Analysis Of Sartre's 'Anti-Semite And Jews'

Sartre wrote "Anti-Semite and Jew" in France in 1948, before the establishment of Israel. This book is interesting because he spoke with a nationalistic point of view, which means that some of his conclusions don't really apply to America yet still makes meaningful points that we can understand. Also, because he wrote in 1948, the issues of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism disguised as attacks on Israel had not become in vogue yet. In that sense, his work is somewhat dated but many of his findings carry through into today which is quite important in a scholarly book.

The author believes that the struggle of Jews vs anti-Semites is really just another form of the “rich vs poor struggle” which is existent through many societies in our modern era. The anti-Semites will take out their aggression against the Jews because Jews are an easy target. It is easier for an anti-Semite to accept that he works a hard job for little pay just to make a factory boss rich. However, the question is raised of what good would that do? The anti-Semite needs the job, so he can't quit, and causing an uproar towards his boss would only make him even more unhappy so instead, he channels his hatred in manageable ways, such as toward Jews.

Sartre then proceeds to take this theory and applies it in an attempt to find a solution to anti-Semitism. The author writes that a plausible idea to get rid of anti-Semitism is to have a National Socialist revolution. In that way, all citizens are on the same footing and there is no need for the anti-Semite to "create the Jew" as a form of managing the anti-Semite’s aggression. In hind sight, it can be seen that it is not a feasible solution and that National Socialism does not work. So in that sense Sartre's work is probabl...

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...or both? Anti-Semites like to claim that Jews are foreigners who "don't belong here." Claiming that the Jewish homeland is somewhere else and the Jewish state is somewhere else will only complicate that problem. The Jew’s sense of cultural pride would be his downfall as opposed to most Europeans who are proud of their nationality, culture, and heritage.

Sartre's book is a solid description of both anti-Semite and the victim of prejudice Jew. What makes the book as interesting as it is that it written by a non-Jew as well as from a non-Jewish point of view. The problem of the Jew's relationship to the Gentile is examined in a concrete and living way, rather than in terms of sociological generalizations. It is thoroughly discussed from a fair viewpoint. The author takes himself out, and although often times coming off as blunt and overly honest, is fair in his points.