On Jewish ‘Traitors’: Marcus Eli Ravage
Marcus Eli Ravage wrote two articles of much interest to critics of the jews in 1928 entitled ‘A Real Case against the Jews’ (1) and ‘Commissary to the Gentiles’; (2) both of which appeared in ‘The Century Magazine’. Both his articles do not make very pleasant reading in that they are written in a haughty and condescending tone, which is claimed as satire by pro-jewish individuals and groups and as boasting by anti-jewish individuals and groups.
Ravage is unusual among jews who are asserted to claim openly that jews do in fact run/control the world. Since his two articles are often read and used by anti-jewish individuals - especially during debates - but are rarely cited within the anti-jewish literature – even by contemporaries who should have been aware of them - beyond simply asserting that they support such-and-such a conclusion (and even that is rare). It would seem that awareness of Ravage’s articles has been kept up because they have been periodically reprinted by anti-jewish groups to furnish hostile testimony as to what in fact the jews are up to.
On the other side of the fence - in the world of pro-jewish individuals and groups Ravages’ two articles have attracted even less attention perhaps - because they have been summarily dismissed as satire by said individuals and groups.
It is important to examine Ravage’s two articles, because of their use by critics of the jews as supporting hostile testimony evidencing the reality of a jewish conspiracy. Also, despite the generalities of Ravage’s assertions and claims, they can in fact be somewhat investigated being as they relate to general history and specifically Christianity. This makes them rather unusual in terms of ‘jewish traitor’ testimony, because the majority of such testimony/evidence is from apparently friendly witnesses who write quite disarmingly about what they suggest the jewish conspiracy is but whom often write about their own ‘special knowledge’ as having been an insider within the conspiracy itself and have ‘seen the light’.
Ravage on the other hand writes in an abrasive, often quite sarcastic manner and is obviously trying to write against anti-Semitism by declaring how ‘irrational’ it is using Christianity as the medium to declare that jews have dominated the world through Christianity and that if there is - and indeed was - a jewish conspiracy in operation then that is the conspiracy at work, because he claims it is much more fundamental to civilisation than whether a jewish magnate controls this newspaper, that radio station or the bank over the street.
Ravage’s articles on anti-Semitism should not be surprising since he wrote a great many articles on jews as they related to the United States and especially on recent jewish immigrants to the United States. (3) They are written in the spirit of defence of the community. We can only presume from this that the two articles in ‘The Century Magazine’ are a continuation of this mindset and raison d'être rather than something written out of the blue as so many anti-jewish individuals and groups seem to. The reasoning behind their being written is indirectly given to us in the text of ‘A Real Case against the Jews’ when Ravage states as follows:
‘We shirk our patriotic duty in wartime because we are pacifists by nature and tradition, and we are the arch-plotters of universal wars and the chief beneficiaries of those wars (see the late Dearborn Independent, passim, and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion)’. (4)
What Ravage is indirectly saying here is that he is writing to defend his people against the charges laid against them in ‘The Dearborn Independent’ and in ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’. What Ravage fears here is not really anti-Semitism per se but rather that anti-Semitism is being purported by captains of American industry in particular Henry Ford. Whose book ‘The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem’ (5) is both made up of articles taken from his newspaper ‘The Dearborn Independent’ (6) and that both ‘The Dearborn Independent’ and ‘The International Jew’ take their description of the jewish question largely from ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’.
This allusion to these two specific publications combined with his use of Christianity as a medium for his attack on anti-Semitism suggests that these articles are in response to Henry Ford’s ‘The International Jew’. Since in Volume 4 of ‘The International Jew’ Henry Ford includes a very particular appeal to gentiles - (7) by which he means of course Christians - (8) as well as a direct appeal to the jews, (9) which likely served as the basis for Ravage’s two articles being written in response.
We may further see this in Ravage’s anti-jewish themes that he maintains throughout both articles in so far as we find all of them prominently included in ‘The International Jew’ and although they are all staples of anti-jewish thought at the time ‘The International Jew’ is the only contemporary work where all these accusations are brought together (and was also the object of recent nationwide controversy in the United States at the time). Hence, we can conclude that ‘The International Jew’ was likely what Ravage was using as the representative work of the anti-jewish thought he uses in his two articles.
