To: <anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com>
References: <HMEEKBMPCPKEKBBLMDNIAEOPDBAA.hardorp@gmx.net>
Subject: Re: [anthroposophy_tomorrow] Steiner on the Jews
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 20:26:21 -0500

"... daß die Menschen nicht mehr wollen die großen allgemein-menschlichen Prinzipe, son­dern sich absondern, Volkskräfte entwickeln wollen, das hat eben ge­rade zu dem großen Krieg geführt! Und so ist das größte Unglück dieses 20. Jahrhunderts gekommen von dem, was die Juden auch wollen. Und so kann man sagen: Da alles dasjenige, was die Juden getan haben, jetzt in bewußter Weise von allen Menschen zum Beispiel getan werden könnte, so könnten die Juden eigentlich nichts Besseres vollbringen, als aufgehen in der übrigen Menschheit, sich vermischen mit der übrigen Menschheit, so daß das Judentum als Volk einfach aufhören würde. Das ist dasjenige, was ein Ideal wäre."

I'm sorry, I'm too tired to translate this tonight, maybe someone has translations for all this? Notice that PS only quoted the latter half. Its meaning becomes much clearer in the context of the sentences that precede!

Best regards, Detlef Hardorp
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Daniel:

A very rough go at it (corrections welcome):
"...that people no longer desire the broad, generally-human principles, but rather desire to separate themselves, to develop the forces of 'Volk', is precisely the thing that has lead to the great war (WWI). And so is the greatest tragedy of this 20th century caused by exactly the same type of thing as the Jews desire. And so it is possible to say, since all that which the Jews have done, can, for example, now be done consciously by all human beings, the Jews could actually accomplish nothing better than if they were to become absorbed in the rest of humanity, mix themselves with the rest of humanity, so that Jewishness as a 'Volk' simple ceased. That is what would be ideal."

Notes:
in etwas aufgehen = to become absorbed in
sich vermischen = mix oneself
aufhören = stop
Train of though: Separation into Folk is bad in principle. It caused WWI. Not only Jews, but all humanity can desire to separate themselves into Folks, rather than forge a universally human culture. It would be ideal if Jews mixed THEMSELVES into humanity, if the Jewish Folk BECAME ABSORBED into humanity as a whole.

Question:
Does the broader context for the short quote change the interpretation? Discuss.

Further Question:
Does this or does this not demonstrate Steiner's affinity for "völkisch" thinking as espoused by proto-Nazi theorists? (Note to those not conversant in research into proto-Nazi theories: "völkisch" refers to a tendency to glorify the mysterious qualities of the German Volk as being special and above all other Volk's (peoples) in virtuous qualities).

Daniel Hindes

Note: The text above is an excerpt of a longer reply that Rudolf Steiner gave when asked specifically about "The Jewish Question".