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People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present | Dara Horn
24 posts | 18 read | 36 to read
A startling and profound exploration of how Jewish history is exploited to comfort the living. Renowned and beloved as a prizewinning novelist, Dara Horn has also been publishing penetrating essays since she was a teenager. Often asked by major publications to write on subjects related to Jewish cultureand increasingly in response to a recent wave of deadly antisemitic attacksHorn was troubled to realize what all of these assignments had in common: she was being asked to write about dead Jews, never about living ones. In these essays, Horn reflects on subjects as far-flung as the international veneration of Anne Frank, the mythology that Jewish family names were changed at Ellis Island, the blockbuster traveling exhibition Auschwitz, the marketing of the Jewish history of Harbin, China, and the little-known life of the "righteous Gentile" Varian Fry. Throughout, she challenges us to confront the reasons why there might be so much fascination with Jewish deaths, and so little respect for Jewish lives unfolding in the present. Horn draws upon her travels, her research, and also her own family lifetrying to explain Shakespeares Shylock to a curious ten-year-old, her anger when swastikas are drawn on desks in her childrens school, the profound perspective offered by traditional religious practice and studyto assert the vitality, complexity, and depth of Jewish life against an antisemitism that, far from being disarmed by the mantra of "Never forget," is on the rise. As Horn explores the (not so) shocking attacks on the American Jewish community in recent years, she reveals the subtler dehumanization built into the public piety that surrounds the Jewish pastmaking the radical argument that the benign reverence we give to past horrors is itself a profound affront to human dignity.
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Estherhasredhair
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Pickpick

Amazing book. Very personable and personal, while still relating to an arc of issues. 10/10 one of my highest ratings yet.

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Estherhasredhair
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America: 2024

SqueakyChu I would really like to read this book. 1mo
Estherhasredhair @SqueakyChu i am about half way done and it is so good! 1mo
SqueakyChu Although I hate the title (!), I like the Israeli author, and I have heard good things about this book. 1mo
Estherhasredhair @SqueakyChu from what i recall reading elsewhere, the author regrets the title of the book as well. However, it is so descriptive to the thesis of the essays presented that I cannot imagine another title for the book. But she is a very concise author with a lot to say. She comes off as well educated in her subject matter and keeps the audience entertained. 1mo
SqueakyChu @Estherhasredhair Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the info. 👍 1mo
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everlocalwest
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Pickpick

The truly terrifying rise in antisemitism is something we must all acknowledge and work against. The title, while definitely provocative, encompasses Horn's central thesis that historical, dead Jews are comfortable to reckon with and easy to mourn. Meanwhile the actual fates and daily struggles of living Jews creates a discomfort in non Jews. In each essay, a different form or aspect of antisemitism is examined; all are deeply important to explore

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Billypar
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#auldlangspine @TheBookHippie @monalyisha
Late as always with finishing this challenge, but I thought this was a very good essay collection. Each confronts aspects of antisemitism in a variety of contexts. My two favorites were on bits of history that aren't that widely known (an early 20th century Russian Jewish community in freezing Harbin, China, and Varian Fry, a journalist who rescued famous artists being persecuted by the Nazis) 👇

Billypar Several others reckon with ongoing violence against Jewish people in the U.S., as well as reasons behind popular indifference to some forms of antisemitism. I've never read the Merchant of Venice, but I liked how she contrasted her son's response to a blatant Jewish stereotype with how society often shrugs and gives Shakespeare a pass. Very thought-provoking throughout, and Horn has also expanded my TBR list. 9mo
TheBookHippie It‘s such an important book. 9mo
TheBookHippie I‘m still working through your list as well. 😅 9mo
Billypar @TheBookHippie Oh wow - I never heard of that series: I'll have to check it out! 9mo
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suvata
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Pickpick

I recently posted my thoughts on a terrifying horror novel. I‘ve just finished reading a non-fiction book named “People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present” in an attempt to try and understand modern day antisemitism. Were my eyes opened. Both books got 5-Star ratings from me as they were equally intriguing and quite frightening. But in my heart, I know the great distinction between pretend scary and real-life scary. My soul aches.

