Housman’s Bookshop (London)

An Exchange On Anti-Semitism

The following notice, undated, was received from the management of Housman’s Bookshop at King’s Cross, London:

“I’m writing to let you know that I’m afraid we will no longer be able to stock your print publications, which at the moment I believe consist of Irish Political Review, Church and State and Labour Affairs. As you know we have carried these for a long time, but after recently reviewing the contents we feel they are no longer right for the shop.

In particular, we have concerns about some of the tone and language used in your recent articles on Gaza and Israel, which we find unhelpful and very troubling.  Everybody at Housmans supports full autonomy for the Palestinian people and an end to the ethnic cleansing they are currently subject to.  We consider the actions of the state of Israel abhorrent.  However, in your coverage we find criticism not only of Israel but use of antisemitic tropes regarding Jewish “culture” and “character.”  In particular, an author makes uncritical reference to the antisemitic conspiracy theory ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ and, in  Irish Political Review, an erroneous definition of “Anti-Semitic feeling” is posited that defines anti-semitism as simply “feeling hostile to the action of the Jewish State.”  This definition is in itself anti-semitic.  We are also concerned by what we have read online about the political views of one of your regular contributors.

I’m sharing this explanation for your own information, but I’m afraid we will not be entering into further discussion about it, and our decision is final.

Yours

Catherine

co-manager, Housmans Bookshop

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Housmans Bookshop,
5 Caledonian Road,
London N1 9DX
Tel: +44 (0)20 7837 4473 
email: shop@housmans.com
www.housmans.com


This was replied to as follows:

17.7.25

  The Protocols, in the few mentions of them in any of the publications you have banned, have been dismissed as absurd in the light of the Balfour Letter, which was issued three years before the Protocolsappeared in the Times.

The Jews throughout the world were recognised collectively as a nation with colonising rights in Palestine, and had representation at the Versailles Conference.  Their representatives met openly, not conspiratorially, to further their nationalist ambitions.

The idea that it is anti-Semitic to say that criticism  of actions of the Jewish State is held to be anti-Semitic is confusing, but has the value of novelty.  It means that the Chief Rabbis—who laid it down that, while it is theoretically possible to condemn actions of the Jewish State without being anti-Semitic, it is not possible to do so in practice—are themselves anti-Semites.

That is also the view of Ministers of the Jewish State.  We know of no higher authority in this matter than the Chief Rabbis and the leaders of the democratic Jewish State.

The main organiser of the publishing group whose magazine you have banned is a Holocaust survivor who lost much of her family in the Camps.  This is a matter on public record.  Her status as a survivor has been officially acknowledged and compensated for.  She gives your wild accusation of anti-Semitism the weight it deserves.

As to your reading of malicious gossip on line, we have nothing to say.

We never waste time looking at it.

As to your remark about “further discussion”:  it implies that there has been some discussion.  There has been no discussion.

Editors, Athol Books

PS:  It took you 30 years to discover that our literature which has been sold through your shop is Anti-Semitic.  Our literature has been sold through your shop for thirty years, expressing a consistent view of Jewish nationalism, and is only now declared to be anti-Semitic, for reasons that carry no conviction.  We wonder why?