Winner of the 2021 National Jewish Book Award for Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice
Finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A Wall Street Journal, Chicago Public Library, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
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 culture―and increasingly in response to a recent wave of deadly antisemitic attacks―Horn 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 life―trying to explain Shakespeare’s Shylock to a curious ten-year-old, her anger when swastikas are drawn on desks in her children’s school, the profound perspective offered by traditional religious practice and study―to 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 past―making the radical argument that the benign reverence we give to past horrors is itself a profound affront to human dignity.
Now including a reading group guide.
Megan from NYC –
As a non-religious Jew who identifies strongly with the survival of Israel and the Jewish people, this book was an eye opener. it has given me a whole different appreciation of the nature of Jew hatred and the correct response to the recent reemergence of virulent anti-semitism. I may even look into the 7 year study of the Talmud suggested by the author.
TIntin –
So daring and insightful. I’ve always wondered what non Jews’ endless interest in Holocaust novels comes from. I’d like to think it is from ethos but have always suspected a morbid curiosity, or something not altogether empathic. Dr Horn’s points about this makes me feel like my thinking might be valid to some degree.
Martha Louise –
Dara horn tells it like it is in a style that is witty and wiseVery important to anyone seeking to understand the worlds oldest hatred
Arlan Wareham –
This is an amazingly profound book with perhaps the deepest insights into both Judaism and antisemitism that I have ever encountered.
Ellen –
No sugarcoating anti-Semitism
Stuart S Sacks –
An extraordinary book that I hope every person with either a good or weak knowledge of Jewish history will devour. Dara Horn is a scholar and writer with the capacity to tell the story of why and how. The what will become obvious in the book’s first pages. Read the book and buyextra copies for every graduate, Dad and others who love to travel. Btw it’s quite humorous too.
Dawn O then A –
The title is apt but off putting for these entertaining, well-written and informative essays. I’ve bought extras to give as gifts.
Bookworm –
Readers will come away from this book with a much richer and deeper understanding of Jews and the Jewish experience.
N. Brown –
Although title not really about topic, excellent writing and narrative. Worth your time.
Che –
As difficult a subject as this is this is a light read. It’s full of complex issues but the deconstruction is amazing
E K. –
Incredible Insights and discovery. A must read for Jew and non-jew
Naomi P. –
Great and educational book
Charles C. Engel –
This book is a humanitarian treatise for our troubled times. It is not religious or political in nature, but Dara Horn finds peace, sanctity, and meaning in surprising places. She confronts millennia of ugliness, betrayal, misunderstanding, uncertainty, and hate that sadly still surrounds us in these contemporary times. Yet, instead of succumbing to cynicism and fear, she speaks soft truth to the power that resides within us, a power and beauty forged on the resilient shoulders of so many who have come before us and many who are with us now.
Ryan –
Jews believe that anti-Israel and BDS attacks are pure anti-semitism is because there is a long list of non-Jewish countries that are far worse. Most people single out Israel, while neglecting the worse countries. My grandparents, parents, and my children have all suffered from anti-Semitism, and nobody cares.
Kenneth W. Gardner –
I cannot add much to what other people said. If you have a library of Jewish books, add this to it.
Sydney Carton –
I just finished this book and am almost speechless in the face of its power, emotional rawness, and honest thoughtfulness. Like the “most famous dead Jew”, Dara Horn brings the sword not peace–and it is exactly what any intellectually honest reader needs. I love writers and thinkers who can see through the facile thinking that makes history a cartoonish salve for the living instead of an honest reckoning with the past, and the all too real present. She is also an excellent writer who can make subtle but screamingly important issues clear. Of course, given the topic, and her overwhelmingly convincing argument, it is hard to emerge from a deep read of this book not depressed. But Horn does say, especially for Jews who have been and, as has become obvious, always will be one bad economy or regime change away from another existential threat, that the only option is to keep looking to the infinite nurturing and moral teaching that is Judaism. The irony that Horn makes so clear is that it is this very “gift of the Jews” that makes them the focus of so much hate and socially acceptable disdain. Horn says it so well: “[The Holocaust] happened because entire societies abdicated responsibility for their own problems, and instead blamed them on the people who represented, since they introduced the idea of commandedness to the world–the thing they were most afraid of: responsibility.” I have not heard or read a better explanation for Charlottesville and all the anti-Semitism that moment embodies and reflects. It’s just so much easier for these angry young white “Christian” men to blame others instead of growing up and actually doing something for themselves. Conspiracy theories are pacifiers for adults. Unfortunately, too often, they take the form of machetes, guns, swastikas on children’s desks, and cruel and ugly violence and murder. Horn is angry, and we all should be angry too.
