The Jewish Question

No one can deny the gravity of the situation of the Jews. Whereverrnthey live in perceptible numbers, they are more or less persecuted.rnTheir equality before the law, granted by statute, has becomernpractically a dead letter. They are debarred from filling evenrnmoderately high positions, either in the army, or in any public orrnprivate capacity. And attempts are made to thrust them out of businessrnalso: "Don't buy from Jews!"rnrnAttacks in Parliaments, in assemblies, in the press, in the pulpit, inrnthe street, on journeys--for example, their exclusion from certainrnhotels--even in places of recreation, become daily more numerous. Thernforms of persecutions varying according to the countries and socialrncircles in which they occur. In Russia, imposts are levied on Jewishrnvillages; in Rumania, a few persons are put to death; in Germany, theyrnget a good beating occasionally; in Austria, Anti-Semites exercisernterrorism over all public life; in Algeria, there are travellingrnagitators; in Paris, the Jews are shut out of the so-called bestrnsocial circles and excluded from clubs. Shades of anti-Jewish feelingrnare innumerable. But this is not to be an attempt to make out arndoleful category of Jewish hardships.rnrnI do not intend to arouse sympathetic emotions on our behalf. Thatrnwould be foolish, futile, and undignified proceeding. I shall contentrnmyself with putting the following questions to the Jews: Is it notrntrue that, in countries where we live in perceptible numbers, thernposition of Jewish lawyers, doctors, technicians, teachers, andrnemployees of all descriptions becomes daily more intolerable? Is itrnnot true, that the Jewish middle classes are seriously threatened? Isrnit not true, that the passions of the mob are incited against ourrnwealthy people? Is it not true, that our poor endure greaterrnsufferings than any other proletariat? I think that this externalrnpressure makes itself felt everywhere. In our economically upperrnclasses it causes discomfort, in our middle classes continual andrngrave anxieties, in our lower classes absolute despair.rnrnEverything tends, in fact, to one and the same conclusion, which isrnclearly enunciated in that classic Berlin phrase: "_Juden Raus!_" (Outrnwith the Jews!)rnrnI shall now put the Question in the briefest possible form: Are we torn"get out" now and where to?rnrnOr, may we yet remain? And, how long?rnrnLet us first settle the point of staying where we are. Can we hope forrnbetter days, can we possess our souls in patience, can we wait inrnpious resignation till the princes and peoples of this earth are morernmercifully disposed towards us? I say that we cannot hope for a changernin the current of feeling. And why not? Even if we were as near to thernhearts of princes as are their other subjects, they could not protectrnus. They would only feel popular hatred by showing us too much favor.rnBy "too much," I really mean less than is claimed as a right by everyrnordinary citizen, or by every race. The nations in whose midst Jewsrnlive are all either covertly or openly Anti-Semitic.rnrnThe common people have not, and indeed cannot have, any historicrncomprehension. They do not know that the sins of the Middle Ages arernnow being visited on the nations of Europe. We are what the Ghettornmade us. We have attained pre-eminence in finance, because mediaevalrnconditions drove us to it. The same process is now being repeated. Wernare again being forced into finance, now it is the stock exchange, byrnbeing kept out of other branches of economic activity. Being on thernstock exchange, we are consequently exposed afresh to contempt. At thernsame time we continue to produce an abundance of mediocre intellectsrnwho find no outlet, and this endangers our social position as much asrndoes our increasing wealth. Educated Jews without means are nowrnrapidly becoming Socialists. Hence we are certain to suffer veryrnseverely in the struggle between classes, because we stand in the mostrnexposed position in the camps of both Socialists and capitalists.rnrnrnPREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT A SOLUTIONrnrnThe artificial means heretofore employed to overcome the troubles ofrnJews have been either too petty--such as attempts at colonization--orrnattempts to convert the Jews into peasants in their present homes.rnrnWhat is achieved by transporting a few thousand Jews to anotherrncountry? Either they come to grief at once, or prosper, and then theirrnprosperity creates Anti-Semitism. We have already discussed thesernattempts to divert poor Jews to fresh districts. This diversion isrnclearly inadequate and futile, if it does not actually defeat its ownrnends; for it merely protracts and postpones a solution, and perhapsrneven aggravates difficulties.rnrnWhoever would attempt to convert the Jew into a husbandman would bernmaking an extraordinary mistake. For a peasant is in a historicalrncategory, as proved by his costume which in some countries he has wornrnfor centuries; and by his tools, which are identical with those usedrnby his earliest forefathers. His plough is unchanged; he carries thernseed in his apron; mows with the historical scythe, and threshes withrnthe time-honored flail. But we know that all this can be done byrnmachinery. The agrarian question is only a question of machinery.rnAmerica must conquer Europe, in the same way as large landedrnpossessions absorb small ones. The peasant is consequently a typernwhich is in course of extinction. Whenever he is artificiallyrnpreserved, it is done on account of the political interests which hernis intended to serve. It is absurd, and indeed impossible, to makernmodern peasants on the old pattern. No one is wealthy or powerfulrnenough to make civilization take a single retrograde step. The merernpreservation of obsolete institutions is a task severe enough tornrequire the enforcement of all the despotic measures of anrnautocratically governed State.rnrnAre we, therefore, to credit Jews who are intelligent with a desire tornbecome peasants of the old type? One might just as well say to them:"Here is a cross-bow: now go to war!" What? With a cross-bow, whilernthe others have rifles and long range guns? Under these circumstancesrnthe Jews are perfectly justified in refusing to stir when people tryrnto make peasants of them. A cross-bow is a beautiful weapon, whichrninspires me with mournful feelings when I have time to devote to them.rnBut it belongs by rights to a museum.rnrnNow, there certainly are districts to which desperate Jews go out, orrnat any rate, are willing to go out and till the soil. And a littlernobservation shows that these districts--such as the enclave of Hessernin Germany, and some provinces in Russia--these very districts are thernprincipal seats of Anti-Semitism.rnrnFor the world's reformers, who send the Jews to the plough, forget arnvery important person, who has a great deal to say on the matter. Thisrnperson is the agriculturist, and the agriculturist is also perfectlyrnjustified. For the tax on land, the risks attached to crops, thernpressure of large proprietors who cheapen labor, and Americanrncompetition in particular, combine to make his life hard enough.rnBesides, the duties on corn cannot go on increasing indefinitely. Norrncan the manufacturer be allowed to starve; his political influence is,rnin fact, in the ascendant, and he must therefore be treated withrnadditional consideration.rnrnAll these difficulties are well known, therefore I refer to them onlyrncursorily. I merely wanted to indicate clearly how futile had beenrnpast attempts--most of them well intentioned--to solve the JewishrnQuestion. Neither a diversion of the stream, nor an artificialrndepression of the intellectual level of our proletariat, will overcomernthe difficulty. The supposed infallible expedient of assimilation hasrnalready been dealt with.rnrnWe cannot get the better of Anti-Semitism by any of these methods. Itrncannot die out so long as its causes are not removed. Are theyrnremovable?