Introduction

At some level I have been aware of the Protocols of Zion as early as my teenage years. That is, I knew that this fabricated text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination had widespread acceptance starting from its first publication in Russia in 1903. Unfortunately for Jews, over the past 120 years administrators of power– Nicholas II and his cabinet members, Henry Ford and his Ford Executives, Adolph Hitler and his Nazi followers, and Muslim rulers– have undertaken anti-Semitic policies in order to destroy the Jewish menace. All of them believed that the Protocols of Zion reflected the malignant power of World Jewry.

Henry Ford was a celebrated industrial hero, who enjoyed widespread support by many to become President of the United States. In a newspaper founded by Ford, the Dearborn Independent, he published virulently anti-Semitic diatribes such as “The International Jew. The World’s Problem.” He directed the publication of 500,000 copies of the Protocols of Zion. His paper argued that Jews controlled world finance, caused World Wars so that Christians would die, and claimed that President Woodrow Wilson took orders from Justice Brandeis. After seven years Ford was successfully sued and had to settle with Aaron Shapiro for libel. Sadly, Ford never repented and blamed the Jews for causing World War II. At the end of his life, Hitler blamed the Jews for starting World War II.

However, until today, I had never had a conversation with someone who believed that 10 Jews dominate global finance in league with the Masons. Needless to say, it was unsettling that a person who has many Jewish contacts and has access to all of our news outlets could hold such beliefs.

Influence of the Protocols of Zion

Given the virulent anti-Semitism that existed in the United States starting in 1914, one cannot dismiss the Protocols of Zion out of hand. While anti-Semitism declined following World War II, it has resurfaced in a number of forums in recent years. On many of today’s college campuses, Jews have to be circumspect in their appearance to prevent mean-spirited verbal and physical attacks. They cannot wear a kippah in public. BDS (Boycott, Divestiture and Sanctions) has widespread acceptance on college campuses. Its aim is to end “so-called Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with many of the edicts of the United Nations.”

I recently heard Deborah Feldman, the author of Unorthodox comment that because of widespread anti-Semitism in Germany she does not publicly identify herself as Jewish. The U.K. Chief Rabbi Denounced the Labour Party as being anti-Semitic.

Throughout Europe, anti-Semitism is impossible to ignore. In a December 2018 survey on experiences and perceptions of anti-Semitism in Europe, the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency found 89% of Jews living in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK feel anti-Semitism has increased in their country over the past decade, while 85% believed it to be a serious problem. Almost half worried about being insulted or harassed in public because they are Jewish, and more than a third feared being physically attacked.

My conversation

Let me share with you the sentiments of the individual who subscribed to the Protocols of Zion.

Initially, he asked me whether the House of Rothschild was the dominant global financial institution. I responded that today Rothschild is a relatively small investment banking boutique. Their operations in Europe and the United States had limited influence. In part, because Rothschild has remained private they never expanded meaningfully. That is, the merging of investment banks and commercial banks and the fact that all major institutions are public with widespread public capital has catapulted the financial industry way beyond their scope when I started in Wall Street in 1969.

He then asked whether 10 Jews dominate global finance. I responded that while Jews are prominent on Wall Street, particularly in the Hedge Fund industry, they certainly do not dominate finance. Moreover, historically, Jews played much more important roles in the Investment Banks (merchant banks and Private Equity) rather than commercial banks.

He then asked whether Jews in coordination with secret Mason organizations wielded significant influence. He felt that leading financial people at the World Bank, IMF, and Wall Street were all members of the secret society of Masons and the Rotary Clubs. I responded that the Rotary Clubs are certainly not secret. Instead, their membership is open and that they operate globally. While I do not know much about the Masons, to my knowledge they are primarily social organizations. Furthermore, the Masons influence has waned since World War II.

Conclusion

Given that we are currently experiencing the worst Pandemic since the Spanish Flu (1918), I would not dismiss the threat to democracy and Judaism as just temporary phenomena. Authoritarian regimes whether in Turkey, China, Russia, Hungary, and Venezuela are tightening their grip. To stay in power these dictators always look for scapegoats.

Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune