigration and things like Black Lives Matter to ensure that white people are made irrelevant. So, antisemitism is more about “punching up” than most or all other hateful beliefs, which in a lot of ways makes it more acceptable and harder to notice.
I also loved and respected how much they talked about the racism of Ashkenazi Jews towards Sephardic and Mizrahim. I didn’t know there were non-white Jews until I was in high school, which says a lot about how prevalent racism is, even amongst oppressed groups.
The name of this book is Safety Through Solidarity, so obviously there’s much talk of that. The way the 1 percent gets to keep power and, among many other atrocities, commit genocide in the name of all Jews, is by keeping us divided. The sooner the majority of us see the intersections between antisemitism and anti-Blackness, misogyny, transphobia, Islamophobia, and all the others, the sooner we can rise up and topple this disgusting system.
I plan to write a longer review to submit to some publications, but let me finish this one off with a statistic that I read in the book. In NYC, 60 percent of the people arrested for committing antisemitic crimes were white, 33 percent were Black, and the remaining 7 percent were everyone else. The fact that so many Zionists equate Jewish hate with Islam goes against reality. The authors do a great job of proving that.
Whether you’re Jewish or not, I can’t recommend enough that you read this book when it comes out.
Whenever reading a book about antisemitism, or really anything “Jewish,” I nervously wait for talk of Israel and/or Palestine. Too many books either ignore the genocide and colonialism of Israel or cheer it on. This book does neither; it takes a hard look at what's happening, from a fairly unique point of view. They dive into the differences between principled criticism of Israel and straight up antisemitism from both sides of the political aisle, and they do it in a way that I was able to wholeheartedly relate to and learn from. They also do a wonderful job of not only noticing the antisemitism of Zionists (both Jewish and Christian) but also of the liberal and further left spaces.
After centuries of pogroms and other abuses, culminating in the Holocaust, many Jews (including members of my family) felt that the only chance of not being eventually wiped out was to have their own state. Many modern Jews believe that eventually they’re going to come for us again, and when they do we need a place to go. Burley and Lorber use their depth and way with words to unpack the reasonableness of these feelings while recognizing that genocide and colonialism are not the way to accomplish goals.
One of my favorite things about this book was the way they break down antisemitism and it’s uniqueness. Because Jewish people, especially in the US, aren’t obviously systemically held down, it’s not as glaring as most other forms of hate. And most antisemitism is based on the belief that Jews run the world (bankers, Hollywood, etc) and/or are secretly working behind the scenes to organize “illegal” immigration and things like Black Lives Matter to ensure that white people are made irrelevant. So, antisemitism is more about “punching up” than most or all other hateful beliefs, which in a lot of ways makes it more acceptable and harder to notice.
I also loved and respected how much they talked about the racism of Ashkenazi Jews towards Sephardic and Mizrahim. I didn’t know there were non-white Jews until I was in high school, which says a lot about how prevalent racism is, even amongst oppressed groups.
The name of this book is Safety Through Solidarity, so obviously there’s much talk of that. The way the 1 percent gets to keep power and, among many other atrocities, commit genocide in the name of all Jews, is by keeping us divided. The sooner the majority of us see the intersections between antisemitism and anti-Blackness, misogyny, transphobia, Islamophobia, and all the others, the sooner we can rise up and topple this disgusting system.
I plan to write a longer review to submit to some publications, but let me finish this one off with a statistic that I read in the book. In NYC, 60 percent of the people arrested for committing antisemitic crimes were white, 33 percent were Black, and the remaining 7 percent were everyone else. The fact that so many Zionists equate Jewish hate with Islam goes against reality. The authors do a great job of proving that.
Whether you’re Jewish or not, I can’t recommend enough that you read this book when it comes out.
August 7, 2024
It’s been such an honor to have organized with and learned from Ben Lorber for several years and to see work we’ve been part of over the last decade reflected in this critical new book, “Safety through Solidarity.” Ben and Shane offer our communities and movements, both Jewish and broader, a thorough, rigorous and clarifying resource. Filled with illuminating and inspiring anecdotes from the past and present, they provide a compelling understanding of how antisemitism functions and what we can do collectively to not only address it, but work to dismantle it, alongside other forms of structural violence and oppression (an important reframe to what they describe as the eternal orientation to antisemitism).