Bklover Mine too. I will never understand. 13mo
suvata @Bklover Nor I 13mo
dabbe Same here. 😔 13mo
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jenniferw88
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Cinfhen This was definitely a challenging read!! 14mo
Cinfhen 😘😘 14mo
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steph_phanie
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

I learned a lot from this book, both from its wealth of historical details as well as from its reporting about the world today. However, the most shocking thing I learned was that according to a recent poll, two-thirds of American millennials could not identify what Auschwitz was. TWO-THIRDS. Clearly, there is much work to be done.

Highly recommend!

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steph_phanie
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Started the tagged this book this morning. The Introduction alone is filled with gut punches like this paragraph and, from page xxi, "What, I asked, was the point of caring so much about how people died, if one cared so little about how they lived?"

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ClairesReads
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Pickpick

An incredibly thoughtful, impassioned exploration of the history of Jewish culture which focuses particularly on the consistently troubling ways that other cultures interact with Jewish culture. Horn explores this complex topic from a range of angles, across a broad stroke of different time periods and places around the world. I consider myself a fairly well-read Social Scientist, yet there was much to learn for me here.

MuddyPuddle Quite the title! 2y
Sophronisba Is her Shylock essay in this book? My son read it for class and was really impressed with it. 2y
tpixie I heard her talk when time on a podcast or a virtual event. Seems like a really interesting subject. 2y
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Maria514626
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I‘m reading this book. This shows up today in the New York Times:

Jewish Allies Call Trump‘s Dinner With Antisemites a Breaking Point

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/us/politics/trump-kanye-west-nick-fuentes-ant...

#antisemitism #fighthate

AmyG Took them long enough. 2y
Maria514626 @amyg Right? 😡 2y
Cinfhen I just finished this book last week, 2y
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Cinfhen So empowering!! And SO GLAD to finally see Trump supporters calling out his true colors!!!! 2y
TheBookHippie This is on my wishlist!!! 2y
TheBookHippie @Cinfhen SERIOUSLY ughhh WTF … so glad my great grandma & grandma aren‘t alive to witness this. 2y
TheBookHippie @AmyG ughhhhhhh 2y
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Maria514626
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First line:
“Sometimes your body is someone else‘s haunted house.”
🤯

@Cinfhen Thanks for the recommendation!

Cinfhen I‘m so happy to see others picking this up!!! Thank you. I thought it was really thought provoking and enlightening. Thank you for tagging me. 2y
Maria514626 @Cinfhen I checked it out from the library and I‘m now on a two-hour drive. Wow. China. 2y
Cinfhen China - crazy but not surprising 😔But how about an Orthodox Jew employed at the Anne Frank House asked not to wear his religious head covering but instead hide it under a baseball cap!!! That just infuriated me. The hypocrisy!!!! 2y
Maria514626 @Cinfhen That one mystified me. Angered me. It‘s one of those situations where I‘d like to hear the excuse 1:1. Just to say, “I‘m not Jewish either. [Establish common ground.] But you realize how stupid that is, right? And… that‘s the tip of the iceberg.” I didn‘t visit while I was in Amsterdam. It seemed ghoulish—as did the people queued up. Now I‘m even more glad I didn‘t. 2y
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Cinfhen
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I‘m not sure this book will appeal to many, because honestly many aren‘t that interested in exploring what past & present anti-semitism looks like. Dara Horn gives numerous examples of incidents spanning centuries that have been either gaslighted, contextualized, rewritten or basically ignored. What I loved most about this book is Horn gives voice to the Jewish people to stop trying to conform or keep silent, now is the time for awakening!

Addison_Reads Thank you for sharing this book. I had not heard of it but I will definitely be adding it to my list and reading it. 2y
Cinfhen That‘s wonderful @Addison_Reads Thank you for letting me know. It‘s definitely a thought provoking book with lots to digest. 2y
BarbaraBB A book that should be read by many. Stacked. 2y
EKonrad Keep hearing about this - thanks for reviewing! Stacked! 2y
Cinfhen I‘m so happy to see so many moved to add this book to their #ReadersRadar 😘thanks @EKonrad @BarbaraBB 2y
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Cinfhen
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I‘m not sure this book will appeal to many and the writing is pretty scholarly but this book makes me PROUD to be linked to the Jewish people. Dara Horn is giving voice to a people who have been raised for centuries to stay silent, lay low, avoid attention, be apologetic. Yesterday 2 horrific terror attacks were carried out in Israel, 2 innocent lives were extinguished & 19 were seriously injured, yet very little media coverage was given #StopHate

