Mindy the Book Yenta

Mindy Holland

The Final Solution to the Jewish Problem by Dara Horn

Literary stars: 5 Jewish stars: 5

The title of this book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question, is so provocative I was hesitant to carry it in public. Yet its message is one I will carry forever, returning to it whenever I need courage, clarity, or a quick historical fact.

Drawing inspiration from Dr. Seuss’s champion of the environment, Dara Horn reluctantly embraces her role as an “antisemitism Lorax,” advocating for those targeted by deep-seated hatred toward the Jewish people.

Following her acclaimed 2021 work, People Love Dead Jews, Horn has become a vital authority on prejudice. She served on Harvard’s Antisemitism Advisory Group, has testified before Congress, and brings extensive historical research to her work.

In this volume, she explores the post-October 7, 2023 landscape, suggesting that some within the community have begun to internalize a harmful fabrication: the idea that Jews must apologize for their own existence.

Who should read this book? Me.

Even as a leader in the Jewish community and a proud Zionist, I found Horn’s researched arguments essential. This book is a must-read for everyone—Jews, non-Jews, community leaders, and anyone even remotely curious about the complexities of Jewish peoplehood.

Horn does not demand blind loyalty to Israel or the restriction of free speech. Instead, she approaches the topic asking for an open mind, with the recognition that cultural misunderstandings often stem from simple lack of knowledge.

She illustrates this through a personal story: at age 40, Horn realized she hadn’t known there were living members of the Lenape tribe. This moment of humility informs her compassion for those who don’t realize how few Jews exist, the democratic complexities of Israel, or the 3,000-year-old Jewish people.

One line particularly stayed with me: “The opposite of hatred isn’t love, it’s curiosity.”

The chapter on artificial intelligence was striking. Horn describes what she sees not as a random mess of unrelated content, but as a systematic effort to amplify Jew hatred online.

On Holocaust education, long viewed as a primary tool for preventing prejudice, Horn challenges us to consider whether traditional methods are achieving their goals.

This is a challenging but vital read, especially now. Many liberal Jews are discovering a shifting world and realizing that the ground beneath diaspora Judaism may not be as solid as we thought.

Who should read this book? You.

As the Jewish New Year is upon us, I urge you to read or listen to at least two Jewish books. The Final Solution to the Jewish Question should be one; the other is Sarah Hurwitz’s As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us, which I look forward to discussing in a future column.

While I may still hesitate to walk around with a book titled The Final Solution, I will carry the book’s message with me everywhere.

Mindy Miner Holland is a school librarian at Shenendehowa Schools. She is the board chairperson of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY. Past president of Congregation Gates of Heaven, she earned her master’s degree in library science from the University at Albany.