The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-hatred, and the Jews

David Mamet may write good plays, but don’t get near his writings on Judaism; they’re toxic. This is an updated version of Rabbi Kahane’s extremist classic “Never Again”—both are incoherent racist, bizarre, paranoid, bullying and self-righteous. Without any evidence (save one quote from Chomsky) or nuance, Mamet delivers a screed against a mythical beast called the “self-hating...more

David Mamet may write good plays, but don’t get near his writings on Judaism; they’re toxic. This is an updated version of Rabbi Kahane’s extremist classic “Never Again”—both are incoherent racist, bizarre, paranoid, bullying and self-righteous. Without any evidence (save one quote from Chomsky) or nuance, Mamet delivers a screed against a mythical beast called the “self-hating Jew” who abandons Torah and tradition and condemns the State of Israel. As in his terrible movie “Homicide” he asserts that “the entire world” hates the Jews; if all Jews thought like Mamet, I’d understand. Worse is the “race treason” committed by mild critics of Israel. Whatever. This wretched book will stand as an artifact of Jewish paranoia, how Jewish men get all macho by asserting they are part of a “race” that demands “loyalty” and violence to compensate for their ignorance and insecurity. Shame on Shocken Press for publishing this tripe in its widely read “Nextbook” series; may it quickly go out of print.   hide