1991 ⟶ Scholar Concludes Jewish Role in Slave Trade Was Minimal
A post-1991 scholar who analyzed the role of Jews in the ove...
Year
1991
🧐 Scholar Concludes Jewish Role in Slave Trade Was Minimal
A post-1991 scholar who analyzed the role of Jews in the overall Atlantic slave trade concluded that it was "minimal," and only identified certain regions (such as Brazil and the Caribbean) where the participation was "significant."⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeHistorical ResearchJewish HistoryRegional Analysis
Brazil
United States📖 Publication of 'The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews'
The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, published in 1991, is a book that asserts that Jews dominated the Atlantic slave trade. The book has been labeled an Antisemitic canard by historians including Saul S. Friedman, who writes that Jews had a minimal role in New World slave trade. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., head of the department of Afro-American studies at Harvard University, called the book "the Bible of new anti-Semitism" and added that "the book massively misinterprets the historical record, largely through a process of cunningly selective quotations of often reputable sources".⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeBlack-Jewish RelationsCanardHistorical Revisionism
United States✍️ Criticism of 'The Secret Relationship' for Antisemitism and Exaggeration
The book was criticized for being antisemitic, and for failing to provide an objective analysis of the role of Jews in the slave trade. Common criticisms were that the book used selective quotes, made "crude use of statistics," and was purposefully trying to exaggerate the role of Jews.⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeBook ReviewHistorical AnalysisSelective Quotations
United States🏛️ American Historical Association Condemns Disproportionate Role Claim
In 1995, the American Historical Association (AHA) issued a statement condemning "any statement alleging that Jews played a disproportionate role in the Atlantic slave trade."⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeAmerican Historical AssociationHistorical AccuracyAcademic Standards
United States🧐 Klooster on Jewish Involvement in Slave Trade
Wim Klooster wrote: "In no period did Jews play a leading role as financiers, shipowners, or factors in the Transatlantic or Caribbean slave trades. They possessed far fewer slaves than non-Jews in every British territory in North America and the Caribbean. Even when Jews in a handful of places owned slaves in proportions slightly above their representation among a town's families, such cases do not come close to corroborating the assertions of The Secret Relationship."⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeHistorical ResearchJewish HistoryFinancial Role
United States🗣️ ADL Statement on 'The Secret Relationship' - Volume Two
The Anti-Defamation League states that Volume Two of The Secret Relationship blames Jews for "promoting a myth of black racial inferiority and makes a range of conspiratorial accusations about Jewish involvement in the slave trade and in the cotton, textiles, and banking industries".⟶
AntisemitismSlave TradeADLConspiracy TheoriesEconomic Involvement
United States