Voltaire on the Jews

All of the other people have committed crimes, the Jews are the only ones who have boasted about committing them. They are, all of them, born with raging fanaticism in their hearts, just as the Bretons and the Germans are born with blond hair. I would not be in the least bit surprised if these people would not some day become deadly to the human race.
Tous les autres peuples ont commis des crimes, les Juifs sont les seuls qui s’en soient vantés. Ils sont tous nés avec la rage du fanatisme dans le cœur, comme les Bretons et les Germains naissent avec des cheveux blonds. Je ne serais point étonné que cette nation ne fût un jour funeste au genre humain.
Lettres de Memmius a Cicéron (1771)
The Jewish nation dares to display an irreconcilable hatred toward all nations, and revolts against all masters; always superstitious, always greedy for the well-being enjoyed by others, always barbarous — cringing in misfortune and insolent in prosperity.
Elle [la nation juive] ose étaler une haine irréconciliable contre toutes les nations; elle se révolte contre tous ses maîtres. Toujours superstitieuse, toujours avide du bien d’autrui, toujours barbare, rampante dans le malheur, et insolente dans la prospérité.
Essai sur les Moeurs et l’Esprit des Nations (1753), Introduction, XLII: Des Juifs depuis Saül
3 replies
  1. Tim
    Tim says:

    Even back then (as in millions of other
    cases over the course of millennia), this
    was, of course, just a complete misunder-
    standing of the situation, a total misjudg-
    ment of Jewish nobility, born of envy and
    a deep, ineradicable anti-Semitic hatred!

    Reply
  2. Joe Webb
    Joe Webb says:

    did Voltaire say, The jews will be the death of mankind?

    Meanwhile the stock market is shaking out and the bond market just got up to 4.71% for the 10 year, on the way to 5 % which means hell to pay for finance in general. Home Mortgages are based on the 10 year bond yield. Wall St. starting to freak out , yes a child of the 60s here.

    Reply

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