AmyG So much hate in this world. 😥 2y
TrishB Definitely #stophate 2y
Cinfhen You‘re both so right @TrishB @AmyG There‘s wayyyyy too much hate in this world!!! Violence is never the answer 😔 2y
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TrishB Sometimes I have to stop watching/reading the news because it‘s always so hateful. And online trolls! Who has the time and energy to hate that much 😢 we‘re a sad world. 2y
Deblovestoread This is horrible! I‘m am so tired of all the violence and all the rhetoric and hate speech that adds fuel to the flames. You would think the daily dose we get would be enough to change us but it just seems to get worse everyday. 2y
Cinfhen Can you imagine, storming a hospital and removing a person on life support @Deblovestoread that‘s a whole different level of hatred! And that boy was Israeli but not Jewish a Druze. So effed up!!! 2y
Dragon It‘s terrifying that such horrific things are happening- so sorry for the families of these victims of violence. Thanks for bringing this to our attention - there was nothing in our local news. 2y
Cinfhen Thanks for commenting @Dragon I appreciate your words of support 💗 2y
Deblovestoread I can‘t imagine and I can‘t imagine the ugly souls of humans who can and do. I finally heard an explanation of Trump supporters that made horrible perfect sense. They don‘t care that he doesn‘t want to help them they are just happy to have a license to spew their hate. Echoing @TrishB what a sad world…just heartbreaking. 2y
BarbaraBB It was in our news and I have been thinking of you. It makes no sense. Heartbreaking 💔 2y
Cinfhen Glad to hear it reached your part of the world @BarbaraBB I‘m also glad to say the young boy‘s body was returned to his family so they could bury him. What a double tragedy 😞 2y
BarbaraBB I can‘t even think about it. It‘s too much. The boy, his family 🥲 2y
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Cinfhen
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I‘m only on page 2 and my blood is already boiling 😡I really don‘t know what to say other than education is the greatest weapon. This probably isn‘t the best book to begin before bedtime- I‘m definitely going to have nightmares 😥😫

Suet624 What a title. My stomach just dropped. 2y
Centique Whoa 😳😳 2y
Cinfhen Yup @Suet624 @centique it‘s the BOLDEST title I‘ve ever seen. Opening sentence. PEOPLE LOVE DEAD JEWS. LIVING JEWS, NOT SO MUCH. 2y
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squirrelbrain Wow, that‘s some title. 2y
TrishB The trouble is some people just don‘t want educating 🥲 2y
BarbaraBB Why do you read a book with such a title? I think I wouldn‘t even try.. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y
IndoorDame I‘ll be interested to hear your thoughts if you stick with it 2y
Deblovestoread Wow is right! I can't even imagine that going in a positive direction. Education is key but as @TrishB said .... 2y
rwmg The trouble is the people who need to hear what some books say won't read them 2y
Cinfhen Dara Horn is a Jewish writer and scholar @BarbaraBB so I knew this book would be difficult but she intentionally chose a provocative title to make a bold statement! It‘s true unfortunately, the world likes to memorialize and glorify Jews as victims of the past ( people they can root for, once they‘re no longer living) but very few people “care” about the “Jews” in their daily existence @squirrelbrain @Deblovestoread It‘s shocking @IndoorDame 👇🏽 2y
Cinfhen But I feel like this book will be a powerful weapon of knowledge to help me combat those that I sometimes encounter 😔But @TrishB @rwmg are totally correct - those that need educating don‘t want to hear it. 2y
BarbaraBB I didn‘t know she is Jewish. That makes a lot of difference. It‘s awful that people think that way, unbelievable, but I think @TrishB is right about the will to be educated. 2y
TrishB I don‘t know if you can access but the BBC aired a documentary last night by David Baddiel called Jews Don‘t Count. Dara Horn was one of the interviewees on it. I haven‘t watched yet as will watch on catch up over the weekend. 2y
Cinfhen Thanks @TrishB I‘ll look for it - how‘s everyone feeling??? 2y
Cinfhen I know @BarbaraBB the world isn‘t as kind as those we have here on Litsy - the kindest place I know 💕💕💕 2y
TrishB We‘re still coughing and soooo tired! Missed a gig last night (Placebo) cos I couldn‘t face going out! 2y
Cinfhen Damn!! That‘s disappointing @TrishB but it‘s so hard to go out when you‘re not feeling well. Are u watching World Cup ⚽️🏟?? 2y
TrishB I was trying to wfh home today- which means C is shouting up the stairs all day with footie scores. Watching when we can! C starts her job on Monday 😁🤞🏻 2y
Megabooks I think it is a problem that some/many non-Jews equate anti-semitism as a problem that went away when WWII was won rather than something Jewish people deal with on a daily basis. My heart goes out to you, Cindy! I often fear for your kids when I see it so prevalent it makes the national news, but I know there are things they see regularly that don‘t make it that far. Love to you! 💕💕 2y
Cinfhen Thanks so much for your kind words @Megabooks 😘🫶🏼 2y
Cinfhen Good luck to C @TrishB so exciting!!! I‘m sure it‘s all gonna be great 😊 2y
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Cinfhen
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I‘ve been wanting to read this book, now MORE THAN EVER!! I was SO GLAD to find it for sale in my local library ♥️ #StopHate