They cover a lot of ground, from the white Christian nationalist movement, to the ways antisemitism played out differently in Europe and SWANA/Middle East regions, to the role antisemitism plays in capitalism, and to both principled and flawed critiques of Israel’s apartheid, genocide and colonialism.
Ultimately, what I appreciate most about this book, especially in this political moment, is that they spend far more time focused on what antisemitism actually is (in its home on the right, in the ways it can show up in left/progressive circles and in society as a whole) rather than on what it isn’t, which can be a challenging dynamic as elected officials, media and our institutions often misapply labels of antisemitism to delegitimize movements for justice, forcing progressive/left movements onto the defensive. We need this text to be read and discussed in classrooms, organizing trainings, and in our media.
“Antisemitism is not politically indifferent, as some would claim. In the battle of freedom, justice, and liberation, it "knows" which side it's on. Its foundational home is on the political Right, which remains the most direct threat to Jews and all marginalized people. Wherever it is mobilized, antisemitism serves the forces of division, repression, and Othering that foster inequality. It is part of the infrastructure of oppression, playing a vital role, alongside capitalism, white supremacy, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, anti-immigrant xenophobia, and Islamophobia, in reinforcing injustice.
Antisemitism doesn't harm only Jews; it holds all of humanity back in our shared struggle to build a better world.
Antisemitism is not the exclusive province of the Right. At times, it can also be a "go-to" narrative for some marginalized communities and ostensibly liberatory movements seeking a simplified explanation for structures of racism, inequality, and empire. In this way, it protects the powerful by telling the disempowered an inaccurate story about how to free themselves.” (5)
They cover a lot of ground, from the white Christian nationalist movement, to the ways antisemitism played out differently in Europe and SWANA/Middle East regions, to the role antisemitism plays in capitalism, and to both principled and flawed critiques of Israel’s apartheid, genocide and colonialism.
Ultimately, what I appreciate most about this book, especially in this political moment, is that they spend far more time focused on what antisemitism actually is (in its home on the right, in the ways it can show up in left/progressive circles and in society as a whole) rather than on what it isn’t, which can be a challenging dynamic as elected officials, media and our institutions often misapply labels of antisemitism to delegitimize movements for justice, forcing progressive/left movements onto the defensive. We need this text to be read and discussed in classrooms, organizing trainings, and in our media.
“Antisemitism is not politically indifferent, as some would claim. In the battle of freedom, justice, and liberation, it "knows" which side it's on. Its foundational home is on the political Right, which remains the most direct threat to Jews and all marginalized people. Wherever it is mobilized, antisemitism serves the forces of division, repression, and Othering that foster inequality. It is part of the infrastructure of oppression, playing a vital role, alongside capitalism, white supremacy, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, anti-immigrant xenophobia, and Islamophobia, in reinforcing injustice.
Antisemitism doesn't harm only Jews; it holds all of humanity back in our shared struggle to build a better world.
Antisemitism is not the exclusive province of the Right. At times, it can also be a "go-to" narrative for some marginalized communities and ostensibly liberatory movements seeking a simplified explanation for structures of racism, inequality, and empire. In this way, it protects the powerful by telling the disempowered an inaccurate story about how to free themselves.” (5)
December 20, 2024
ben is my cousin. i am really proud of him.
i am going to revise this review as i read, since i want to leave meaningful comments as i think of them.
the book is academic of course but it is very accessible and readable, and it tells stories.
ben has always been more jewish than i am, if that makes sense. i am jewish maternally and don’t look particularly jewish, i don’t think. in any event, i have never personally experienced antisemitism. but i know my cousin has. when he’s told me about stuff it shocked me. in some ways, reading this text he and shane wrote is a way of understanding been better. i always activate “jewish mode” when i feel like it but am able to “pass” otherwise. however, i was always closer to my mother and therefore closer to lithuania and the ashkenazi jews than the dutch on my father’s side. anyhow, it’s not about me, but this is where i’m coming from.
