BHL Boycott Backfires

Censorship is ugly behavior, whether it comes from the right or the left. Fortunately, it is most often self-defeating, but it is a warning sign of deeper pathology. So we see in the matter of philosopher, filmmaker, and humanitarian Bernard-Henri Lévy’s new book, Israel Alone.

The attempt within the book trade to limit mention of Israel Alone is an act of breathtaking moral cowardice, and it bodes ill for the core values of this nation. The book trade by rights should be the most vigorous defender of intellectual pluralism. But a robust free press, robust freedom of expression, and maybe even freedom of religion do not seem to matter in the world of cancel culture.

Earlier this month, Shelf Awareness, a major trade publication with a reach of 600,000 readers, including booksellers and librarians, canceled a previously accepted advertisement for Mr. Lévy’s book. The well-understood intention of such cancellation, of course, given the nature of the industry, is to keep the volume on the margins, to consign it to obscurity.

Was the title that includes Israel just so toxic that this account of Mr. Lévy’s months in Israel in the immediate aftermath of the massacre inflicted by Hamas would be bad for business? That seems to be what Shelf Awareness’ publisher Matt Baldacci thought. Noting that both employees and customers would be unhappy even to see an ad for the book, he said, “We can debate about the rightness or the wrongness of those customers complaining, but the fact is that they will, and our partners trust us to protect them from those kinds of situations. So, we had to make the difficult decision not to accept the ad.”

The ethical bankruptcy of his position becomes yet clearer in light of Shelf Awareness’ enthusiastic profile of The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, as “one of 13 upcoming books we know you’ll love.” Notably, that book recently earned the scorching critique of journalist and author Coleman Hughes as “a masterpiece of warped arguments and moral confusion”—chief among those warped arguments is its virulent hostility to Israel.

This episode is the latest in a series of events illustrating how the literary world has turned so decisively against Zionism as to become broadly antisemitic. Referencing a spreadsheet titled “Is Your Fav Author a Zionist?” that was published on social media early this year, James Kirchick reported in May that “a litmus test has emerged across wide swaths of the literary world effectively excluding Jews from full participation unless they denounce Israel.” Blacklists like this one, as well as cancellations and denunciations, await those who refuse to comply.

PEN America was compelled to cancel its annual awards ceremony after numerous nominees withdrew and the organization faced mounting criticism for not siding more strongly with Palestinians against Israel.

More recently, a panel was canceled at a literary festival because two of the panelists refused to share the stage with the moderator who is a “Zionist.” And a book event in New York was canceled because the author’s scheduled interlocutor was a rabbi.

Fortunately, in the case of Mr. Lévy’s Israel Alone, this cynical pandering to antisemites, ideologues, and to those who worship at the altar of the bottom line backfired. Education may enlighten the prejudiced, which is why Mr. Lévy’s book is so urgently needed, but there are few antidotes for stupidity, except the free market, which is working brilliantly in this instance. Interest in the book is quite robust and will undoubtedly have a positive effect on sales. So, we owe thanks to Shelf Awareness for the unintended consequences of its malfeasance.

We are pleased to add that our organization, in partnership with B’nai B’rith International, has raised funds from generous private donors to purchase and distribute for free thousands of copies of the book to college students around the country. Mr. Lévy will also be speaking in November at select American and Canadian universities. As he explained, “curbing this hate begins by going to the source.” It is abundantly clear that far too many universities and far too many journalists have failed to provide what Americans need to understand about Israel and the Middle East.

Censors can cause a lot of short-term damage, but history tells us that they ultimately lose and their disgrace follows. This comes from the first-century Roman author Tacitus: “When what has been created is persecuted, its authority grows. Neither foreign despots nor others who employ such savagery beget anything except infamy for themselves and glory for those they persecute.”

The ironic good news is that despite the efforts of Shelf Awareness, many more people are now aware of Israel Alone. They can make up their own minds about its message.

This article was first published by Tablet Magazine on October 30, 2024.