Blackink_WhitePaper Stacked ! Thanks. It looks like a must read . 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures It is so good! I learned a lot from it, and it reaffirmed my uncomfortableness with WWII novels that seem to glorify the war. 2y
Bookwormjillk I‘m on the holds list for this at my library. Glad to read your review. 2y
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Cinfhen Im glad to hear this book was impactful @ChaoticMissAdventures and im happy to share the message with likeminded readers @Blackink_WhitePaper @Bookwormjillk ♥️ 2y
Aimeesue @ChaoticMissAdventures I have a hard time with most WW2 books, and I think you just expressed the reason why. 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Aimeesue WWII novels are so popular and I have asked many people how many they read written by Jewish authors and they never know or realize when I ask they have read none. And it always feels a bit gross, the only words I can come up with are exploration and glorification. There is also a chapter on Shakespeare which I was completely unaware of how problematic he was. 2y
Aimeesue @ChaoticMissAdventures To be fair, the Nazis did a lot of damage to every society they touched, and there absolutely *were* people everywhere who did dangerous and heroic things to oppose them. But you gotta at least talk about the attempts to annihilate the Jewish people, and recognize that that was going on at the same time, right? 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Aimeesue definitely! My issue htad always been seeing more and more stories that are "cool spy" or other ways to make the war fun while ignoring the importance of death and horror. Both of the Jewish people and of the intense loss in the Pacific. 2y
Cinfhen I‘ve always “known” that Shakespeare‘s characterization of Shylock was problematic @ChaoticMissAdventures @Aimeesue but I‘m curious to learn more and my issue with Holocaust books has always been the idea of exploitation - who should tell and write these stories??? And like you both so eloquently state - the romanticizing or watering down of Hitler‘s ultimate goal. Horn also acknowledges that people “like” Jews as dead victims 👇🏽 2y
Cinfhen Not as much when they are living, breathing beings. It‘s a sad truth. 😔 2y
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Anna40
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Pickpick

It stirs up a lot of emotions. Infuriating and deeply upsetting. Society is fascinated with the death of Jews but shows no interest in the living, thriving Jewish communities, their traditions, thoughts, literature and culture. Over the last two years I have been told that the “Talmud is a Satanic book”, “the Jews killed Jesus”, and just recently traveling in Italy that “Jews stink, are dirty and cling to their money”.

Libby1 I‘m dismayed by what has been said to you. I feel the need to do something. 2y
Libby1 I‘ve just requested it from my work. I work at Waterstones, so all being well I can also try to promote it. 2y
Anna40 @Libby1 ❤️ 2y
Graywacke That‘s crazy. I‘m sorry you have dealt with that. 2y
Anna40 @Graywacke yes, it is. The person who gave his opinion on the Talmud has never read it and doesn‘t know what it‘s about, I asked him. And what I found even more incredible is with how much ease these statements were uttered, how normal it seems to be to people to say these things, they were nonchalant, casual as if commenting on the weather… Absolutely insane. 2y
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Pickpick

I checked this out from the library and it is so good I went to my bookstore and grabbed a copy when I was about half through. As someone who is atheist and about 10 years ago swore off WWII books, I felt I needed this, but it was so much more than I had thought. Particularly interesting (as an American) is the dismantling of the myth of renaming from Ellis Island. Each chapter is unique & special. Highly recommend.

