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The Southern Israelite
Page 9
Enormities of Anti-Semitism
People of Israel Who Gave Mankind Exalted Concepts of
Justice Are Made Victims of World’s Flagrant Unfairness
By HENRI BARBUSSE
[ | iaV f >een asked to state my views
,n ill* 1 question of anti-Semitism. I
•umply |]i
,,<t willingly in order tlius
hii^li contact with a more ex-
!onMV t‘ .!*• wish public.
\ .Icwi'h question lias existed since
the verv inception of history. 1 do
nut propo'C to deal with it from the
»t;ut. hut 1 venture to remind the
n . ;l< l*-r that in several of my books—
notahlv in my novel, Les Enchaine-
(known in America as
••(haul'''), wherein I have tried to
revive a part of world history—I at
tempt to show the significance and
mcanim: <»t' the anti-idolatrous, anti-
nati'dialist spirit, as well as the im
portant and righteous seeds of revolt
which I'tael has sown throughout the
world, i have just published a glimpse
of the personality of Jesus, endeavor
ing to reveal it free from the mystic
trappings with which Christianity has cloaked it. I believe I am not mistaken
ind on perfectly safe ground if I say that in reality, before he became the
i hri't of the Christians, Jesus was a pure emanation of the .Jewish genius.
The century-old hatred of the Christians has created against the Jews a
state of profound, widespread, and vicious hostility. The indeologic and moral
lau.-C' of that antagonism must he looked for especially in the Hellenic and
Latin affinities of the majority of the leading
clenient" of modern nations. The great con-
tint nt the time of the origin of Christianity
'"hen it was still impregnated by the insistent
• all "t the Torah and the Prophets for Justice,
"'liuti it was far more Jewish than Hellenistic)
had pitted one against the other the Roman
win Id jind the demand for universal justice of
the masses united under the sign of the human
•h-'ii'. 1 his conflict has continued throughout
tin* ages and, after the rise of Christianity,
hccaine more Hellenistic than Jewish.
* hir present capitalistic-bourgeoisie society
contain", in spite of its democratic coloring,
many striking analogies with the Roman ideas,
and it hates everything which menaces its sway
"vet those principles of nationalism on which
>t i' founded.
* a, 'L the growth of anti-Semitism has been
cultivated by pandering to the basest instincts
" notions susceptible to incitement against
' 1 !| races, and to the plundering of such
peoph-. Anti-Semitism has established itself
less in all countries, but it flourishes
,n "' r 1,1 those having an autocratic and reac-
government. In those countries the
•■('ily become marked victims charged
' • ,; ; dl sorts of misdeeds in order to vent
hern public wrath provoked in reality by
t: * auses, and in order to foment, through
'‘“•m! hatred, discord, and sinister disorder.
I ve personally studied the question on the
1 the Balkan countries. In all of these,
'■'pecially in Rumania and in Bulgaria,
tnitism has been and is an important
r . v of the white terror.
P s of anti-Semitic students there are
- an increasingly open game of social
e - It is inspired by Professor Couza,
Barbusse, noted French author of "The Fire", "Chains", "Force", ami
other novels, reveals himself a Jew of profound discernment in a keen
analysis of present-day discords. 7 his is the first pronouncement on this
subject Barbusse has written for American readers. As an editor of
F Humaniic he voices an enlightened point of viexo. Of his latest work,
Jesus , he writes in a private communication in part as follows:
My actual and objective conception of Jesus is entirely different from
that ,of C hristian tradition and is, in fact, most strenuously opposed to the
latter. As far as I am concerned Jesus the prophet, whose image has sub
sequently been disguised and deformed so as to suit the Christian Christ,
is a pure emanation of the real Jewish spirit. This character is traced, as
you will see, in several passages in my book. I may say that the conclusion
one gathers from this, in the light of historical documentation, is: that
C hristianity is a utilization of a lesson which embodied and pushed forward
to its extreme logical consequences the great Jewish idea of justice, equality,
and universality,—achieved through the intermediation of Hellenic-Oriental
myths zvhich play such a part in the Christianity of St. Paul.”
auxi
(i
play
stn,
who
his
peri
of t
aia-t
of hostile shouts in the streets, then
developed into systematic assaults and
persecutions not only agninst .Jewish
students, but also against Jews in gen
eral settled in that country. There
have been many evidences of revolting
connivance on the part of the Ruma
nian authorities in these anti-Semitic
outrages.
A Minister of Public Instruction,
M. Angeleseu, has publicly expressed
his approval of anti-Semitic excesses.
Even the judges themselves have been
manifestly partial, of which l will
quote one instance only. In 1025 a
Court Martial at Bucharest sentenced
a student named Klein to two years’
imprisonment “for the attempt to re
sist by violence acts of Christian stu
dents”.
The anti-Semitic Svastira writes in
one of its issues: “Christian brethren!
The Jewish rabble of Rumania call our Saviour a charlatan and miser, and
publish these outrages in their press. There you have the extent to which
these hyenas lacerate with fury our economic life. Christian brethren! Be
ready for the great revenge which is near! The great Hay of Judgment is
impending! Woe to you, Jewish scum! Woe to you, foul I leasts of hell, grave
diggers, who, in festal clothes, devour day and night, the corpses of those who
had fallen under your claws. When this
Svastira sets the hour of Doom, you will drown
in your own blood!”
And in another issue the anti-Semitic Carpatii
(in Polesti) published the following incitation
to murder, under the caption, “Murder!”:
“The Jews have started a drive throughout
the country with a view of crushing every
thing that’s good, of destroying the very State.
In the face of all this, the government is silent.
. . . The Rumanian people themselves ure
silent, although they are veritably bludgeoned
over their heads. The result, if we keep on
being soft with the Red beasts, will be our
destruction!
“Kill them! . . .
“Our national dignity makes it imperative
that we inflict a mortal wound on every person
planning the destruction of our race, our State!
“Kill fearlessly! Nobody has the right to
stop your aim, when the existence of the Ru
manian race is at stake! Honored is he who
kills the traitor and enemy of his country!”
And further on: “I repeat: To kill the
enemy of your country is no crime. It is the
greatest honor for a Rumanian. Kill, then!
. . . Only slaves hesitate; heroes kill! . . .”
The government, confiscating democratic and
labor papers, refused to do anything to stop
this overt appeal to criminals.
The “Union of Rumanian Jews” has recently
submitted a lengthy memorandum to the Min
ister of Public Instruction dealing with the
troubles at the Rumanian universities, contain
ing many exact statements of facts. According
to Universal, the Minister has decided to “file
that document in the archives” as “not deserv
ing serious attention”.
Not long ago M. Zirelsohn, Chief Rabbi of
HENRI BARBUSSE—HUMANITARIAN ^ ^ ^ ^
Whose best energies are b^ d^t^ t° a fearjss^iomlnt^s ^ Kishenew> was expelled from the Senate be-
!>en y Poached war on the Je wsJh*om p^esett-dly Society, notably the conflict between cause he had protested against anti-Semitic
"T* Chan at JftSSy ' The g ° Ver T‘'T capital and labor. Raders will douoiicss agree mu, me
' the greatest latitude to the misdeeds c " . ^ |U/ 0 f a man 0 f great spiritual and physical
e anti-Semitic students. These disturb- V^inentlv fitted to fight for a better day. He hates the
'ere at first confined to the articulation
Raders will doubtless agree that the^ photograph misdeeds.
• vigor—one j haye > M .f ore , ne the address which the Chief
sa us quo, zirelsohn de i iv . (Continued on page33)
ugliness of soul, the defeat of the humble.