David Baddiel

My understanding of how deeply anti-Semitism is woven into our society has been a long time coming, mostly assisted by my friend, Bob, who is himself Jewish. And when I refer to my understanding, I should say my understanding as far as it goes.

Last year, I read David Baddiel's book, 'Jews Don't Count', which argues (very well), that racism against Jews is not seen as being as serious or bad as other forms of racism. It's a good book, and I think he structures and explores his arguments well.

A few days ago, as Salford residents, The Lowry offered us tickets to his show tonight, which was the first we knew about it. When the Minx suggested we go along, I was up for it immediately, and she picked up the book in preparation.

I also mentioned to Bob that we were going, and he promptly bought tickets for himself, his wife, and one of his sons. Thus, our evening at The Lowry commenced with drinks with Bob and his family, which was a very welcome addition to the agenda.

And the show itself was excellent. Totally improvised apart from a single reading from the book, Baddiel took questions from the audience, using them as launch pads to explore his topic. From this, one saw just how well thought through his argument is, and he repeatedly demonstrated its breadth and depth. (He was, I should also add, excellent at dealing with the people asking the questions, who often to take a while to get to the point or even formulate their question!)

I would heartily recommend the book, and that you catch him on tour if it's not too late.