Todd Berman –
A powerful description of the insidious nature of antisemitism
David Abel –
This book rewired me completely. It first shattered me in hopelessness of the endless cycle of antisemitism, and eventually soothed me with the Talmudic view of the world as a wonderfully broken place. My outlook and my actions are forever changed.
The French B –
Wonderfully written full of emotion moving rapidly from wonder to despair to anger to thoughtfulness and more. Very Jewish. A big section on V Fry. Worth the read.
karen cole –
Interesting read. Learned some things. I did find it a bit negative.
Tintin fan –
Comprehensive review of anti- semitism which leaves the reader a lot to think about. Well written and engaging.
M. Bell –
Very strong and original writing. Sure to stimulate lots of conversations! I hope this book gets a wide reading.
Amy Hamilton –
Makes you wonder how you missed so much of it, how you didn’t see it before. Extremely informative and healing.
Gardener –
An Amazing book and an amazing author. Her profound knowledge, inquisitive mind and excellent presentation makes this a book well worth reading.
R. Kaplan –
I read this book in two nights based on a podcast that accidentally came through my FB feed. Obviously the title was provocative, but the interview was so fascinating, I never even finished listening to the podcast, I just immediately ordered the book. As a college professor at a school known for its non-diversity and its indifference toward Jews, Jewish culture, and Jewish concerns, in particular, there is a constant “hum” of antisemitism that is difficult to oppose and overcome. Ms. Horn articulates not only that “hum” but describes it to a “T” when the “hum” becomes a “roar” of not just indifference but outright hatred. There are historical chapters that she brings to light, what is probably the perfect analysis of “The Merchant of Venice” that I have felt all my life, and much, much more. If I had to part ways with the book, and this is just my own stylistic preference (spoiler alert coming, folks), it’s the conclusion. I don’t doubt it’s true, and I don’t doubt it means a great deal to her to have found her peace in the way she finds it. For my cynical world view, it’s just a bit too pat for me. Don’t let that stop you from reading it, though. You may be less cynical than I am. I encourages my colleagues in the Department of Art History to invest in copies, both Jews and non-Jews, and they responded very favorably to the way(s) in which she fills in the “blanks” of history. As soon as I was finished with it, I started it again. So grateful to have been made aware of this author and her succinct, clear, and laser-pointed style.
Leon Zitzer –
This is not a book of happy resolutions or comfortable pleasures. Contradictions are left intact, discomfort rules. As examples:—It’s a good thing so many European writers and artists were saved from the Nazis. “But no one tried to save the culture of Hasidism …” (164).—German fascists “successfully destroyed” not just many Jews, but Yiddish culture (113). An entire culture gone.—“For those rescued, it was the worst time of their lives, when their lives had the least significance. For the rescuers, it was the best time of their lives, when their lives mattered most” (152-53).—People celebrate Anne Frank, a Jew in hiding, but forget what was lost in all that she might have written, had she lived (Ch. 1; see 6-8). Purely speculative, of course, but a powerful reminder that living Jews and Judaism should make at least as great a demand on our attention.—Dead Jews are supposed to teach us great lessons about life. That’s what dead Jews are for (80-81). Horn’s response: “how hateful” this is.The book, oddly enough, has a happy ending of sorts, with lessons about endurance, resilience, tradition, and memory. Never mind the (beautiful) contradiction. The heart of this book (80-81) is in Horn’s lament over how we suck meaning out of the lives of dead Jews.Leon Zitzer
Kindle Customer –
This is quite possibly one of the books that has affected my the most in the past 20 plus years. It combines an excellent writing style, a tremendous understanding of history and an insight into the world that has left me questioning – why I am I still here in the US? Did that attack get reported properly? (“that attack ” is the generic term for every anti Jewish physical attack which is happening weekly, editorial attack – daily or misrepresentation of the facts – hourly). I bought this book for friends and relatives – and I make sure they read it. Think of it as your canary.
