DEFAMATION (HASHMATSA)

Anti-Semitism is a fundamental, inescapable facet of Jewish identity, but what does it really mean to Jews around the world today? Yoav Shamir sets out on an irreverent journey to explore this most controversial of subjects, running the gamut of opinions on the world’s "oldest hatred", probing its extremes and the grey areas in between. Travelling the globe, he speaks to historians, academics, children and his own grandmother. He follows American Jewish leaders to Europe and visits the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Norman Finkelstein, author of The Holocaust Industry and Abraham Foxman of the Anti Defamation League offer their fiercely contrasting views. A group of Israeli school children visit Auschwitz and experience shock, anger and confusion. Shamir, who claims he has never suffered anti-Semitism himself, discovers an array of perceptions and interpretations - differences in where people draw the line between anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and plain old racism. With an understated approach and wry sense of humour, he valiantly takes on an emotive, divisive and ubiquitous issue.

"At times I found the subject daunting. No other phenomenon in Jewish history has had so much written about it by academics who spend their whole lives studying it. Who the hell was I to think that I might have anything meaningful to add? I was walking on some very thin ice. Nevertheless, I decided to follow my instincts. Any question is relevant if I believe it is; I should never be afraid to ask or challenge even the most hallowed assumptions. The result is a personal journey that reflects things as I saw them. It is not intended as an academic essay." Yoav Shamir