Talmud-Jude. Mit einem Vorwort von Eduard Drumond aus der auch anderweitig vermehrten französischen Ausgabe von A. Pontigny in das Deutsche übertragen von Carl Paasch – The Talmudic Jew, by the Notorious Antisemitic Polemicist Prof. Dr. August Rohling, with an Introduction by Edouard Drumont, Translated into German by Karl Paasch, Published by Deutschvölkischer Verlag. Stuttgart, 1924. One of the First Antisemitic Books to Feature the Nazi Swastika on the Cover. German Edition of a Hate-filled Treatise.
A German edition of the defamatory work “The Talmudic Jew” (“Der Talmudjude”), first published in 1871 by the antisemitic propagandist August Rohling (1839-1931). This book became a foundational text for antisemitic authors and journalists who followed him, often quoting it in their hate-filled writings. The introduction to this edition was written by the French antisemitic journalist Edouard Drumont. Rohling connected out-of-context quotes from the Talmud and interpreted them negatively. He presented a theological argument for action against what he called the “Jewish race” (jüdische Rasse), drawing heavily on Johann Andreas Eisenmenger’s 1710 work “Judaism Unmasked, ” which claimed to expose the horrifying ways Jews allegedly blasphemed the Holy Trinity. Another source for Rohling was the apostate Aron Israel Brimann, known for his antisemitic libels.
The introduction to this edition claims that Rohling’s book disappeared from the market because Jews bought up and destroyed all copies. Thus, this German edition was published to ensure that everyone would know the “truth” about the Talmud and Jewish beliefs. This edition incorporates antisemitic quotes from Drumont’s writings, as well as excerpts from Rohling’s later works. The chapter “The Corrupt Moral Doctrine of the Talmudic Jew” is one of the most extreme hate-filled and distorted writings ever produced, where the author falsely claims that according to Jewish belief, the world was given to Jews alone as a gift, while other nations are no more than dogs and pigs in human form. He also asserts that when a Jew engages in negotiations with a Gentile in legal or commercial matters, he is permitted to use any deceit or lie to his advantage. Rohling argues that the unbearable situation in which “Jews have become masters” is a direct result of Talmudic education and distorts passages referring to the Messianic era by claiming that the fundamental Jewish belief aims at world domination. Rohling also distorts the writings of early Jewish scholars such as Rabbeinu Bachya, Maimonides, Don Isaac Abravanel, and others.
Rohling’s pamphlet was published in numerous editions. From the sixth edition onward, 38,000 copies were distributed free of charge by the Bonifatius Society in Paderborn. Antisemitic speakers began to rely on Rohling’s writings to defend themselves in court.
Rohling’s book on the Talmud had a significant impact, and even the Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher relied on Rohling’s arguments in his newspaper Der Stürmer. Rohling claimed that according to Jewish religion and its followers, Christians should be harmed and killed, and he appeared as an expert witness in many blood libel trials. In the Tiszaeszlár blood libel trial in Hungary, he announced that he was willing to testify that Jews practiced blood rituals for Passover.
The Protestant theologian Franz Delitzsch exposed the fabrications and distortions in Rohling’s approach to the Talmud. After Rabbi Joseph Samuel Bloch accused Rohling of fabrications and perjury, Rohling sued him for libel. The court allowed Delitzsch to testify as a counter-expert. After Delitzsch revealed that Rohling was unable to read the Talmud in its original language, Rohling withdrew the lawsuit. Although Rohling lost his teaching license, and the Vatican placed his writings on the list of forbidden books, they were widely used among Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe.
XV, 131 pages. Good condition.
