We live in a society where Jews are foolishly blamed for much that is wrong with our contemporary world. The same mean-spirited foolishness is repeated ad nauseum, issues like how they have been kicked out of 109 countries and so there must be something wrong with them. Have you heard of Mark Twain? At first glance, he might not seem to have a lot to do with this topic. He’s more often discussed in terms of his profound influence on American literature.

Jewish defenders point out that often, if someone is kicked out of 109 places, it can be because of jealousy. Perhaps non-Jews were envious of Jewish mastery over commerce. Someone can be kicked out of many groups because of discrimination, not because the victim has done anything wrong at all.

Twain wrote an essay in 1898, published in Harper’s Magazine, entitled, “Concerning the Jews”. In this piece, Twain celebrates Jews in several ways. First, he reveals that Jews look after those in their own community and does not expect handouts from others. He says they are loyal to each other and self-sufficient.

What should happen to anti-Jewish critics? Personally, I think that they should have privileges taken away from them. They shouldn’t have social media rights, or as much right or opportunity to spew their venomous hatred.

Historically, specific occupations have been made illegal for Jews to perform, in many different countries. This is because, previously, Christians were not able to compete commercially with Jews. If you can’t beat them, then run them out of town, in other words. In spite of all of this persecution, Jews have prospered, and been intelligent enough to become leaders of business, gradually accruing an increasing amount of power. They were forced to do this because of the discrimination practiced against them.

This is all said without even mentioning the Holocaust. Discrimination is one thing. Many groups, including the LGBTQI2S+ community, have been discriminated against and survived, if barely. But millions died in the Holocaust, with obviously no chance of survival. One of the reasons that Jews were so successful in business, and still are, is because of their famous honesty. This was also true in 1920s Germany. Hitler and his fanboys blamed the Jews for the bad economy. Hitler, etc., viewed the Jews as greedy and corrupt. This from a mass killer of children! Natural-born Germans, according to Hitler, were drummed out of business by Jews. Hatred was incited by Hitler and his acolytes, leading to the danger that became the Holocaust.

It is impossible to realize one’s full potential if one blames others for their own problems in life. Rather than blaming Jews for one’s lack of economic or any kind of success, one should consult one’s own imperfections/failings/weaknesses.
Suggested Reading: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1898twain-jews.asp

People who are anti-Jewish should be called to account for their incendiary opinions, since they lead to unspeakable violence.