Concerning the Jews

Concerning the Jews
Concerning the Jews  
1934titletwain.jpg
first page of 1934 reprint
Author(s) Mark Twain
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) non-fiction
Publisher Harper's Monthly
Publication date 1898
Media type Print
Pages 26 pp
ISBN NA
Preceded by Following the Equator
Followed by Is He Dead?

Concerning the Jews is a short essay by Mark Twain. Twain had lived in Austria during 1896, and opined that the Habsburg empire used scapegoats to maintain unity in their immensely diverse empire, namely Jews. In 1898 he published the article Stirring time in Austria.

Twain’s account generated several letters, and one poignant response in particular from an American Jewish lawyer who asked Twain "Tell me, therefore, from your vantage-point of cold view, what in your mind is the cause. Can American Jews do anything to correct it either in America or abroad? Will it ever come to an end? Will a Jew be permitted to live honestly, decently, and peaceably like the rest of mankind? What has become of the golden rule?"[1] In response, Twain penned "Concerning the Jews," which Harper’s also published in 1898.

The essay included the statement that Jews did not do their part in terms of fighting in America's armed forces: "He is a frequent and faithful and capable officer in the civil service, but he is charged with an unpatriotic disinclination to stand by the flag as a soldier - like the Christian Quaker." However, when War Department figures revealed that Jewish Americans were actually represented in the nation's military in a larger percentage than their share of the population, Twain issued a retraction and an apology[2] entitled, "Postscript - The Jew as Soldier."

See also

References

  1. ^ page 2 of the facsimile of the 1934 reprint
  2. ^ Tom Tugend, "Little known museum tells story of Jews in the American military," Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), March 17, 2008.

External links


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