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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 12, 1986 Page 13
( ontinued from page 12
tul, as the romantic intrigues of
the novel are resolved in two
happy marriages.
Beyond its comparative value
with other books about the Civil
War, “Differences” stands on its
own as a special document of
American Jewish history. One is
most struck by the social atti
tudes of the Jewish characters
and their non-Jewish neighbors’
perceptions of them. External
anti-Semitism seems to be at very
low levels in this day before the
birth of modern social and “racial”
anti-Semitism in the 1880s. The
worst anti-Semites in “Differen
ces” are the Jewish characters
themselves.
The Goldmans’ neighbors see
the Frenchness and Germanhood
of the Goldmans as their most
ethnically prominent character
istics. As Jewish Yankee Louis
Welland’s unpopularity in Clai
borne County grows, he is treated
to anti-German slurs: “Mr. Wel
land, have you ever in your his
torical researches discovered tra
ces of a nation that was continu
ally occupied with attempting to
free the slaves of others, while it
never succeeded in liberating it
self from slavery? It was a nation
of Teutonic origin. 1 think.” When
Madame la Generate, the Gold-
mans’ aunt, rebukes her whist
partner, Mrs. Waddlekins. for
being a poor strategist, this august
dowager recalls: “General Wash
ington was in the habit of remark
ing to my grandfather, ‘The
French area perfect nation. They
never commit faults. They attri
bute them to others.”’ Alter this
remark is made, the insults fly
between the two women, but not
once does Mrs. Waddlekins attack
her interlocutor’s Jewishness.
Later when Antonia Goldman is
chosen to present a Confederate
flag to the boys marching off to
war. Mrs. Waddlekins objects
because the girl’s family is of for
eign origin: “Would it not be bet
ter to choose a matron whose
family has historical associations
with our great men and whose
ancestors have lived and died in
Claiborne County to present this
Hag to our valiant warriors?”
Still later in the book a certain
unsavory, embittered character
reproaches Louis Welland for
believing in “a God of aristo
crats, in a religion that is a system
to protect the rich.” But the con
text of his exchange with Wel
land he seems to be targeting
Judaism less than Welland’s per
sonal system of social beliefs.
In any event, the Jewish char
acters in “Differences” ooze with
enough anti-Semitism to make
up for the gentile characters lack
of it. It is not that the Goldmans
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Differences
attempt to deny Judaism among
themselves. Mayer says they are
“firmly attached to a rational
interpretation of their religion,”
and notwithstanding that they
even practice shchitah. But with
outsiders the subject of religion is
broached with embarrassment.
There is even mutual surprise on
the part of Jewish characters
who identify themselves to each
other as Jews:
“He (a servant) kills the poul
try we use, in accordance with an
old custom of the family,” said
Goldman, in reply to Welland’s
look of mirthful inquiry.
“Excuse me," said Welland,
blushing, “I understand the cus
tom. ”
" We are a Hebrew family, sir, ”
said the old lady with dignity,
and unobservant of the embar
rassment of her niece and her
husband, “and it is a religious
custom. ”
“I know it, madam," he rep
lied, smiling, “and I have the
honor of professing the same
faith. ”
There was a pause of astonish
ment...
In a further refinement on
Jewish anti-Semitism, we learn
that the Goldmans, as landed
aristocrats, look askance at other
German Jews who are newly rich
by virture of being “in trade.” In
New York with Charles Gold
man. Merrins points out their
“overdressed” womenfolk “with
yellow skins and weazened faces”
at one of the German-Jewish
clubs. Charles finds most of these
same young ladies to be “ill-bred,
tainted by the pecuniary difficul
ties that overshadowed their
childhood or by the coarse dis
position of their parents. Their
acquaintance with the actual
worth of money and the opera
tions of commerce have blighted
their finer sensibilities... I want a
wife whose soul has been so
above the power of circumstan
ces that money is an article that
does not enter into her calcula
tion of life.” Accordingly Charles
betrothes Emma Reichenau. the
daughter of a “liberal” German
non-Jew (who is also a merchant
but apparently a very well-estab
lished one). He persuades her to
convert to Judaism by wooing
her with univeralist sweet
nothings: “God is God, whether
adored in the Jewish, Christian
or Mohammadan manner.”
It remains to be pointed out
that the Jewish characters in
“Differences” take differing posi
tions on the issue of slavery. The
northerner Welland is an aboli
tionist, and the Goldmans are
slave-owners. Madame la Gene-
rale warns her servant girl. Juba,
to ignore Yankees who will tell
her that she is free. “It is not so,”
says the old lady. “We have
bought you and paid for you,
and if you run away you steal our
property. God would punish you
for it.” Thus Mayer accurately
mirrors the division of northern
and southern Jews on slavery
and the “evenhandedness” of
Isaac Mayer Wise himself on the
issue. The novel is so abounding
in statements belittling blacks,
however, that one concludes
Nathan Mayer sides with the
favorers of slavery.
There were 150,000 Jews in the
United States at the time of the
Civil War, enough to make their
presence known in many ways. A
total of 10,000 Jews served in the
war, 7,000 onthe Unionsideand
3,000 on the side of the Confe
deracy. It was during the Civil
War that the U.S. Army began
the regular appointment of rab
bis as military chaplains. The
secretary of state of the Confe
deracy, Judah P. Benjamin, was
a Jew. The prominence of Jews
in the cotton trade in the South
led Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to
order the expulsion of all Jews
from areas of Kentucky, Tennes
see and Mississippi under his
control. (The order was rescinded
by an angry President Lincoln.)
All these historical facts are well-
documented in any number of
American Jewish histories. The
day-to-day life of Jews in Civil
War America, however, has never
received such a clear illustration
as in “Differences.” Bloch and
Company, which published the
novel in 1867, stills exists and
functions as a publishing house.
One cannot help wishing that
during its Mosaic year in 1987,
“Differences” could have a re
publication as a Jewish compan
ion piece to “Gone With the
Wind” and take its rightful place
in the annals of popular Civil
War literature.
‘...“Differences” stand on it own as a special document of American
Jewish history. One is most struck by the social attitudes of the Jewish
characters and their non-Jewish neighbors’ perceptions of them. The
worst anti-Semites in “Differences” are the Jewish characters themselves.’
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