LiteraryinPA Wow. This sounds really eye-opening. 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures @LiteraryinLawrence it really is! She tackles old events and current events, there is a chapter on Merchant of Venice, which I do not think I have read but her chapter was very informative. She covers so many topics. 2y
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willaful

An astonishing compendium of little known anti-semitic history that demonstrates how the common cultural narratives about Jewish people, even the most seemingly sensitive and sympathetic, do little to stop anti-semitism and might even encourage it.

I listened to the audiobook, which is fantastic. Xe Sands has an emotional resonance to her voice that was perfect for the text.

BkClubCare Interesting! And I agree on Xe Sands 2y
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Lindy
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Pickpick

A disturbing, thought-provoking audiobook (read by Xe Sands) that “explores the many strange & sickening ways in which the world‘s affection for dead Jews shapes the present moment.” So many things surprised me, including: the history of Jews in Harbin, China; the mythology that family names were changed at Ellis Island; and what we expect from the endings in literature. I relistened to many sections before returning this library copy.

Suet624 The title itself frightens me. 3y
tpixie @Suet624 yes! Shocking title 3y
Lindy @Suet624 @tpixie The interest in Anne Frank, as well as historical fiction about the Holocaust, are examples that the title refers to. Another example: what happened in Harbin isn‘t shocking in itself (knowing what Jews throughout history have faced) but the way that history is currently marketed there is something that shocked me. 3y
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ChaoticMissAdventures I need to read this. I stopped reading all WWII books a few years ago because it started to feel they were either trauma porn or just cruelly flippant about the people dying. I am not Jewish and cannot imagine what descendents of the dead and torture think seeing so many revel in fiction of WWII 3y
Lindy @ChaoticMissAdventures If you read Horn‘s book, please tag me in your review. I‘d love to know what you think. 3y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Lindy will do! I ordered it from the library but there is a bit of a hold list. 3y
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Lindy
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Of course Judaism has always been uncool, going back to its origins as the planet‘s only monotheism, featuring a bossy and unsexy invisible god. Uncoolness is pretty much Judaism‘s brand.

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Lindy
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We expect the good guys to be saved. If that doesn‘t happen, we expect the main character to have an epiphany. And if that doesn‘t happen, then at least the author ought to give us a moment of grace. All 3 are Christian terms. So many of our expectations of literature are based on Christianity, & not just Christianity but the precise points on which Christianity & Judaism diverge. The canonical works in Jewish languages almost never give ⬇️

Lindy (Continued) their readers any of those things. 3y
tpixie Interesting. I wonder what they give instead? 3y
Lindy @tpixie What they give, according to Horn: “many actually didn‘t have endings at all.” 3y
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Suet624 fascinating. 3y
tpixie @Lindy thanks! Interesting. Sounds like although we should never forget about the genocides we need to start acknowledging current exemplary Jewish people! 3y
Lindy @tpixie Horn hopes to illuminate for non-Jewish people that our obsession with dead Jews is an affront to human dignity. She shows the way that antisemitism is present in news stories about synagogue attacks, as another example. 3y
tpixie @Lindy how very interesting 3y
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Lindy
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That a Jewish employee at the museum of Anne Frank was forbidden from wearing a skull cap is one of many disturbing examples that Dara Horn writes about in this long essay about contemporary antisemitism.

tpixie Incredible 3y
Suet624 ????? That's so wrong. 3y
Lindy @tpixie @Suet624 After over four months of deliberating the question, the employee was finally allowed to wear his yarmulke. 3y
tpixie @Lindy glad they finally saw the light. but I can‘t believe it was an issue and I can‘t believe it took four months! 3y
Lindy @tpixie I was going to say it‘s a head scratcher… and then I realized it‘s exactly what Dara Horn is writing about: Anne Frank is fine, but not living Jews who observe their faith traditions. 3y
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