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The Southern Israelite
The Jew In English Literature
By Mrs. M. Stephen Schiffer
(This paper wan written by Mrs.
M. Stephen Schiffer expressly for the
Temple Sisterhood arid read at their
meeting.)
The scope of my subject embraces
many fields included in English lit
erature and Jewish history, but I
have tried to trace as clearly and as
concisely as possible the merest out
line of the interesting part the Jew
has played in English literature as
subject and as author. In order to
conserve time, it was necessary to
omit almost entirely consideration of
the history of the Jew in England or
discussion of historical, political, bio
graphical and scientific literature in
which the Jew figures. I have select
ed, however, the problem of the treat
ment of the Jew in English drama,
poetry and fiction from the Middle
Ages to modern times, citing for il
lustration only those authors and
works most familiar. It is apparent
that in an examination of Jewish in
fluence on English literature through
the Bible would mean an exhaustive
study of the whole range of literary
effort in England. It is to be re
membered, however, that the literary
world is indebted to the Bible not
merely for the form and phrase that
are introduced but for the deeper ly
ing spirit that permeates the entire
range of English thought.
1 wish to mention my appreciation
for their assistance in gathering my
material to Rabbi Edward N. Cal-
isch’s book, “The Jew In English Lit
erature”, and to Mr. M. J. Landa’s
book, “The Jew In Drama.” It is un
fortunate that the time is too limited
to quote for you the many humorous
incidents and exceedingly interesting
biographical details that both books
offer.
A survey of the millenium of Eng
lish literature will disclose two gen
eral facts, first that a broad line of
demarcation is drawn between the
Jews prior to the advent of Jesus
of Nazareth and those since that
event, and secondly, that the treat
ment accorded the Jews of the latter
period has been up to within very re
cent years antagonistic. The early writ
ers were from the clergy, and with them
the exaltation of the church was par
amount. The Old Testament was the
foundation of the church, and they
therefore spoke of Moses, Samuel and
David with the same reverence they
accorded the gospel writers and
teachers. But the refusal of the Jews
of his own generation to accept Jesus
changed completely their condition
and position.
This is most obvious in the mys
tery plays and early religious dramas
When incidents in the Old Testament
are described, the Jews therein are
handled as ordinary human beings.
When the Old Testament is passed,
however, there is no accusation too
horrible to prevent its being given
credence and repetition.
The first mention of the Jew in
English literature struck the keynote
of treatment that has been accorded
them by so great a majority of Eng
lish writers that it may almost be
called unanimous. This attitude was
one that was neither pleasant for the
Jews nor creditable to England. It
was one of cruel injustice, of unrea
soning antagonism. Few, indeed, were
the authors who had any kind words
for the unhappy “chosen people.”
The first reference is an allusion to
them found in Bede’s “Ecclesiastical
History” written in 731. It is given
simply because it is the first and be
cause it has the significance of being
a type. This treatment was accorded
them in poetry as well, among which
are the references to Jews in Chau
cer’s Canterbury Tales.
The drama may be summed up ir
the cycle of Mystery or Miracle Plays,
originally the work of the clergy.
The Jewish characters drawn from
the New Testament are accursed
crucifiers of Jesus. They are even
made conspicuous by their garb-red
hair and beard and a yellow garment.
It is not surprising that the populace
of the Middle Ages hated the Jews;
nor is it surprising that authors, seek
ing to reach popular approval in their
works, should follow the lines npon
which the mind of the people ra.i. in
modern times, the Ober-Ammergau
Passion Play was censured by num
erous critics, because it bas given the
modern world only a flashback into
the medieval play which was the foul
crucible of the stage—Jew. In all
parts of Europe where Passion Plays
are still performed, the effect is to
stimulate anti-Semitism.
Strictly speaking, the Jewish con
tributions to English literature in
this period were nil. This does not
signify, however, that there was no
literary activity among them. Their
writing was done in Hebrew, and
their efforts were confined mainly to
Biblical commentaries and ethical
treatises, since they were deprived of
the simplest rights of participation in
the national life of the English peo
ple. A distinguished figure was that
of Abraham Ibn Ezra, scholar and
writer, who is particularly notewor
thy for the fact that he is the original
of Browning’s Rabbi ben Ezra.
During the reign of Queen Eliza
beth there was a golden age in Eng
lish literature. There is no key to the
problem as to why the Jew should
have been introduced into the litera
ture of this age as prominently as he
was. What few Jews lived in England
did so quietly, and, for the most part
in disguise.
Marlowe’s play, “The Rich Jew of
Malta,” is not his greatest, but owing
to the inevitable comparison with the
“Merchant of Venice” it has been ac
corded a place in literature it would
perhaps otherwise not have attained.
Barabas, the Jewish character, is an
atrocious villain. There are one or
two places in the play where Marlowe
does touch upon the truth as far as
Jews are concerned, but the other in
cidents as pictures of Jewish life and
character are all false. The drama is
a picture of the popular conception
of the Jews as it existed in Marlowe’s
day. It is an untrue conception, be- H
gotten of ignorance and prejudice, [1
and Marlowe helped to strengthen it,
for the play was in no small measure
the model and motive for the “Mer
chant of Venice.”
Among the plays of Shakespeare
“The Merchant of Venice” is listed as
a comedy. It is in reality not a comedy,
but a tragedy. It is the tradegy, not
of an individual, but of the century- i
enduring humiliation and insult to a
whole people. The Jews have suffered
from many false accusations in the
course of their history, but of them
all none has been more persistent or
more damaging by reason of its pre
sentation than the characterization
given them by Shakespeare. Through
his genius has been given world-wide
currency to the conception that Jews
are a class of people, of whom a hard
hearted and vengeful usurer is the
type. Shakespeare, in every probabili
ty, did not personally know any Jews
well, so that his knowledge could not
be the basis of an accurate portrayal
of their character. The play was an
occasional piece, written at a time ff
when public clamor was raised against
the Jews. The bitterness of “The
Merchant of Venice” is that the vil
lainy of Shylock is made to be Jew
ish. Shakespeare emphasizes at every
evil point Shylock’s race and religion,
and makes him as a type of his peo
ple. In the Middle Ages all interest
was called usury, and money-lending
was practically the only means of
livelihood permitted to the Jews then.
Shylock as a money-lender is a repre
sentative of the Jews in the Middle
Ages, but Shylock as a rapacious
usurer is a conception that is false
and unjust. Yet even this is trifling
compared with the picture given of
him as relentlessly demanding his
pound of flesh. Herein the characteri
zation is wholly unreal and mislead
ing. It is contrary to the history of
the Jews and to the whole spirit of j
the Jewish religion. In spite of him
self, however, Shylock is a figure of
tragic power. Shakespeare’s sin was
not that he made Shylock, but that he
made him a type.
The seventeenth century was an
eventful one in the history of the
Jews in England. It witnessed their
readmission into the land; but the
agitation began early in the century.
Some of the political writings were
pro-Jewish with the hope of their con
version, but others stamped them as
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