From: R
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 6:53 PM
To: Walter Block
Subject: Anti-Semitism

I have to say Dr. Block, that I have deep feelings of resentment toward Zionist Jews. From Mayer Rothschild to Bernanke and Soros, I have serious problems. I have liked Ben Shapiro for a few years. Wow what a brilliant young man he is. But I just read an article that was linked on LRC in which he said that Yasser Arafat was “the most notorious thug of the 20th century”. What does that even mean? Certainly other men in the 20th century were more thug like and more notorious? Maybe Truman dropping the bomb perhaps? It’s that kind of thing that bothers me. I think you are Jewish, so I am reaching out in need of guidance on this. R

Dear R: I have great resentment not to Zionist Jews, but to virtually ALL Jews. Why? Because most of them are socialists, progressives, communists, liberals, Bernie and Hillary supporters, Democrats; ugh.

As it happens, I am myself Jewish. I’m not practicing, but I was born to Jewish parents, I was bar-mitzvahed, and when and if the next Hitler comes along, I will be undoubtedly on his list. But I don’t resent ALL Jews. Some of us were/are leaders in the freedom movement. Just to name a few:

Gary Becker,
Walter E. Block,
Nathaniel Brandon,
Alan Bock,
Frank Chodorov,
Aaron Director,
Michael Edelstein,
Gene Epstein,
Marcus Epstein,
Richard Epstein,
Lanny Freidlander,
David D. Friedman,
Milton Friedman,
Rose Friedman,
Steve Globerman,
David Gordon,
Gary Greenberg,
Ron Hamowy,
Steve Horwitz
Israel Kirzner,
Ludwig Lachmann,
Michael Levin,
Ludwig von Mises,
Victor Niederhoffer,
Robert Nozick,
Leonard Piekoff,
Dyanne Petersen,
Ayn Rand,
David Ricardo,
Howard Rich,
Murray Rothbard,
Aaron Russo,
Murray Sabrin,
Anna Schwartz,
Bernie Seigan,
Arthur Seldon
Julian Simon,

Unhappily, Jews of this sort are if not rarer than hen’s teeth, almost as rare. Not all of these Jews would consider themselves libertarians. The Objectivists would certainly reject this appellation. But, none of them, not a single one, were, or would have been, socialists, progressives, communists, liberals, Bernie and Hillary supporters, Democrats. If anyone can add to this list of mine, or correct it in any other way, please do so. Note, I do not include those who consider themselves to be conservatives and certainly not, equally ugh, neo-cons.

The Best of Walter E. Block