nly be solved by making it a political
world-question to be discussed and settled by the civilized nations of
the world in council.

We are a people--one people.

We have honestly endeavored everywhere to merge ourselves in the
social life of surrounding communities and to preserve the faith of
our fathers. We are not permitted to do so. In vain are we loyal
patriots, our loyalty in some places running to extremes; in vain do
we make the same sacrifices of life and property as our
fellow-citizens; in vain do we strive to increase the fame of our
native land in science and art, or her wealth by trade and commerce.
In countries where we have lived for centuries we are still cried down
as strangers, and often by those whose ancestors were not yet
domiciled in the land where Jews had already had experience of
suffering. The majority may decide which are the strangers; for this,
as indeed every point which arises in the relations between nations,
is a question of might. I do not here surrender any portion of our
prescriptive right, when I make this statement merely in my own name
as an individual. In the world as it now is and for an indefinite
period will probably remain, might precedes right. It is useless,
therefore, for us to be loyal patriots, as were the Huguenots who were
forced to emigrate. If we could only be left in peace....

But I think we shall not be left in peace.

Oppression and persecution cannot exterminate us. No nation on earth
has survived such struggles and sufferings as we have gone through.
Jew-baiting has merely stripped off our weaklings; the strong among us
were invariably true to their race when persecution broke out against
them. This attitude was most clearly apparent in the period
immediately following the emancipation of the Jews. Those Jews who
were advanced intellectually and materially entirely lost the feeling
of belonging to their race. Wherever our political well-being has
lasted for any length of time, we have assimilated with our
surroundings. I think this is not discreditable. Hence, the statesman
who would wish to see a Jewish strain in his nation would have to
provide for the duration of our political well-being; and even a
Bismarck could not do that.

For old prejudices against us still lie deep in the hearts of the
people. He who would have proofs of this need only listen to the
people where they speak with frankness and simplicity: proverb and
fairy-tale are both Anti-Semi