THE TALMUD WAS WARMLY DEFENDED TODAY BY HERBERT DANBY, REGIUS PROFESSOR OF HEBREW AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY, AGAINST “IMMORALITY” ACCUSATIONS BY DR. ALFRED ROSENBERG, NAZI LEADER. PROF. DANBY, IN A NEW PAMPHLET ISSUED BY THE FRIENDS OF EUROPE, DECLARES DR. ROSENBERG HAS GIVEN A FALSE IMPRESSION OF THE ANCIENT COMPILATION OF JEWISH LAW, HISTORY AND LEGEND BY MISQUOTING, USING QUOTATIONS TORN FROM THEIR CONTEXT AND SELECTING ITEMS WHICH MIGHT OFFEND PRESENT-DAY SENSIBILITIES.
HE POINTS OUT THAT UTILIZATION OF SELECTED EXTRACTS FROM ANCIENT JEWISH WRITINGS TO BRING DISCREDIT AND RIDICULE ON THE JEWS MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS LATER IS A PRACTICE OF LONG STANDING IN GERMANY. DR. ROSENBERG’S SELECTION OF PASSAGES, HE
CHARGES, WAS MADE IN A SPIRIT OF MALICE AND MALIGNITY, SOLELY WITH THE OBJECT OF FERRETING OUT ABSURDITIES, FATUITIES AND DETAILS OFFENSIVE TO MODERN FASHIONS OF RETICENCE. THE QUOTATIONS, HE ADDS, ARE GIVEN SO AS TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD, BEING GIVEN A FALSE SENSE, OWING TO SEPARATION FROM THE CONTEXT, OR ARE WRONGLY QUOTED.
A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF THE NAZI LEADER’S EXTRACTS, PROF. DANBY SAYS, WERE MADE TO BEAR A NONSENSICAL OR SINISTER MEANING, OWING TO SUPPRESSION OF THE CONTEXT OR IGNORANCE OF THE ARGUMENT.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