Dr. Dale Rose Marcus –
I had avoided this book because of the title until it was chosen for my book club. This is a must read for everyone, Jew and non- Jew alike. Dara Horn has done an incredible job of making the reader face the grim realities of our time. The last chapter gives a glimmer of hope and some excellent ways to help yourself face the future.
B. R. Stone –
This book is such an eye-opener, different from author’s novels. I have been to several book talks for this book. Each chapter could be a study unit by itself. Must read.
Jerry Kowalski –
Dara Horn is an outstanding writer and a profound thinker. People Love Dead Jews makes many important points set forth in articulate and forceful prose. The book completely engages the reader. I have spent 50+ years studying Jewish history; yet I was most pleased for Ms. Horn to teach me more. I have some opinions on the subject matter that differ from Ms. Horn’s, yet I readily acknowledge that she has given me a great deal to think about.
C. Wang –
After reading this book, I have no words for how twisted the world, or people’s minds, could be–and some still are. I feel humbled in many ways about our people and I have received unfair treatment over the years, not trivia, though, but I can’t compare. And how powerless I’m when trying to express my thoughts and emotions toward social ignorance or bigotry today.I need to re-read this book two more times at least, hoping that I could have a much clearer peek into the author’s massive emotional and intellectual world. I would recommend others do the same, not just reading it line by line, but between the lines–and all over again.
Bouvegirl –
Each chapter is it’s own story. Not crazy about her “solution”. Gave it to two Jewish families and two Christian families…needs to be in high school and college curriculums!
Steven Frank –
An extremely intelligent and at times even witty commentary on this age old issue. But Horn has done her research and does not repeat old axioms. It is unique, fresh and you will definitely learn many things you did not know. Highly recommended.
Martha M. –
We chose this well written book for our temple book group and it generated an animated discussion about important topics
Kate Elias –
Dara Horn is a gifted writer, and in this book she addresses a major issue that I have gnashed my teeth about whenever I’ve gone to certain places in Europe: people in Poland, for example, literally love all the dead Jews–now that they’re truly dead and gone. As Jew-hating became socially acceptable in the U.S. under the recent hater-in-chief, incidents of violence and outright murder have increased disturbingly in this land of the free, yet the media tend to brush them off because it was only one or two or a few Jews who were killed. Time to stop playing the game of “ain’t it awful” and get mad enough to do something to prevent a surge in the number of those “lovable” dead Jews.
chinchin –
If only those who would never read this book would actually read this book, who knows if greater understanding would actually result in less hate?
S. Lawson –
Dara Horn tells us the truth that we may not want to hear, but it’s an important truth. Dead Jews get more sympathy than living Jews, despite our contributions to almost every known human endeavor. I love Horn’s dive into History forgotten. I had no knowledge of the Jew’s in Harbin. I was fascinated by the story of Varian Fry. And, she helped me to reconsider Shylock in Merchant of Venice. Why have I always let Shakespeare off the hook? Horn was very successful in helping me to reconsider Shakespeare’s character, Shylock. She helped me rethink anti-Semitism now and the question of where Jews belong and are welcome and safe. And, as always. Horn’s writing is impeccable.
