| Concerning the Jews | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| 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."