In essence Ravage can be said to be in fear of exactly the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ social combination against the jews that Benjamin Ginsberg described in his theory of why anti-Semitism was acted upon in some countries/nations and not in the case of others. (10)
Ironically Ginsberg’s use of an archetypal country where this has not been the case is the United States, (11) but certainly such a combination would be familiar to Ashkenazi jews - particularly those formerly of the Russian Empire who’d been migrating in large numbers to the United States for some forty years at that point - where open and sometimes violent anti-jewish activity was the province of both the nobility and the peasantry. (12) This is best illustrated in the quasi-hysterical but at the same time snide tone of the articles, which - although obviously written to try and give a satirical counter to anti-jewish accusations - are written in an emotionally disturbed state as when one writes about something that one feels potentially threatens one’s own well-being.
Ravage being very strongly committed to the preservation and furtherance of his race - as evidenced by his other articles such as those published in Harper’s Magazine - would likely view such a combination of captains of industry - such as Henry Ford - with the working men and the peasantry as a direct threat to both his race’s well-being and his own. He would also likely have seen such a combination as a barrier to further progress for them in acquiring what jews have historically presumed to be theirs: a controlling interest in society both to protect themselves from such ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ combinations, but also in order to suit their egoistic need for recognition of their superior status (and the necessary acquisition of wealth to make this a general reality).
This discussion thus sheds some very necessary light on the context of Ravage’s two articles, which if viewed without context would seem to be far more malevolent than they in fact are. However, they are not what philo-Semitic authors would wish them to be - an innocent and courageous attempt at a satire of anti-Semitic views in the early part of the twentieth century - either. This is because regardless of supposed satire - which is appears more as glaze rather than as anything more substantial within the articles - the message that Ravage seems to want to deliver is that jews are central to Western civilisation, because the Christianity of today - as it was in Ravage’s day - is derived in part from Judaism and thus from jews.
Ravage’s thesis regardless of satire is directed very pointedly at Aryan - i.e., Western - civilisation and seeks to prove that because Western Europe has grown up in the arms of the Church in all her guises. It thus should be grateful to the jews for creating it because in Ravage’s estimation - as to many other jews who in times of trouble always extend appeals to gentiles - declaring in various degrees of politeness that because Christianity is jewish in origin then they must also look favourably upon (and honour) its creators.
This, of course, is the logic used by many Christians today in their support of Israel, because it has been impressed upon them - largely by jews - that Jesus was a jew and thus they must support jews no matter the cost. There is a whole body of theological speculation - largely concerning the Book of Revelations cross-referenced with books of the Old Testament such as Ezekiel - acting as support to this position, but it is enough to say here that this was no less true in Ravage’s day than it is at present. All that has changed is the dimensions of the problem with it having been magnified astounding in last eighty years since Ravage’s time. (13)
If we look to the context of what I have argued is Ravage’s motivation behind the writing of these two articles then we realise that Ravage’s assertion that Christianity is the path through which the jews have operated is three things: it is a factual assertion, a satirical weapon and a demand for unconditional Christian support for his race. Since when Ravage asserts – indirectly - that Christianity is jewish he is making these three weapons it is necessary to point out that they follow a logical sequence each dependent on the other.
This sequence is as follows: if Christianity is jewish (and therefore we may presume Aryan - i.e., Western European - civilisation is predicated on jewish ideas) then this fact is a satirical weapon because the anti-Semites whose work Ravage is taking as representative - i.e., Henry Ford as argued above - are suggesting that the jews are corrupting Aryan civilisation but yet the basis of this civilisation – Christianity - is jewish.
This thus makes the anti-Semitic argument absurd and hypocritical by declaring that the very thing that they are seeking to protect is jewish at its core and therefore it becomes a demand for unconditional Christian support for jews. This is because Ravage is indirectly asserting - since remember he is covering what he writes with a satirical gloss - that if the anti-Semites want to stop the rot in Western civilisation then they should embrace rather than attack the jews because Christianity is jewish. He is indirectly telling his reader that the world should embrace the jews and put them in charge of their countries for the simple reason that the jews have created Christianity and therefore on his premises created Western civilisation.
This a sympathetic argument that is made to appeal to the reader who would like to think of themselves as a liberally minded man or woman and to subtly place certain germs of presumptions and ideas into the readers head, which can at the same time seemingly disgust the reader with the supposedly intellectually crude and illiberal manner of anti-Semitism and inspire interest in the well-being of the jews.