Elaine –
can I start the Daf Yomi any time? As a Jewish mother and grandmother I had to make myself read through realities I try to shield myself from. only to understand more deeply what I’m part of. Two different people I consider friends asked me “why do people hate Jews?” I asked them somewhat angrily “why would you ask me. Ask the haters”. then I read this book. and have sent it on to them.
harry friend –
Horn takes you into historical tragedy and pulls you out to absorb our current world in a more judicial way. I have never been more moved to evaluate my Jewish response. I am now hoping to consider a new dedication to humanity.
Evelyn Selig –
I thought this was an excellent book. Dara Horn has so much insight into situations that appear inocuos but are really anti-Semitic. She really opened my eyes!
Alex G. –
This collection of essays gave me an unexpectedly fresh perspective into the history of antisemitism and I really appreciate it. The book’s subject is in no way light nor easy, but the way the author writes makes it an easy read. I was riveted. Finished it in two days and thought about it for much longer. Recommend!
Jo Perry –
Why are dead Jews so useful? So popular? Well, as Horn demonstrates, dead Jews are easy to strip of their Jewishness and be pressed into service of universalist cliches that make non-Jews feel good about themselves. Dead Jews and those merely maimed by antisemitic violence are lovable too, since they are “canaries in the coal mine,” their murders or suffering valuable as early warnings to the people that matter.–non-Jews.Living Jews, though, are difficult like the Jewish employee at the Anne Frank House who thought it was a good idea to wear his yarmulke to work. But those in charge of maintaining Frank’s legacy decreed that alive Jewishness was a threat and that the employee must hide his kippah under a baseball cap in order to maintain the institution’s “neutrality.” What that “neutrality” requires of Jews is at the heart of this necessary, funny, brave and moving book.
AviPhD –
Ms. Horn has an underlying sense of humor. However, her Subject matter rings true. There are so many double standards applied to Jews. Yes, anti-Semitism is unfortunately alive and doing well. Finally, the world is more sympathetic to dead Jews rather than live ones. Its sobering to read this but its important to remind oneself of the reality we live in.
Lauren Katz –
This book has profoundly changed my perspective and given me clarity on why I’ve often felt uncomfortable with the modern narrative of Jewish identity. Thank you so much for this articulate and well researched book.
Annag Chandler –
I was by turns saddened and outraged as I read through this book. I was astonished to read the history of Harbin, where my mother-in-law and her business partner grew up. I realized that I had read, many times, of the “context” provided around anti-semitic violence without articulating why it was so outrageous. I read a lot of books, and this is one of the rare books where I can say that my perspective on history and current affairs has been permanently shifted, like an image that suddenly moves from blurry to clear.
D. B. Goldstein –
This is a brilliant author , sharing a fresh perspective on the age old horror that is antisemitism. She changes the focus from pogroms, holocaust, “dead Jews” to urge us to learn about and celebrate the rich, lost culture of European Jews before the shoah. Learn about their lives, literature, music … change the way Jewish museums are organized to celebrate and educate rather than just memorialize and catalogue the death.
Zoe –
A profound, moving journey about hatred (antisemitism) through the centuries, demanding that Jews must always stay vigilant. Thanks to Dara Horn for opening my eyes to the ever present scapegoating of a religious group who’s only goal is to continue to exist.
yael pedhatzur –
This book is painfully honest. It is graphic & relentless in proving its very correct premise. I personally have been saying the same things for over the past 45 years.
Rose Filitchkin –
Absolutely fantastic read. Dara Horn put into words what I have been feeling for a long, long time. Will definitely read over and over.
Kindle Customer –
Even though i knew a lot of the information in this book I learned a lot i didn’t know. It was well written and i recommend it for anyone who wants to know some history.
Alain Raineau –
Dara Horn has written a truly excellent, and well-composed take on the ongoing, never-ending assault on Jews in history and current events. Witty and inciteful, the book offers reasoned and rational thoughts about why this is so. Should be read not just by Jews who feel the uncertainty of the world as it relates to Jewish security, but also by those who need to understand. This book is non-fiction (frighteningly so), but Horn is primarily known as a novelist. I have never read any of her novels, but am inclined to do so now.