the information and the story quality have a jewish flavor, not unlike a bernard malmud novel lol or an entertaining sermon from my old rabbi. somehow, it makes some of the conflict described—well i just like it. the time and place move around sporadically, but the information flows well. i am actually kind of embarrassed how little i know, for instance the tension between jewish and black communities. to me, we always seemed close because of exodus, but wow there is a lot i am learning about here
to me, i suppose obviously, the gross discrimination of greater society has been against blacks. we sold our values to the devil when we made this country and we never fixed it. black racism is ugly and nefarious, but i guess it followed a logic i can see. the book is interesting in that it shows antisemitism as, what it terms, a “lachrymose narrative” that works i suppose in a few directions and has been seen as the first discrimination. there’s something kind of nebulous about it, and it’s tied to something old and holy, and a capricious god, and like people can’t even agree quite on what it is. i suppose there are certainly discussions about what black racism is among folks on tv and black intellectuals, but, i mean, we don’t really need to talk about it in that black folks know pretty well what it is, and write folks know pretty well what it is too and can ask their black friends so they really understand better. i don’t see any “ideology”. i see things happening that shouldn’t happen and things not happening that should happen, as well as trauma as plain to see as a knife wound. but this? i digress. perhaps i’m done writing, but i really like this book. it’s clear to me that its purpose is to make the reader think and although of course the authors have an ideology, i think they do pretty well maintaining some objectivity, which i really appreciate. really interesting read!!
i am going to revise this review as i read, since i want to leave meaningful comments as i think of them.
the book is academic of course but it is very accessible and readable, and it tells stories.
ben has always been more jewish than i am, if that makes sense. i am jewish maternally and don’t look particularly jewish, i don’t think. in any event, i have never personally experienced antisemitism. but i know my cousin has. when he’s told me about stuff it shocked me. in some ways, reading this text he and shane wrote is a way of understanding been better. i always activate “jewish mode” when i feel like it but am able to “pass” otherwise. however, i was always closer to my mother and therefore closer to lithuania and the ashkenazi jews than the dutch on my father’s side. anyhow, it’s not about me, but this is where i’m coming from.
the information and the story quality have a jewish flavor, not unlike a bernard malmud novel lol or an entertaining sermon from my old rabbi. somehow, it makes some of the conflict described—well i just like it. the time and place move around sporadically, but the information flows well. i am actually kind of embarrassed how little i know, for instance the tension between jewish and black communities. to me, we always seemed close because of exodus, but wow there is a lot i am learning about here
to me, i suppose obviously, the gross discrimination of greater society has been against blacks. we sold our values to the devil when we made this country and we never fixed it. black racism is ugly and nefarious, but i guess it followed a logic i can see. the book is interesting in that it shows antisemitism as, what it terms, a “lachrymose narrative” that works i suppose in a few directions and has been seen as the first discrimination. there’s something kind of nebulous about it, and it’s tied to something old and holy, and a capricious god, and like people can’t even agree quite on what it is. i suppose there are certainly discussions about what black racism is among folks on tv and black intellectuals, but, i mean, we don’t really need to talk about it in that black folks know pretty well what it is, and write folks know pretty well what it is too and can ask their black friends so they really understand better. i don’t see any “ideology”. i see things happening that shouldn’t happen and things not happening that should happen, as well as trauma as plain to see as a knife wound. but this? i digress. perhaps i’m done writing, but i really like this book. it’s clear to me that its purpose is to make the reader think and although of course the authors have an ideology, i think they do pretty well maintaining some objectivity, which i really appreciate. really interesting read!!
December 29, 2024
This book left me feeling really wired with a combination of feverish optimism and frustratingly complex anxiety re the task at hand. The authors expertly and frankly build their analysis of antisemitism and cover so much ground, using quite a few types of evidence + analysis . In my ideal world, there would be several more chapters about what safety through solidarity can actual look like for organizers but I think the way they frame it is already full to the brim information, ideas, and questions so maybe they know best. I feel really grateful to live in a time when such comprehensive and meaningful thinking on this subject is available to Jewish and non-Jewish leftist organizers, alike. I hope so many people read this!!!
