The theory that “Jews are an Oriental people,” recently expounded by Albert Jay Nock in two articles in the Atlantic monthly, was denounced here today as “unscientific and without any basis of truth” Professor Ruth Banedict, noted anthropologist from Columbia University.
Dr. Benedict made this statement in the course of an address to the symposium on “Cultural Diversity America’s Strength” at the 1941 Williamstown Institute of Human Relations, which is being held here under the auspices of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
“Neck’s writings reveal a personality problem,” Dr. Benedict stated. Disputing Nock’s theory that “Jews have a locked closet which no non-Jew can ever hope to pierce,” She said that “Cultural or racial background is no barrier to intellectual or social relations between men. ” Dr. Benedict also assailed the Nazi idea of a “pure master race,” denying the validity of such thinking. “The German themselves are a mixed race, ” she added. “Every people who have built impressive civilisations in any country in the world have been drown from diverse human breeds. Hitler is wrong in his facts of history.”
Other speakers at the symposium were Dr. Otto Klineberg, Jewish psychologist from Columbia; Professor Rayford Logan, Negro historian from Howard University; and Geeffrey Shmidt, Catholic labor expert, connected with the New York State Department of Labor.
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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.