Nancy S. –
Book was as described and arrived quickly
Patricia A. Gallagher –
A thoughtful, angry, insightful, frustrated view of history from the Jewish perspective: the survival of Judaism in a world hell-bent on destroying it.
Maude –
Insightful, even astounding, and well-written. Everyone should read this book.
JenMatt Valera –
A hard book to read. Painful and really current while telling the stories of the “loved-dead.” I haven’t been into nonfiction, but this captivated me. Makes me want to ask more questions and talk about these themes, these places, these people. Quite amazing. Thank you Dara Horn.
Jillg –
I am a WASP, a progressive Christian, and I learned so much from this book. The writing is superb and very engaging. I strongly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the recent rise in antisemitism
Moshe K. Levy –
This book is beautifully written and apropos to the times we live in. EXCELLENT
Susan Ochs –
Every chapter is well written with the accuracy of an academic but verbage like a conversation. She supports her insights throughout to her own final resolution, a coping mechanism, you could call it that. Each chapter is more disturbing than the last. The title is true, so sadly true. And her first line, “People love dead Jews, living Jews, not so much.” made me gasp in recognition. The chapter illuminates our fascination with survivors and survivor stories and is worth reading over and over. But how to get anyone to pick this up and allow themselves to be changed? Recommend this highly but wish it never had to be written.
Julie Zuckerman –
This is a brilliant collection of essays by Dara Horn that everyone should read. With a keen eye, she explores a variety of topics, from recent deadly anti-Semitic attacks to smaller, subtler slights that are so much a part of the modern Jewish experience in America we don’t think twice about them. What Horn does is unpack and examine each issue in a methodic but accessible manner, getting her readers (at least this one) to think, ask questions, and open their minds. Truly, one of the most enlightening books I’ve read in a long time.
Carrie Wallace –
This book FLOORED me. I want everyone I know to read this. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Gail Boer –
Amazing book that is too relevant. This is historical and personal. And sadly timely. Useful painful reality is the best description I can come up with.
L. Friedman –
Update after finishing: Ms. Horn, thank you for putting into words and clarifying what I’m sure many of us feel. Your honesty brought me back to reality and shook me out of some of the code-switching I’ve been doing for the goyim around me, because really what’s the point?!I’m a few chapters in on the audiobook. Her point is well-taken and clear to most Jews: we are like paper dolls, playing a set role in people’s lives. And unlike other marginalized groups, woke culture is not encouraging anyone to see us as full-fledged human beings, perhaps bc of the political alignment of some orthodox groups. And I don’t know if she’ll touch on it but yeah, just like in China, Poland has whole villages set up to re-create the Jewish experience and it’s s the most troubling thing ever. If you r a descendant of a Pole you can have citizenship, but you can’t get your building back. Sadly many Jews themselves have lost everything of their identity but “martyr.”