This first effect - and indeed apparently the main intent of the articles - is performed by the satirical weapon - which is where Ravage’s harsh and haughty language is used to really emphasize the satirical weapon to such a degree as to be quite vicious and overwrought - and is almost seemingly boastful. (14) This would seem to be calculated to make the reader guffaw at the ‘idiocy’ of the anti-Semites and consider that they are superior to such fools, because he/she has the liberal turn of mind to read and accept such stinging and apparently educated criticism of the anti-Semitic position.
If one comprehends the liberal mind then one realises that those that are politically liberal tend to be lovers of types of political discourse, which give the supposition of education - such as political satire - but which in reality contain little real critical substance. The appeal to a liberal mind is obvious if we also acknowledge that many of those of such turns of mind were then - although far less so now - devoutly Christian - usually of the Protestant variety - and their liberalism was predicated on their Christianity. This first effect then allows the discarding of the anti-Semitic theory by the reader who presumes themselves to be liberally minded.
The second effect - and the additional intent - of the articles are performed by a demand for unconditional Christian support for jews, which is where the precise rather than the general arguments used come into play. The specific line of reasoning that Ravage uses is that Christianity is a jewish creation and by playing off the then widespread religious devotion ‘proves’ to his reader that because Christianity was at the heart of Aryan civilisation that the jews were - and are – a significant force for good in Western Europe.
I have termed this element a demand for unconditional Christian support for jews, because it comes off to the reader that what Ravage is subtly appealing for is aid from the - presumably gentile Christian – readership of ‘The Century Magazine’ in fighting the anti-Semites and their arguments. The demand is brought about by the appeal to charitable instincts by Ravage arguing that the contributions of the jews should be acknowledged and that if they should be blamed for anything it should for their great service to Western civilisation and forbearance of their (unjustified) ‘persecution’ and ‘suffering’. Hence allowing Ravage’s argument to be heard since it subtly appeals to charitable sentiments on the part of the reader as well as allowing his two effects to be realised upon the liberally minded contemporary reader.
So, when we acknowledge the context in which Ravage wrote and the methodology that he has appeared to follow in writing the article. It becomes apparent that both the anti-jewish and pro-jewish thesis seems on the face of it to be called into question.
Since Ravage is not confirming the anti-jewish argument so much as using it to attack itself with a thesis of his own - i.e., that Christianity is a jewish creation - so any comment Ravage is in fact making is not a confirmation of the anti-jewish thesis argued in the ‘The International Jew’ and ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ and if it is taken as such then the individual or group using it like so only plays into Ravage’s hands by allowing him to suggest that they are in fact stupid and don’t know what they are talking about. Which as I believe I have covered is essentially the result of his argument in that if the anti-Semites don’t know that Christianity is jewish - according to Ravage - then they really are quite unlearned, irrational and probably stupid.
Therefore, Ravage cannot be considered evidence for the validity of the assertions about jewish control of finance, media, culture etc, because he is writing it to tear it down with his suppositions about Christianity and nor can he be considered a traitor to jewry or to even be boasting.
On the pro-jewish side however the argument that Ravage is merely being satirical is also quite vapid, but it has a kernel of truth to it. In that Ravage is indeed using satire as his medium, but he is not doing it simply to defend the jews but rather the context in which writes and what he writes. Indicates that Ravage is in fact trying to gain advantage for the jews rather than simply defend them. His argument relies on more than trying to poke fun at anti-Semites, but rather as we have briefly argued it includes an obvious logical element whereby the jews must be the centre of civilisation - since if Western civilisation is based on Christianity and Christianity - according to Ravage - is jewish then jews are the basis of civilisation. Hence thus indirectly putting forward the idea that because jews are the basis of civilisation that they should be given absolute reign to do whatever they want, i.e., to be allowed to rule the cultural, intellectual, economic, social and political life of any nation in which they reside.
So, Ravage’s words are hardly simply satire, but rather have both a defensive but also offensive purpose that needs to be recognised in order to realise their importance is in the stereotypical jewish nature.
The real meaning of Ravage is in the nature of his writing and getting beneath the surface of it to find out what Ravage is actually thinking and how that logic flows from his other writings and progresses in the ones under consideration.
Ravage in essence provides us - if we look at his writing carefully - with a window to the jewish mind and soul. A study of which a student of the jewish question will find highly rewarding.
In essence it is necessary to treat Ravage as what he was rather than trying to make him and his writing into something it isn’t. It is unfortunate that Ravage wasn’t actually a toady to the Rothschild family and that his words aren’t boasting, but we have to deal with jews and their words as they are rather than how we would like them to be.
