But any indecision which I may still have felt about that point was finally
removed by the activities of a certain section of the Jews themselves. A great
movement, called Zionism, arose among them. Its aim was to assert the national
character of Judaism, and the movement was strongly represented in Vienna.
To outward appearances it seemed as if only one group of Jews championed this
movement, while the great majority disapproved of it, or even repudiated it. But
an investigation of the situation showed that those outward appearances were
purposely misleading. These outward appearances emerged from a mist of
theories which had been produced for reasons of expediency, if not for purposes
of downright deception. For that part of Jewry which was styled Liberal did not
disown the Zionists as if they were not members of their race but rather as
brother Jews who publicly professed their faith in an unpractical way, so as to
create a danger for Jewry itself.
Thus there was no real rift in their internal solidarity.
This fictitious conflict between the Zionists and the Liberal Jews soon disgusted
me; for it was false through and through and in direct contradiction to the moral
dignity and immaculate character on which that race had always prided itself.
Cleanliness, whether moral or of another kind, had its own peculiar meaning for
these people. That they were water-shy was obvious on looking at them and,
unfortunately, very often also when not looking at them at all. The odour of
those people in caftans often used to make me feel ill. Beyond that there were
the unkempt clothes and the ignoble exterior.
All these details were certainly not attractive; but the revolting feature was that
beneath their unclean exterior one suddenly perceived the moral mildew of the
chosen race.
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But any indecision which I may still have felt about that point was finally
removed by the activities of a certain section of the Jews themselves. A great
movement, called Zionism, arose among them. Its aim was to assert the national
character of Judaism, and the movement was strongly represented in Vienna.
To outward appearances it seemed as if only one group of Jews championed this
movement, while the great majority disapproved of it, or even repudiated it. But
an investigation of the situation showed that those outward appearances were
purposely misleading. These outward appearances emerged from a mist of
theories which had been produced for reasons of expediency, if not for purposes
of downright deception. For that part of Jewry which was styled Liberal did not
disown the Zionists as if they were not members of their race but rather as
brother Jews who publicly professed their faith in an unpractical way, so as to
create a danger for Jewry itself.
Thus there was no real rift in their internal solidarity.
This fictitious conflict between the Zionists and the Liberal Jews soon disgusted
me; for it was false through and through and in direct contradiction to the moral
dignity and immaculate character on which that race had always prided itself.
Cleanliness, whether moral or of another kind, had its own peculiar meaning for
these people. That they were water-shy was obvious on looking at them and,
unfortunately, very often also when not looking at them at all. The odour of
those people in caftans often used to make me feel ill. Beyond that there were
the unkempt clothes and the ignoble exterior.
All these details were certainly not attractive; but the revolting feature was that
beneath their unclean exterior one suddenly perceived the moral mildew of the
chosen race.