GATESTONE
Tribute to Samuel Clemens, Pen Name Mark Twain
Lawrence Kadish
February 25, 2024

…Yet there have always been strong, courageous voices outside the Jewish community that have pushed back against the bigotry. Consider the essay of Mark Twain who, in 1899 wrote an essay in the publication Harper’s that is relevant today as it was at the turn of that century. An excerpt reveals his insight:

“If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one per cent. of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star-dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. READ MORE