A hitherto unpublished letter of the mad philosopher, pessimist and anti-Semite, Friedrich Nietzsche, which seems to indicate that Nietzsche at one time was somewhat favorably disposed toward the Jews, appears in a catalogue published here by the Vaheck firm. The letter is number fifty-eight in the catalogue.
Nietzsche’s letter, which is dated August 24, 1877, was addressed to Siegfried Lipiner, Austro-Jewish writer and a close friend of both Nietzsche and the composer Richard Wagner.
“Tell me without reticence, if with regard to descent, you have any connection with the Jews,” Nietzsche wrote. “I have, as a matter of fact, recently had several experiences arousing in me the greatest expectations for youths of this origin.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.