Observations on antisemitism by two non-Jews in 1931

I stumbled upon this most interesting 1931 book where two non-Jew, Heywood Broun, a journalist,  and author George Britt,  take a look at antisemitism in America, specifically in New York City.

It attempts to understand and document antisemitism, and some of the authors' observations are worth revisiting. The writing style is breezy and often dotted with dark humor.

For example, here they discuss the charge that there are "too many Jews." Yet even when there is only one, it is "too many."

Franco may indeed have been the first Jew in America, and was certainly the first Jew in Massachusetts.  (He did return to England where he converted to Anglicanism.)

Here's another example where Jews can do no right:

Even in 1931, antisemites were quick to say that some of their best friends were Jewish.

The book notes that Jews will often make light of prejudice against them, although saying that they "thrive" on it is a little bit of a stretch:

The centerpiece of the book is a look at how Jews are excluded from various fields of employment, universities and clubs. The authors come up with a startling statistic:

One point made is that humor may in fact be the best way to fight prejudice.

As those who read this blog know, I fully support ridiculing and satirizing antisemites of the old and new kind. This is a great observation on how well that can work.

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