May 5, 2025
This book was really good. I learned a lot. It fills an important modern gap on antisemitism discourse caused by monopolization by the right and (often) downplay/neglect by the left.
December 27, 2024
I really liked this book and think it is important as right now there is a trend to overestimate left wing anti semitism and underestimate right wing anti semitism.
My two complaints about the book are: First there is a huge down playing of Muslim anti semitism. Jewish coexistence in the Arab and Muslim world was more complex then portrayed in the book - one reading could be forgiven for coming away thinking that Jewish people had full rights in these countries. The claim that any antisemitism in this world is a European or Israeli import is ludicrous. This is a major weakness of the book. Second, their calls for action were weak and they did not appropriately call out the leftist movement for excluding Jewish people on the basis of any connection to Israel.
However, I’m rating this five stars because I think it is important. Their history of European anti semitism is well done and I think it gives better insights then most into why the right wing is so dangerous. The detail is very well done and I appreciated how they sought out many different voices to quote within the book. Many identities that are often ignored are given a lot of room in the book. As we head into a second Trump administration hopefully this will inspire folks to create connections which protect us all.
My two complaints about the book are: First there is a huge down playing of Muslim anti semitism. Jewish coexistence in the Arab and Muslim world was more complex then portrayed in the book - one reading could be forgiven for coming away thinking that Jewish people had full rights in these countries. The claim that any antisemitism in this world is a European or Israeli import is ludicrous. This is a major weakness of the book. Second, their calls for action were weak and they did not appropriately call out the leftist movement for excluding Jewish people on the basis of any connection to Israel.
However, I’m rating this five stars because I think it is important. Their history of European anti semitism is well done and I think it gives better insights then most into why the right wing is so dangerous. The detail is very well done and I appreciated how they sought out many different voices to quote within the book. Many identities that are often ignored are given a lot of room in the book. As we head into a second Trump administration hopefully this will inspire folks to create connections which protect us all.
March 21, 2025
Eye opening - a must read for anyone who is committed to dismantling oppression of any kind.
July 1, 2024
4.5 stars
The book was solid, exhaustively researched, and should expect to be a reference book in academic and movement classes and study groups for some time. I very much appreciated the specific flashlight on the ways in which Orthodox (and other "visible" Jews) are targets of more frequent antisemitism. I loved the overall analysis and the many, many references to other's contributions to this discussion. It was very disappointing that the authors completely failed to mention some people who have been or are strong contributors to developing Jewish left engagements with antisemitism (e.g., Rabbi Lerner published an entire book with the title Socialism of Fools: Antisemitism on the Left in 1992 but neither Rabbi Lerner nor Tikkun magazine are mentioned; in more contemporary reference, Rebecca Vilkomersen, former Exec Dir of Jewish Voice for Peace is similarly ignored whose book on the same or related topic Solidarity is the Political Version of Love is coming out in a couple of months).
I saw the co-authors present at a book store recently and they similarly didn't mention other contemporaneous participants in this conversation. In some ways, it felt like ego and in other ways strange because the book is otherwise well-documented and raises up and cites many, many contributors to this discussion (e.g. April Rosenblum, Penny Rosenwasser, many Jews of color, etc.). It left me feeling like there may be some behind the scenes beef or social conflict that isn't being made explicit.
190 Caught in the crossfire, the Left remains frozen. Exasperated by the barrage of allegations, many activists bristle with defensiveness, refusing to take any discussion of antisemitism seriously, convinced the issue is entirely manufactured. Assuming all charges of antisemitism are dishonest and false, however, is a mistake.
208 We're entering a period of flux in American Jewish support for Israel, with widespread opposition to the occupation and the Israeli Right's assault on democracy, and the Left must prove that solidarity is a surer bet than nationalism.
