Jewish influences in American life : $b volume III of the International Jew, the world's foremost problem : being a reprint of a third selection from articles appearing in the Dearborn IndependentFord, Henry
Religion
Jewish influences in American life : $b volume III of the International Jew, the world's foremost problem : being a reprint of a third selection from articles appearing in the Dearborn Independent
Ford, Henry
Antisemitic literature; Jews -- United States; United States -- Ethnic relations
“Thus,” says the rabbi (p. 127) “was invented that cruel story, that has
caused more misery, more innocent suffering, than any other work of
fiction in the range of the whole world’s literature.” And thus the
simple peasants of Oberammergau, presenting the Catholic faith in
reverent pageant, are labeled anti-Semites.
These are not isolated instances. Antagonism to the Catholic Church rung
throughout Jewish literature. The Jewish attitude was summed up in an
editorial in the _Jewish Sentinel_ of November 26, 1920, as follows:
“_Our only great historical enemy, our most dangerous enemy, is Rome in
all its shapes and forms, and in all its ramifications. Whenever the sun
of Rome begins to set, that of Jerusalem rises._” These, however, are
matters well known to Catholic leaders.
In their turn the other Christian denominations have been attacked. When
the _Methodist Church_ put on the great pageant entitled “_The
Wayfarer_,” Rabbi Stephen S. Wise played critic and made the solemn and
silly statement that had he been a South Sea Islander (instead of the
itinerant platform performer which he is) his first impulse, after
seeing “The Wayfarer,” would have been to rush out into the street and
kill at least three Jews. It says a great deal, perhaps, for the channel
in which Rabbi Wise’s impulses run, but the tens of thousands of
Methodists who saw “The Wayfarer” will not be inclined to attribute such
a criticism to the spirit of tolerance which Rabbi Wise so zealously
counsels the Christians to observe.
_The Episcopal Church also_ has felt the attack of the Jews. Recently
the Jewish press raised a clamor that the Episcopal Church was not
competent to teach Americanism in our cities because it held that
Christianity and good citizenship were synonymous. And when the
Episcopal Church made provision for mission work among the Jews, the
torrent of abuse that was poured out gave a very vivid picture of what
the Jewish mind naturally turns to when aroused. This abuse is not
reproduced here because of its excessive violence and disrespect. It is
similar to that which is heaped upon all attempts to explain
Christianity to the Jews. “What would the Gentiles do if we sent Jewish
missionaries to them?” ask the violent editors. Any Gentile can answer
that—nay, even the Jews themselves can answer that. In the first place,
the Jews do not want to teach their religion to Gentiles because there
is a Talmudical restriction against it; Talmudically the Gentiles are
not good enough to mingle with the religious matters of the Jews. In the
second place, the Jews do send missionaries everywhere, not to spread
Jewish religious principles, but propaganda favoring the Jews as a race
and people, as is done in our colleges through the so-called “Jewish
Chautauqua.” In the third place, let there be produced one Jewish
missionary, who has ever received anything but a considerate reception
wherever he has appeared.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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