The Jewish Question - An important publication that came out in response to the waves of anti-Semitism in France ...

The Jewish Question - An important publication that came out in response to the waves of anti-Semitism in France following Hitler's rise to power

LA QUESTION JUIVE. VUE PAR VINGT-SIX EMINENTES PERSONNALITES - The Jewish Question as Seen by Twenty-Six Eminent Personalities, published by E.I.F. Paris, 1934 - First Edition. An important publication issued in defense of French Jewry in response to the rise of anti-Semitism following Hitler's rise to power, and the February 1934 crisis in France.

The book was published following the February 6, 1934 crisis in which a group of right-wing militants attempted to storm the Chamber of Deputies in Paris. In the failed coup attempt, which led to the outbreak of severe waves of anti-Semitism. In light of this, a group of some of the most prominent intellectuals and politicians in France and Belgium came together to publish the contribution of French Jews to the French state from the beginning of the Jewish settlement in France until the time of writing the book, in all areas, and how prominent Jewish figures helped and are helping to make France more prosperous over the years in the fields of military, theater, education, philosophy, commerce, and literature, in an attempt to try to calm the flames. In this publication, the authors review the biographies of prominent Jewish figures in French society as well as document the history of French Jews from the perspective of their contribution to French society, in order to prove that the Jewish people are an inseparable part of the French state, and that over the years they have only contributed to it and strengthened it thanks to talented Jews who advanced each in their respective field. Each chapter was written by a different expert in their field.

At the time the book was published, apart from Germany itself, France was the country where waves of anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews rose a notch above any other country in Europe. Copies of the book were publicly burned by anti-Semites.

The most famous passage in the book, which was widely quoted in later years, is from the words of the French philosopher Emile Chartier on defining Jews not by race but by their cultural identity: "The Jewish question is not a question of race or religion, but a question of culture. Jews have a unique cultural identity shaped by their history and experience of persecution. This cultural identity, I believe, is not necessarily incompatible with French culture, but it does require a certain degree of understanding and tolerance."

Cover design: Scales on a red swastika background. The title of the book in red.

223 [1] p. 28 cm. The book was printed on thick fine paper. Good condition.