SARTRE’S “JEWISH QUESTION” AND A PLAUSIBLE DESCRIPTION OF THE ANTISEMITIC

Abstract Sartre’s essay “On the Jewish Question” was written between 1944 and 1945 and published in 1946. It is a remarkable essay, surprising both for its intelligent commentary and for the many insights it reveals. It is written in extraordinary prose, reminiscent of a world in which the subtlety and complexity of good speech and good writing were encouraged and appreciated. The essay is full of pertinent observations and intelligent and witty analysis. Some, but not all, of these will be considered in the present essay. Thus, as well as analyzing the weaknesses in Sartre’s argument, the emphasis will be on the redeeming aspects of his essay and how these features can help us understand the present situation that has suddenly become stubbornly anti-Semitic.