246 When white vigilantes firebombed dozens of Black churches in the waves of violence and terror, a number of synagogues were burned as well. <>
240 "[Jews are] like a lot of people who are from recent immigrant families, who are probably dealing with ancestral traumas... What would that positionality look like if passport peoples were in solidarity with one another?" asks [Ami] Weintraub.
25,66
60, 123 Churchill
62 reach of Protocols of Zion
77 Augustine
82 Luther
100-1 Bakunin/Proudhon
105 Lenin
111-2 Corbyn
128 Joe McCarthy
147, 241-2, 245 Eric Ward
167-9 Xian Zionism
197-8 Alison Weir
212-4 Arab nationalism and European antisemitism
218 Herzl
230-2, 234-6 historic trauma and Jewish clinging to Israel
248 Fanon
260 Algeria
304 ADL etc. "vertical alliances" (aka ghetto politics)
304 Bund but not Trotsky or Bolsheviks
306 Iraq
307 NJA (New Jewish Agenda)
308 JFREJ (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) contrast with how organizing in my shul went
309 A-S on L vs Right (maybe for FB post)
317 R Dev Noily on Sukkot as model
CHAPTER 11 -- really good
362-3 footnotes
The book was solid, exhaustively researched, and should expect to be a reference book in academic and movement classes and study groups for some time. I very much appreciated the specific flashlight on the ways in which Orthodox (and other "visible" Jews) are targets of more frequent antisemitism. I loved the overall analysis and the many, many references to other's contributions to this discussion. It was very disappointing that the authors completely failed to mention some people who have been or are strong contributors to developing Jewish left engagements with antisemitism (e.g., Rabbi Lerner published an entire book with the title Socialism of Fools: Antisemitism on the Left in 1992 but neither Rabbi Lerner nor Tikkun magazine are mentioned; in more contemporary reference, Rebecca Vilkomersen, former Exec Dir of Jewish Voice for Peace is similarly ignored whose book on the same or related topic Solidarity is the Political Version of Love is coming out in a couple of months).
I saw the co-authors present at a book store recently and they similarly didn't mention other contemporaneous participants in this conversation. In some ways, it felt like ego and in other ways strange because the book is otherwise well-documented and raises up and cites many, many contributors to this discussion (e.g. April Rosenblum, Penny Rosenwasser, many Jews of color, etc.). It left me feeling like there may be some behind the scenes beef or social conflict that isn't being made explicit.
190 Caught in the crossfire, the Left remains frozen. Exasperated by the barrage of allegations, many activists bristle with defensiveness, refusing to take any discussion of antisemitism seriously, convinced the issue is entirely manufactured. Assuming all charges of antisemitism are dishonest and false, however, is a mistake.
208 We're entering a period of flux in American Jewish support for Israel, with widespread opposition to the occupation and the Israeli Right's assault on democracy, and the Left must prove that solidarity is a surer bet than nationalism.
246 When white vigilantes firebombed dozens of Black churches in the waves of violence and terror, a number of synagogues were burned as well. <>
240 "[Jews are] like a lot of people who are from recent immigrant families, who are probably dealing with ancestral traumas... What would that positionality look like if passport peoples were in solidarity with one another?" asks [Ami] Weintraub.
25,66
60, 123 Churchill
62 reach of Protocols of Zion
77 Augustine
82 Luther
100-1 Bakunin/Proudhon
105 Lenin
111-2 Corbyn
128 Joe McCarthy
147, 241-2, 245 Eric Ward
167-9 Xian Zionism
197-8 Alison Weir
212-4 Arab nationalism and European antisemitism
218 Herzl
230-2, 234-6 historic trauma and Jewish clinging to Israel
248 Fanon
260 Algeria
304 ADL etc. "vertical alliances" (aka ghetto politics)
304 Bund but not Trotsky or Bolsheviks
306 Iraq
307 NJA (New Jewish Agenda)
308 JFREJ (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) contrast with how organizing in my shul went
309 A-S on L vs Right (maybe for FB post)
317 R Dev Noily on Sukkot as model
CHAPTER 11 -- really good
362-3 footnotes
March 17, 2025
(Obligatory disclosure: I'm a Jew, progressive, on the line between Zionist and non, but not anti.)
