Sunday, April 17, 2011

Jews in the antislavery movement

I am searching for some historical background that may explain why Lemkin was so silent. This article by Maxwell Whiteman provided some insight into this issue. It would appear that the majority of Jews found the antislavery movement heavily saturated with pro-Christian rhetoric, and that was what put off many of them. It is also interesting to note that there were Jews who felt so strongly about the issue that they fought for the freedom of slaves in spite of the Christian values and anti-Semitic sentiments of pro and anti-slavery advocates.

Whiteman stated, "Hence, the hundreds of Jews who believed in the God of Israel and gave of their energies to the antislavery movement had to close their eyes to its christological influences. But practices which were perfectly in character for Christian-sponsored societies repelled many observant Jews. After the American Revolution, the door that was opened to Jewish participation in libertarian societies did not involve christological teaching. Where it was present, it was not directed to Jews. But with the increasing domination of the societies by clergymen, Jewish membership decreased. Equal participation in the struggle for human freedom was gradually, almost imperceptibly, diminishing."

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