The author of this review was once invited to give a historical lecture at a venerable New York City Jewish institution. The subject of antisemitism figured prominently in the talk. “Why do they hate us so?” wailed one member of the audience among the crowd that gathered afterward. “Can you tell me?” As she walked with me to my subway stop, pouring out her despair, I patiently tried to explain to her why perceptions of Jews might have developed as they had.