This is a progressive/leftist guide to antisemitism, which to be honest, is needed. While the Right is wrong that it's the Left who are true antisemites, there are issues on the Left, too, which they're sometimes in denial about. Lorber and Burley pack a lot in here, tracing the roots of antisemitism and its connections to modern rightwing politics, and show a lot about how that's expressed.
Now: They're both anti-Zionist, a position I don't agree with, but it's largely useful here. While I think the amount of time spent complaining about the ADL is a bit excessive, separating antisemitism from anti-Zionism is useful. I will acknowledge that there's a grey area here and dissecting it can be delicate, but I think they fall in an acceptable place. They do not endorse the practice of litmus testing Jews or excluding everyone with Zionist beliefs. They also call out the left for issues such as not believing Jews when they complain about antisemitism, reflexively dismissing criticism as "Zionist," litmus-testing Jews to see if they are acceptable, and elevating anti-Zionist Jews as "good Jews" while denigrating the majority as somehow deluded or stupid. They also have no time for the post-10/7 Hamas defenders
Is this a perfect book? No. It moves quickly through a lot of territory, so some is selective and I think the sections on Zionist history and Mizrahi Jews suffer a little for that. These are both complex topics and it's easy to cherry-pick. They go a little easier on the Left than I would have, and are defensive of Jeremy Corbyn and the Women's March team. In both cases, there's a complex tangle of genuine antisemitism (or at least unwillingness to confront it) and weaponization.
Overall, though, they do an excellent job of explaining to leftists why they should care about antisemitism and why it can't be dismissed, as it so often is, as a problem of privileged white people.
I think this book will be most important for non-Jewish leftists, because time and again, I've seen how many of them don't get it, or think the problem is just Proud Boys and other Neo-Nazis. Even when they recognize that, they don't see it as being an issue that's relevant or that they need to fight. They find it too easy to dismiss material from groups like the ADL. This is much harder for them.
This is a progressive/leftist guide to antisemitism, which to be honest, is needed. While the Right is wrong that it's the Left who are true antisemites, there are issues on the Left, too, which they're sometimes in denial about. Lorber and Burley pack a lot in here, tracing the roots of antisemitism and its connections to modern rightwing politics, and show a lot about how that's expressed.
Now: They're both anti-Zionist, a position I don't agree with, but it's largely useful here. While I think the amount of time spent complaining about the ADL is a bit excessive, separating antisemitism from anti-Zionism is useful. I will acknowledge that there's a grey area here and dissecting it can be delicate, but I think they fall in an acceptable place. They do not endorse the practice of litmus testing Jews or excluding everyone with Zionist beliefs. They also call out the left for issues such as not believing Jews when they complain about antisemitism, reflexively dismissing criticism as "Zionist," litmus-testing Jews to see if they are acceptable, and elevating anti-Zionist Jews as "good Jews" while denigrating the majority as somehow deluded or stupid. They also have no time for the post-10/7 Hamas defenders
Is this a perfect book? No. It moves quickly through a lot of territory, so some is selective and I think the sections on Zionist history and Mizrahi Jews suffer a little for that. These are both complex topics and it's easy to cherry-pick. They go a little easier on the Left than I would have, and are defensive of Jeremy Corbyn and the Women's March team. In both cases, there's a complex tangle of genuine antisemitism (or at least unwillingness to confront it) and weaponization.
Overall, though, they do an excellent job of explaining to leftists why they should care about antisemitism and why it can't be dismissed, as it so often is, as a problem of privileged white people.
I think this book will be most important for non-Jewish leftists, because time and again, I've seen how many of them don't get it, or think the problem is just Proud Boys and other Neo-Nazis. Even when they recognize that, they don't see it as being an issue that's relevant or that they need to fight. They find it too easy to dismiss material from groups like the ADL. This is much harder for them.
June 25, 2024
I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for fair and an unbiased review. I am a liberal Jew. This was the first book I read on antisemitism. I liked that the book came from a lense similar to mine (liberal Jew who supports both Israeli's and Palestinian's).
