“The Responsibility of English-Speaking Jewish Intellectuals” (1946)
“The Responsibility of English-Speaking Jewish Intellectuals” (1946)
This chapter exhorts Jewish intellectuals—particularly the left-wing, English-speaking ones—to take a more thorough interest in their culture and heritage, especially in the wake of the atrocities of World War II. It notes how many intellectuals have resorted to anti-Semitism—or at least prescribed to a sterilized version of Jewish and Yiddish culture—during the postwar era. Thus, it is the urgent duty of all thoughtful Jewish men and women to examine their attitudes toward their Jewishness and Jewish culture. The liberal and communist Jew is, in an important sense, a leader in their community and helps form public opinion which can be channeled into constructive, progressive action.
Keywords: Jewish intellectuals, World War II, anti-Semitism, postwar era, Jewish culture
NYU Press Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
