“For a long time now, the authority of knowledge has been under siege from those who march under the banner of pure belief.” —Simon Schama Welcome to the new JQ. The Return of History investigates rising global populism, and the forces propelling modern nativism and xenophobia. In wide-ranging, lively essays, Simon Schama explores the age-old tropes of Jews as both purveyors of disease and mono-polists of medical wisdom, in the wake of a global pandemic; Holly Case takes us by train to Hungary; Mikołaj Grynberg reflects on Poland’s commitment to forgetting its atrocities; and Deborah Lipstadt puts white supremacy under the microscope, examining its antisemitic DNA. Recently discovered letters about Israel from Isaiah Berlin to Robert Silvers are published here for the first time. In new sections on History and Community, Ian Black revisits a turning point in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and Elliot Perlman traces the roots of the Jewish farmers in Uganda. And in three insightful, erudite book reviews, Hadley Freeman, Benjamin Balint and Robert Manne cast light on second-generation Holocaust memoirs and the work of Paul Celan and Götz Aly. The Return of History is a truly global issue, bringing together esteemed, well-known voices and those you’ll be exhilarated to read for the first time.

“Traditional principles and allegiances have given way to realpolitik.” –Lina Khatib The New Middle East examines the dramatic changes unfolding in the region as new rivalries, blocs and partnerships are formed – based not on ideology, but on pragmatism. In a graceful, elegiac piece, Nir Baram seeks to understand Israelis’ sober realism and their fading hopes for peace with the Palestinians. Lina Khatib astutely questions whether the Middle East has bid farewell to the politics of ideology, and Elie Podeh provides an essential overview of the secret history of Israel’s normalisation agreements. Also in this issue, Nancy Berliner playfully examines the world’s fascination with the Jews of Kaifeng, China, and Magda Teter traces the historical lineage of Simon of Trent and the blood libel. And in their probing book reviews, Anne Sebba and Deborah Levy evaluate stories of the Jewish collectors of pre-war France and Maria Stepanova’s meditation on memory.