Importing Anti-Semitism, Cont’d;

In April of 2001, I wrote a VDARE article entitled "Importing Anti-Semitism?" Well, it's time to lose the question mark. In surprisingly frank language, Abe Foxman's Anti-Defamation League reports:

One of the most important findings of [the Anti-Defamation League's] 2002 Survey of Anti-Semitism in America concerns Hispanic Americans, one of the most significant and fastest growing segments of the American population, in which the poll found an extraordinary gap between those born in the United States and those born abroad. The survey revealed that while 44% of foreign-born Hispanics hold hardcore anti-Semitic beliefs, 20% of Hispanic Americans born in the U.S. fall into the same category.

Anti-Defamation League, June 11, 2002

The survey consists of eleven statements uncomplimentary toward Jews. (You can find them listed on p. 6 of this Adobe Acrobat PDF file.) Anyone who agrees with at least six statements is labeled "most anti-Semitic." As a former marketing researcher, I found the construction of the survey somewhat tendentious. Unsurprisingly, it's designed to elicit high anti-Semitism scores. (It's important to note that even the "most anti-Semitic" aren't all that anti-Semitic by historical or global standards. For example, more of these supposed "hardcore" anti-Semites sympathize with Israel rather than with the Jewish State's Arab enemies!) Nonetheless, it's a useful comparative instrument.

The survey found the following percentages who were "strongly anti-Semitic" (with their ratio to non-Hispanic whites).

Non-Hispanic whites - 12% - 1.00 ratio
American-born Hispanics - 20% - 1.67 ratio
African-Americans - 35% - 2.92 ratio
Foreign-born Hispanics - 44% - 3.67 ratio

The ADL's in-depth analysis (PDF file) reported:

For example, over half of foreign-born Hispanics (55%) agree with the assertion that "Jews don't care what happens to anyone but their own kind," compared to 26% of Hispanics born in the U.S.

Forty-four percent of Hispanics born outside of the U.S. agree with the assertion that "Jews were responsible for the death of Christ," compared to 26% of those born in the U.S.

Forty-six percent agree with the statement that Jews are "more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want," compared to 22% of those born in the U.S.

Finally, over half (52%) of foreign-born Hispanics believe Jews have too much power in the business world, compared to 26% of Hispanics born in the U.S.

Clearly, on a per capita basis, Muslim immigrants are more of a threat to Jewish interests than are Hispanic immigrants. But Hispanics vastly outnumber Muslims. Nor are Hispanics as likely to remain virulent in their attitudes toward Jews as the later generations assimilate into American life. But doesn't that suggest an immigration timeout would be appropriate, both to reduce the number of anti-Semites we import, and to allow later generations to assimilate faster?

[Steve Sailer [email him] is founder of the Human Biodiversity Institute and movie critic for The American Conservative. His website www.iSteve.blogspot.com features his daily blog.]

July 11, 2002