Library:The Jewish Question/Conclusion

The Jewish Question by Bruno Bauer

The text has been acquired via OCR and therefore currently has many errors.

Excerpts quoted by Karl Marx in On the Jewish question have been underlined.

Conclusion

The demand tor emancipation from the aide or the Jews and the support it has round from the Christians are signs that both aides are beginning to break through the barrier Which until now has separated them. The orthodox Jew should not even ask tor emancipation, because it would lead him into conditions and situations where he would be unable to observe his law. If the Christian emancipation, it is a proof, whether he knows it or not, that the man has conquered the Christian. Finally, that several states -during the revolutionary ware -made important concessions and even went so tar as to give or promise the Jews full civil rights: that was only possible because in those tempestuous times the form or the Christian state disintegrated and at least part of the privileges had to be sacrificed. This changed again With the restoration. The promises were Withdrawn, concessions already given were limited, privileges were restored, there were even new persecutions of Jews. But they were not the only ones who suffered. Everything suffered: reason, common sense, universal human rights.

It had to happen, this epoch had to become a time of general suffering. The error had been that one thought emancipation possible while the privileges or the religious barriers remained standing, even acknowledged in the emancipation itself. The Jew received concessions as Jew, was allowed to continue to exist as a being segregated from all others, and this in itself made true emancipation impossible. Everybody still lacked courage to be simply a human being. Some privileges were sacrificed at that time, but the main privilege, the heavenly, god-given, supernatural privilege remained in force and this in tum must always generate all the others.

The emancipation or the Jews in a thoroughgoing, successful, sate manner Will only be possible When they are emancipated not as Jews, that is as forever alien to the Christians, but as human beings Who are no longer separated from their fellowmen by barriers which they wrongly consider to be all-important.

Therefore, the emancipation can also not be made dependent upon their conversion to Christianity, tor by this they would only exchange one privilege against another. It would remain a privilege, even it expanded to everybody, to all: mankind.

The emancipation problem has until now been treated in a basically wrong manner by considering it one-sidedly as the Jewish problem. Neither was· it possible to find a theoretical solution in this manner, nor will it be possible to find a practical solution. With-out being tree oneself, one cannot help another to freedom. The serf cannot emancipate. The minor cannot help another to get rid of his guardians. One privilege can limit another, that is, by the very act at limitation it recognize and designate it as a privilege, but it can never replace the privilege by universal human rights Without abolishing itself.

The problem or emancipation is a general problem, it is the -problem of' our age. Not only the Jews, but we, also, want to be emancipated. Only because nobody was tree, because privilege was the ruling power, the Jews could not have freedom either. We all were surrounded by barriers; the Jewish quarter is right next to the police-supervised quarters Where all or us are registered.

Not the Jews only, we, too, are no longer content with the chimera. We want to be real nations.

If the Jews want to become real -they cannot achieve it in their chimerical nationality, only in the real nations of our time living in history -then they have to give up the chimerical prerogative which will always alienate them from the other nations and history. '!hey have to sacrifice their disbelief in the other nations and their exclusive belief in their own nationality. Only then will they be able to participate sincerely in national and state affairs.

We, however, have to give up our skepticism regarding the world and the rights or man, the exclusive belief in monopoly, and our immaturity, before we can think of becoming real nations and within the life of the nation, real human beings.

It is impossible that the demands or modern criticism, the general cry for emancipation and liberation from absolute government should remain unheard for long. How great the success will be depends upon events the scope and result ot Which cannot be figured in advance. But one thing is certain: All reforms will be palliatives only and will lead only to new discord as long as one remedy is not used. This one remedy is: complete disbelief in servitude, belief in freedom and humanity. This belief will finally prove its zeal, a great and unconquerable zeal, Just as man is greater than privilege and monopoly.

"But that is extreme! Too extreme!" one will say perhaps. Well, let us investigate the wisdom of the juste milieu!