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and vices have not been acquired during a few generations, but can allegedly be
shown to have existed through the entire history of the Jewish people, the inference
from the Eastern European Jews to the Western European Jews appears logically
justified. And here we do not even take into consideration that Eastern European
Jewry contains a rich potential of the greatest human talents and productive forces
that can well stand the comparison to the higher civilization of Western European
Jews—as is often admitted even by those who are by no means
philo-Semitic.[13]
It cannot be the task of the Jews to obtain “immunity” from the anti-Semites by
accusing any part of their own people. This attitude reveals a severe misconception
of both the law and of the significance of anti-Semitism, whose presumption of sit-
ting in judgment on the Jewish people we will never accept. As Jews we know the
faults of our people better than others, and we alone are called upon and able to
remedy this. However, this can only be achieved if we follow our Jewish duty that
prescribes that we perceive Jewry as a living whole and work for a Jewish and hu-
man future for our people standing shoulder to shoulder with all our
brethren.[14]