I learned a lot from this book. I knew a little bit about the replacement theory. I didn't know a lot about the history of antisemitism ( except the holocaust).
It took me longer to read this book than most books. This book is very detailed. It reminded me of an academic book. It could be used in a Jewish studies class. I was so interested in the book in the book in the beginning. I lost interest in the middle but I gained interest in the book near the last 25 percent of the book.
I have never heard of any book like this one. It breaks down right and left Judaism. It breaks down liberal and right wing society. It really makes you think.
This was a difficult read for me. The chapters aren't too long. Every chapter is broken down with subsections. It is such an important read for everyone.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this important book. Thank you for allowing me to look at antisemitism in a different light. Thank you for educating me on so many important matters.
June 4, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
“Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism” by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber is a timely and crucial addition to the discourse on antisemitism and intersections with other forms of oppression.
Burley and Lorber, both seasoned journalists and activists, approach the subject with a progressive and intersectional lens, emphasizing the importance of solidarity across different communities to effectively address the issue.
“Safety through Solidarity” is a groundbreaking work that educates and inspires action. This book speaks to not only the Jewish community but to anyone committed to dismantling the politics of division and fear.
“Safety through Solidarity” is a must-read for those who want to deepen their understanding of antisemitism and join the collective effort to forge a future where solidarity triumphs over hate. It is a book that I would recommend without hesitation, confident in its potential to spark meaningful conversations and catalyze real change.
“Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism” by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber is a timely and crucial addition to the discourse on antisemitism and intersections with other forms of oppression.
Burley and Lorber, both seasoned journalists and activists, approach the subject with a progressive and intersectional lens, emphasizing the importance of solidarity across different communities to effectively address the issue.
“Safety through Solidarity” is a groundbreaking work that educates and inspires action. This book speaks to not only the Jewish community but to anyone committed to dismantling the politics of division and fear.
“Safety through Solidarity” is a must-read for those who want to deepen their understanding of antisemitism and join the collective effort to forge a future where solidarity triumphs over hate. It is a book that I would recommend without hesitation, confident in its potential to spark meaningful conversations and catalyze real change.
March 7, 2025
first half is essentially just an updated compilation of the history / anatomy of antisemitism as explained by leftists over the past two decades (rosenblum, jfrej, eric ward, etc) but the second half totally eclipses the first - thoughtful, complex, and expansive - a real contribution to the struggle for liberation from antisemitism and all of its cousins in crime. maybe a little bit of a call into the void, but it’s ultimately an act of love, and speaks to the care at the heart of the left’s struggle, jewish and non jewish alike.
June 5, 2025
WOW!!! this book is so incredibly thorough, well researched, and thoughtfully explained. so many times while reading, I wanted to post pictures of passages to my social media, but I ended up having this feeling on pretty much every page. really really really incredible work here.
this is one of those books that I need EVERYONE to read. especially non-Jewish leftist allies. wow wow wow. it’s just so well done.
this is one of those books that I need EVERYONE to read. especially non-Jewish leftist allies. wow wow wow. it’s just so well done.
April 10, 2025
Timely and engaging--this book is necessary for all organizers. It acts as a handbook for antisemitism while making an impassioned argument for the *real* way to end it, through solidarity not the reactionary nationalism which defines Zionism. Burley and Lorber's writing is clear and should be accessible to most people.
September 8, 2024
I haven't yet finished, but need to return it to the library so someone else can read this gem of history and analysis, heart and inspiration. Our struggles of oppression are interwoven and this is how we will move toward liberation, together.
December 21, 2025
This is a really important, thorough, compassionate and smart book I would love to have everyone read. There are parts that are repetitive but it's complicated and understandable why some things needed to be repeated.
July 6, 2024
This book is a must-read
January 5, 2025
Insightful and engaging. Thank you, Shane and Ben!
February 4, 2025
Required reading
November 7, 2024
A must-read for Jewish activists, non-Jews on the Left, and anyone who wants to build a more just world by working together.
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