Book's claim that Hebrew punctuation is a relic of brutal colonial system sparks criticism

The New Yorker drew criticism from several commentators online after publishing a review of a new book whose author links Hebrew punctuation to colonialism and the history of Jewish migration to Israel.The book, titled "On the Mark: From Periods to Interrobangs, How Punctuation Remade the World" and written by author Florence Hazrat, is drawing scrutiny after the New Yorker's Louis Menand highlighted its claim that punctuation marks in the Hebrew language are "relics" of a "brutal colonial system."The review written by Menand describes Hazrat's book as "irreverent and delightfully intellectual," but says its premise — that the "history of punctuation is the history of humanity" — leads to "overreach."FAMILY MEMBER OF LAWYER WHO COINED 'GENOCIDE' SEEKS TO STRIP NAME FROM GROUP ACCUSING ISRAEL OF ATROCITYPro-Israeli protesters hold signs at a rally in opposition to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York, Sunday, July 26, 2026.(AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)"Today this brutal oppression (aided and abetted by the United States, Germany, and a host of other countries through arms deliveries, technological support, and trade deals) has evolved into the worst crime of all crimes: genocide," Hazrat wrote.Hazrat goes on to argue in her book that adding punctuation helped turn Hebrew from a written language into a spoken one.CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM EXTENDS BEYOND STUDENT PROTESTS AND INTO CLASSROOMS, ADL WARNSAnti-Israel protesters attempt to block a counter-protester with an Israeli flag at UCLA on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)She argues that the introduction of punctuation into the language is "paving the way for an artificial sense of unity among Jewish people from all over the globe, encouraging them to move to the land that already had people—a people made to suffer and bear the brunt of European antisemitism in the most horrendous ways for generations."While Menand takes issue with Hazrat's stance ...