That is the key to fighting and beating the jewish enemy.
References
(1) Marcus Eli Ravage, 1928, ‘A Real Case against the Jews: One of Them Points Out the Full Depth of Their Guilt’, The Century Magazine, Vol. 115, No. 3, pp. 346-351. This is available at the following address: http://www.ety.com/HRP/leaflts/ravage/ravage1.htm.
(2) Marcus Eli Ravage, 1928, ‘Commissary To The Gentiles: The First to See the Possibilities of War by Propaganda’, The Century Magazine, Vol. 115, No. 4, pp. 476-483. This is available at the following address: http://www.ety.com/HRP/leaflts/ravage/ravage2.htm.
(3) For example, he wrote several articles in Harper’s Magazine in early 1917 on the subject of jews - specifically recent jewish immigrants to the United States from eastern Europe - defending them from accusations made against them and seeming to be writing to ‘dispel stereotypes’. These can be found at the following address: http://harpers.org/subjects/MERavage.
(4) Ravage, ‘A Real Case against the Jews’, Op. Cit.
(5) Henry Ford, 1920-22, ‘The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem’, 4 Vols., 1st Edition, Dearborn Publishing Company: Dearborn.
(6) The Dearborn Independent was the Ford Company’s paper that Henry Ford marketed to his employees and hence was widely read due to Ford’s status as both a friend to the honest working man (he treated and paid his workers well, but he would not abide communist agitation within their ranks) and because it was officially encouraged within the Ford company for one to read the official paper.
(7) Henry Ford, 1922, ‘An Address to “Gentiles” on the Jewish Problem’ in Henry Ford, 1922, ‘The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem’, Vol. IV, 1st Edition, Dearborn Publishing Company: Dearborn. This article was originally published in ‘The Dearborn Independent’ of the 14th January, 1922. It can be found at the following address: http://www.jrbooksonline.com/Intl_Jew_full_version/ij80.htm.
(8) The article starts off with references to gentiles in general, but in the 9th paragraph we see the beginning of mention of Christians and Christianity in place of talking about the gentiles, so it is correct to infer that what Ford was transliterating gentiles for Christians in his own mind. See Ibid.
(9) Henry Ford, 1922, ‘Candid Address to Jews on the Jewish Problem’ in Henry Ford, 1922, ‘The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem’, Vol. IV, 1st Edition, Dearborn Publishing Company: Dearborn. This article was originally published in ‘The Dearborn Independent’ of the 7th January, 1922. It can be found at the following address: http://www.jrbooksonline.com/Intl_Jew_full_version/ij79.htm.
(10) Benjamin Ginsberg, 1993, ‘The Fatal Embrace: Jews and the State’, 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
(11) Ibid., pp. 97-144
(12) Ibid., pp. 56-57
(13) Some most vocal opponents of anti-Semitism at this time were Protestant Christians, especially of the Calvinist persuasion (or influenced by Calvin’s thought), who argued that the jews as a people selected by God, and of whom they claimed Jesus Christ sprang, that jews could not possibly be evil and the ‘jewish entrepreneurial spirit’ was not something to be concerned about but was rather to be admired. For example, see: Rev. D. McDougall, n.d. (1938?), ‘The Story of Jew-Baiting’, 1st Edition, The Jewish Mission Committee of the Church of Scotland: Edinburgh.
(14) This is where anti-Semites seem to get their position on the matter from as well as the accusation that Ravage was a lackey or devotee of the Rothschild family. Since I can find little to no connexion between the various branches of the Rothschild family and Ravage, I must provisionally conclude that this is a later addition to provide some context to the article and to enhance its contents by suggesting, like Benjamin Freedman has about himself, that Ravage was in on the conspiracy and for some unknown reason decided to pen two articles boasting about it. An example of the Rothschild allegation can be found in Anon., 1990, ‘The Project Newsletter’, Vol. 7, No. 4. This is available at the following address: http://wiretap.area.com/Gopher/Library/Fringe/Conspiry/proj-7.4. The exact wording is as follows: ‘Marcus Eli Ravage, a Jewish writer from the 1920's who worshiped at the feet of the Rothschild’s, wrote A Real Case Against the Jews to prove that Christianity was created by Jews to destroy the Roman Empire and the robust Pagan spirit that prevented Jewish control of Pagan society. Only with the Pagans transformed under Jesus "meek and mild" could the Jews rise to covert world imperium! There is some chance this was written as a satire, but who knows?’