J F G Shearmur –
I would strongly recommend this interesting and disturbing book to all readers. At the same time, I was left with all kinds of questions. For example: (i) Most people who are not Jewish know little or nothing of Judaism or of Jewish people. How can this issue best be overcome, not least given the diversity of Judaism (ii) How can we get along with, and appreciate, one another when there may be profound differences between us. (I.e. it is easy enough if everyone is a ‘woke’ liberal, and differences are simply a matter of skin tones and food preferences…); (iii) how can we avoid constructing, or acting on the basis of, hostile, moralizing generalizations about others. All told, a book that is thought-provoking
Charlottekrn Bookfair –
Intense, informative, and wide-ranging in scope, Dara Horn writes of the evils, dangers, and horrific reality of anti-Semitism using various examples in Jewish history. Whether in China, Russia, Europe, or the US, anti-Semitism thrives, post Holocaust. The author examines the essence and virulent hatred of anti-Semitism.Referencing incidents from Simon of Trent in Italy, 1475, to the 1581 vicious murder of Roderigo Lopez under Elizabeth I, (whose predecessors conjured the Blood Libel upon the death of William of Norwich 1144, and in the next century, Edward I would participate in one of the first expulsions of Jews in Europe. Jews would not return to England until 1650 under Cromwell). From Shakespearean plays to Anne Frank’s book, to the burnings of Jewish Sacred Books, Horn shows a pattern of hatred and perceived wickedness of Jews.Rendered from age-old tropes propagated by Christian works and beliefs over centuries led to the unmitigated murder of two million Jewish children in last century, and to extend to murders of Jews in the recent years. Further, in mirror image, Dara Horn reveals the absence of genuine respect for Jews while laying claim of adoration, sympathy or ridiculous expectations.Furthermore, and much appreciated, is the mention of the new genre of Holocaust material produced by non-Jews (or even pretend Jews whose work is patently not Jewish).In these popular works, non-Jews are often the saviors of the Jews, when in reality, the situation was very rare (though when, recognized and treasured). The Holocaust is not about racism. The Holocaust is not universal.Through Jewish identity, the author relates differences in varied cultures and morals from behavior towards animals to political/religious oppression.The author speaks specifically to the uniqueness of Judaism and to the uniqueness of anti-Semitism.For Some Reviewers: What the book is Not about:Donald Trump or other contemporary political leaders. The book Is about Obsession and Irrational Hatred. Equally, the book was not about the glory of rebuilding Jewish Heritage Sites to benefit for profit on the backs of Dead Jews but the abject loss of the Jews murdered or discarded.Whom we must never forget are men like Varian Fry, the Righteous of the World.Perhaps not much new for Jews in the know, however, the book, so cleverly written makes it so worth reading.As succinctly stated by the author: Anti Semitism is a conspiracy of hate against Jews/Judaism.
ISmoisman –
This was an easy and insightful read. I loved the thesis behind the book. I saw the book first from someone who was reading it and wondered. Oh my G-d, what a title. But it really condenses the points made troughout the book
ALEX –
The book is filled with amazing pieces of analysis that you wouldn’t want to miss. It puts you to think about many of the things you previously though were commonplace.
Anonymous –
This is a book that needed to be written and Ms. Dara Horn was the perfect person to write it. As a best-selling novelist, Horn knows how to tell a story and she really nailed it superbly. I have wondered why this is the case and Horn explained it. I have purchased two more copies for my adult children. I love that she has dispelled the Ellis Island myth.
Bob L. –
Excellent, thoughtful essays. Often provocative in the best sense of the word.
barbara Mandell –
Dr. Horn clearly and openly discusses her concerns and worries about both American Jewry and Jewry around the world.I did not always completely understand her point of view but it sparked my interest to continue to study these dubjectd
Josiah Solis –
Both deeply starling and profoundly moving. Many of these essays should be taught in religious studies, theology, and history classes everywhere.
cooperkat10 –
Dora Horn has written an excellent book explaining how Jews are lacking in appropriate news coverage except when the news is negative.
