Two activist journalists present a progressive, intersectional approach to the vital question: What can we do about antisemitism?
Antisemitism is on the rise today. From synagogue shootings by white nationalists, to right-wing politicians and media figures pushing George Soros conspiracy theories, it’s clear that exclusionary nationalist movements are growing. By spreading division and fear, they put Jews, along with other marginalized groups and multiracial democracy itself, at risk.
And since the outbreak of war in Gaza, debates around antisemitism have become more polarized and high-stakes than ever. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to overcome the politics of division and fear?
Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what’s missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people.
What People Are Saying
Interview with the authors on the Live Like the World is Dying podcast
Safety through Solidarity places the struggle against antisemitism where it belongs: within a larger constellation of struggles against oppression in all its forms. Scholarly, historical, and politically razor-sharp, this landmark work from Burley and Lorber is an essential tool for fighting back against right-wing efforts to weaponize the rhetoric of 'antisemitism' for racist agendas." Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook
"Shane Burley and Ben Lorber are two of the most passionate, committed and thoughtful people combating fascism today, and this is just one more installment in their vital work against the cruel march of dark forces in our era." Talia Lavin, Author Culture Warlords
“The best book I’ve read on contemporary antisemitism and how to combat it. Careful, honest, eloquent, and essential at this terrible moment.” Peter Beinart, author of The Crisis of Zionism
"I don’t think this book could come at a better time… Safety Through Solidarity is not just an appeal to avoid falling into a trap, it also recognizes how much stronger we all are when we do so. Most importantly, Burley and Lorber show how to build that strength against such odds. Everyone needs to read this book.” Daryle Lamont Jenkins, One People's Project"Drawing on the experiences and insights of contemporary progressive activists, Safety Through Solidarity advocates an alternative approach to fighting antisemitism than that of the American Jewish establishment. At a time of rising antisemitism and white Christian nationalism, such a strategy is urgently needed...This book should be required reading for progressive activists.” Dov Waxman, Professor of Israel Studies and director of the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA
“It's crucial to see antisemitism not just as a problem for Jews, but as something that impedes social progress and equity for everyone. In deconstructing the poisonous roots of anti-Jewish sentiment, Shane Burley and Ben Lorber show how tropes and myths about Jews running the world through their total control of finance distract us from examining the actual titans of industry and who zealously hoard their wealth, and make sure we don't do anything about them. At this dangerous moment for Jews around the world, Safety through Solidarity is a book to rely on for real answers and solutions." Mike Rothschild, author of Jewish Space Lasers
“Antisemitism has again become a topic of intense conversation in the Jewish world. New books appear almost weekly analyzing what it is, why it is, and how to fight it. But none are quite like Shane Burley and Ben Lorber’s Safety through Solidarity. In their historically rich and deeply sophisticated analysis, Burley and Lorber, both authors, journalists and activists from the Left, explore a different approach to antisemitism. Distinguishing themselves from those who advocate the eternality of antisemitism and its exclusively Jewish target, they view antisemitism as part of a larger phenomenon of hate that, while targeting Jews, affects myriad others as well. The solution to this ideology of hate is not, for them, Jewish insularity but rather Jewish solidarity with others in search of a society of equality and justice. This is a daring and provocative project of how to combat antisemitism from the Left. It is a desperately needed alternative to the phobic and sometimes shrill nature of the present discourse.” Shaul Magid, author of The Necessity of Exile “What a breath of fresh air to read this book, which offers essential history, sober analysis and courageous vision on how to take on antisemitism, directly from individuals who have been on the front lines of this work with the new generation of the Jewish Left. Lorber and Burley offer clear eyed lessons from our movements about how to keep Jews and all people safe, and timely alternatives to the failed approach of the pro-Israel American Jewish establishment. This book is a gift.” Simone Zimmerman, co-founder IfNotNow
About the Authors
Ben Lorber has worked as a writer, organizer and movement-builder for over a decade. As a Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, a progressive think tank that monitors far-right movements, Lorber helps social justice organizers understand and fight antisemitism and white nationalism. He has written extensively on these topics, and on Israel/Palestine and Jewish politics, for a variety of outlets including The Nation, Jewish Currents, Salon, The Forward and more. Previously, Lorber worked as National Campus Organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, helping build the movement for Palestinian rights on college campuses. He tweets at @BenLorber8.
Shane Burley is known for his work on the far-right and left-wing social movements. He is the author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It(AK Press, 2017) and Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse (AK Press, 2021), and editor of the anthology ¡No pasarán!: Readings on Antifascism (AK Press, 2022). His work has been featured in places like NBC News, Al Jazeera, The Baffler, Jacobin, The Daily Beast, Truthout, In These Times, Roar Magazine, Jewish Currents, and others. He provides expert analysis and commentary on these issues for places like PBS, The Guardian, and The Oregonian, and has published extensive academic work, particularly on antisemitism.