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American Women Opposed to Anti-semitism, Country-wide Survey Indicates

February 18, 1943
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Fully 75 percent of America’s women condemn anti-Semitism and want to eliminate it, according to a country-wide survey of opinion among Both Jews and Gentiles, published in the March issue of the new women’s magazine “She.” The importance of the influence of American mothers on their children in eliminating intolerance is emphasized in the editorial summary of the article, which states:

“While it is, perhaps, too much to hope that the present generation can be completely cured of prejudice, there is time to inoculate our children against this insidious malady. The fears and prejudices most people have are rooted in the fears and prejudices planted in their minds by their mothers. You can begin today by telling your children of the great achievements and fine spirit of the Jewish people. Instill in them the feeling that America is great and strong because it has brought together people of many races and many religions, and welded them into a nation that cherishes freedom and tolerance above everything else.”

The survey was conducted by “She” as a result of widespread comment that followed the publication in the same magazine a few months ago of an article “I Am a Jewess.” In that article, an anonymous Jewish woman set forth in direct and poignant style the mental sufferings of a mother faced with the task of explaining to her children the curbs and limitations they face in the social and business world because of their religious beliefs. While a small minority expressed the opinion that some members of the Jewish people were “activated by an abnormal desire to get money as a means toward prestige, monopoly and self-aggrandizement,” the great majority of those surveyed were united in describing the Jew as an “excellent, law-abiding citizen, honest, intelligent and energetic” who “loves his country and is the equal in culture and attainments of the highest in the land.”

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