Joe Kessler –
Although relatively short, this new essay collection by Jewish author Dara Horn literally took my breath away. I gasped, and I sobbed, and I felt incredibly, reassuringly seen. She cuts straight to the heart of life in the modern diaspora of our people and the insidious bigotry that values us as noble victims and not complex living individuals. (80% of those who died in Nazi concentration camps were Yiddish speakers. Names like Auschwitz are household knowledge now, but how many gentiles can name even a single Yiddish writer? They seem to matter more as symbols of martyrdom and the cruelty of their oppressors than as anyone worth honoring and listening to outside of it.) I recommend this book to Jews as a model for better articulating these frustrations in future conversations. I recommend it to others in the desperate hope that you’ll save us the need to have them.Citing the traditional holiday stories, Horn distinguishes between Purim antisemitism — efforts to exterminate the Jewish population — and Hanukkah antisemitism — efforts to suppress aspects of Judaism to make us more palatable to a dominant culture. The Holocaust was an example of the former variety; modern insistence that we disavow connections to Israel or give up practices that confuse or inconvenience Christians and secular nonbelievers exhibits the latter. But as she ably illustrates with examples from across history, the antisemitism of pressured assimilation is almost always a mere precursor to the more extreme type. Asking us to be the good Jews, the ones who fit it and don’t raise such a fuss, is never enough, in the end. It’s a message we in the extended community grow up knowing deep in our bones: eventually, they will come for our lives again.Horn is a scholar, and raises countless items that I was previously unaware of myself, from the Chinese town of Harbin which commemorates its Jewish past without mentioning the pogroms that destroyed it, to the Persian Jews of the Maccabean era who were encouraged to painfully ‘uncircumcise’ themselves, to the fact that most Jewish American historical immigrant name changes happened not, as family legend would have it, due to confusion at Ellis Island — which relied on extensive entrance interviews and ship manifests in preparing its documents — but through later court petitions from folks experiencing discrimination in their nominally-accepting adopted homeland.She ponders at length why Anne Frank’s diary is a worldwide phenomenon while other contemporary accounts and the testimony of survivors appears routinely overlooked. And she floats the troubling worry that by sounding the “Never Again” drumbeat and publicizing Nazi atrocities so thoroughly, we have inadvertently made it easier to dismiss everyday acts of hatred against Jews that don’t rise to that awful level. Another synagogue arson, or street attack on a Hasidic New Yorker, or graveyard vandalism? That’s no Holocaust, and therefore just a one-off event with no cause for alarm. Even the recent Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh is generally framed as one mass shooting among many, the writer argues, and not a reason for any non-Jewish reflection on what shared attitudes may have driven the killer. It’s a challenging, difficult, important read.In its closing pages, the text returns to the question of how Jews engage with our own dead. In uttering the same ritual prayers generation after generation after generation, in bringing ancient thinkers to life via the active discussions of daily Daf Yomi or other Talmudic study, in following the commandment to treat Passover as though we ourselves were freed from bondage in Egypt: we are a people perpetually reliving the past in all its dimensions. It’s a sharp contrast to the flattened image of Jewishness that seems to exist as a simple uplifting story of hardship for far too many outsiders.
Adam S. Glantz –
If I could summarize Dara Horn’s righteously angry argument, it would be: Jewish suffering is not your metaphor. When it’s used as a metaphor, it becomes self-serving. And the word “used” is completely apt here. Museums use Jewish suffering to promote their product. Readers and movie-goers expect stories of Jewish suffering to be uplifting, to teach us about morality and our common humanity — that’s what they purchase at the cash register. But Jewish suffering and Jewish death are preventable acts perpetrated by people seeking to shift blame onto others. And those others are deliberately and specifically Jews. Assuming that Jewish suffering serves or should serve someone else’s purposes is obscene.At a stroke, this perspective reveals that the emperor has no clothes. Violence against Jews is “contextualized” in the press in a way that would never happen to any other minority group — the subtext: the Jews have it coming and are ultimately supposed to be victims. Instances of antisemitism (Horn cites Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, though I disagree with her on this particular point), are kept in the Western canon because they’re deemed too valuable in other ways to lose. We meditate on what made certain individuals save Jews during the Holocaust, obscuring more relevant thoughts about what made whole societies decide to kill them. Most painful of all, Jews are sometimes complicit in this white-washing exercise, most notoriously the Jews who cooperated with Stalin to destroy their people’s culture and were rewarded with execution.The solace Jews can obtain is to decide to be Jewish, on their own and in accordance with their own autonomous values, to be part of real, living, thriving Judaism. For Dara Horn, it’s taking part in the Daf Yomi Talmud study cycle. We could do worse than this.
Halle –
Dara Horn is poetic and succinct. This book might make you cry, might make you laugh; but it’s educational and cites it’s sources. Highly recommend to folks interested in learning about Jewish struggle & identity.
david e galinsky –
This was chosen for my book club. Some friends objected that the author is angry. We’ll, so am I when the topic is antisemitism.The last chapter, which pivots to an optimistic tone surprised me.You will have to read this well written book to find out why you don’t have to be angry.
B. Levenson –
Dara Horn’s newest book is a great read about this interesting part of Jewish history and events and how the world sees dead Jews, as the title says.
Amazon Customer –
I found this book to be challenging because it addressed so many of the ideas I have been presented with as a Jewish American. I really did not have the depth of historical information presented. I recommend this book as a way in to thinking about what it means to be Jewish in the reality of increasing antisemitism.
A. Milrud –
I just got 2 books People love dead Jews. One for me and one for my friend who introduced me to Dara Horn. So I have not read this book yet. But I read her book The World to Come. I wrote a review on that book, but it was not published because I did not buy the book. I got it as a gift from my friend. Fair enough. But I have a burning desire to let people know how great that book is. So here is my review of Dara’s book The World to Come.I finished the book maybe one month ago and am still under the spell of it. I was born in Ukraine and came to the United States 34 years ago at nearly 40. Of course I knew the names of Yiddish writers Stalin killed. But… not much more. Author created a Monument to those great soles who vanished in a cruel grinding machine called Russia. They relived their lives one more time on the pages of this beautiful book to touch our hearts and vanished again. But now we know them. It warms my heart to know that at least Itzik Manger survived and wrote his divine The Book of Paradise. And of course Sholom Aleichem. Thank you, Dara. One of a kind experience. Unforgettable one.
West S. –
I bought this book of essays because of the provocative title. I am always looking for short pieces that can be used teaching 8th grade Holocaust studies in religious school. There are many thought provoking ideas and observations in this short book. Worth your time.
T H Downie –
Excellent book.
Amazon Customer –
Beautifully written, enraging, and at times depressing, but overall this is a book that everyone must read. I consider myself fairly well versed in Jewish history but I learned about communities I never knew existed, and writers whose works I now have to read. Horn artfully interweaves antisemitic incidents of the past with more recent ones in the US and I been thinking about the book frequently in the week since finishing it.
Kindle Customer –
I loved this book for the scholarly research and dynamic style the author brings to this subject. She tells us little known variants into the long tale.of aggression against the Jews. At the same time I marvel.that she can spend so.much energy studying the sad history of repeated attacks on her people. Human nature is basically awful.
Joanne –
My social and race justice book group just read this and found it very insightful. Also frightening in that if only the Holocaust is a big deal in killing Jews then all these other incidents of antisemitic hate seem to be excused away by society. Lots of great info packed in with stories that make the hard truths easier to hear.Clear ties to what is happening in America today. Highly recommend for anyone concerned with our country and how we treat others. Wish we had more solutions to the heartbreaking issues raised.
George Litman –
This brought The real issue of the hatred of Jews and anti-Semitism in a way That I found to be scholarly and well researched. I would hope that many people not just Jews would read this book and take it to heart. It is an extraordinary work
Robert Berman –
Best Audible Book I’ve listened to yet. I was so enveloped by the author’s story telling that I had to ask myself at times: Is she still even on the theme of people loving dead Jews? But it made no difference! Dara Horn is such a gifted writer that I was willing to follow her anywhere. I’m next going to check out her fiction books.
BookWorm21 –
Dara Horn writes about the long and sad history of Jews living in a hostile diaspora. Her writing style is engaging, with just the right amount of humor and sarcasm to keep the reader from dissolving into tears as she recounts a multi-millennial history of anti-semitism. Reading this book in the aftermath of the worst atrocity bestowed upon the Jewish people since the Holocaust made it all the more relevant and all the more moving. Ms. Horn reminds her Jewish readers what we have long known and have most recently been once again reminded of: People love dead Jews. 5 Stars.