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Jews & the Japanese: The Successful Outsiders
"Few peoples have drawn the 'us' and 'them' line so clearly and maintained it for so long." -From The Jews and the JapaneseIt is difficult to imagine two more widely different-almost incompatible-societies than those of the Jews and the a people spread over the four corners of the world versus a people with an almost uninterrupted history of sovereignty in its own geographical heterogeneity versus linguistic and cultural homogeneity; a cosmopolitan experience versus an island mentality; strict religious and moral commandments versus group–based and aesthetically bound values. Yet, there are also surprising analogies between these two peoples. It is this extraordinary combination of similarities and differences that are explored.In The Jews and the Japanese, Professor Shillony describes how these two peoples, both rich in cultural heritage and historical experiences, have interacted with the Christian West, their outstanding achievements and immense tragedies, and their attempts to integrate with the West and its repeated rejection of them.
- GenresJapan
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1992
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June 27, 2020
Although written 30 years ago and in need of a few new chapters, this book gives an excellent comparison of Jews and Japanese. Anyone interested in these two Peoples will find this book fascinating, while it also can serve as an overview of the history and culture of both Jews/Israel and Japanese.
While there has been very little interaction between Jews and Japanese, they do share certain characteristics.
"There is much that these two peoples share, and there is much they can learn from each other. Both have preserved their ethnic and cultural identities for a long time, but whereas the Japanese achieved this while remaining secluded on their islands, the Jews did it while scattered over the world. In the coming years more and more Japanese will be scattered as well, for reasons of business, education, travel, or emigration, while more and more Jews will return to live in their ancient homeland."
"Ambition, diligence, education, and intellectual curiosity have propelled these two peoples to their advanced positions in the world today. Emphasis on group loyalty, discipline, and consensus has enabled the Japanese to achieve rapid modernization and build a powerful economy. The Jews stressed individual excellence, original though, and nonconformism, producing leaders in many fields."
The book starts by comparing the foundation myths of Judaism and Japan: Abraham and Jimma. Over the next few millennia, however, the experience of Jews and Japanese was drastically opposite.
"In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Japan, like medieval Europe, developed into a society of peasant and warriors. In consequence, the nation’s dominant values were those of the farmer - diligence, perseverance, and teamwork - and those of the soldier - loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice. The merchants of traditional Japan occupied the lowest social stratum, and their preoccupation with profit was looked down on by the warrior class, the samurai. Because they wielded power and owned land, warriors, whether in Europe or in Japan, could afford to despise money. For the Jews, however, money was the means of survival. It could be accumulated, stored, hidden, transported, exchanged, invested, and loaned out. It was the best insurance against adversity and could buy security, at least for a considerable period of time."
One thing they share is the rejection of Christianity, although for different reasons:
"Although both the Jews and the Japanese refused to accept Christianity, they did so for fundamentally opposed reasons. Whereas the Jews rejected Christianity because religion was extremely important to them, the Japanese did so because religion was not important to them… Indeed the Japanese rejection of Christianity was also motivated by the instinct of cultural preservation."
The American experience of Jewish and Japanese immigrants can also be contrasted:
"It is significant that Americans of Japanese ancestry call themselves Japanese-Americans, whereas the Jews living in America refer to themselves as American Jews. Unlike the Japanese, the Jews did not arrive from their own land. They had been living in exile for almost two thousand years and had learned to preserve their cultural identity under greatly varying circumstances. By coming to America they had exchanged a bad exile for a much better one. Although they became loyal Americans, proud of their new land, this did not prevent them from remaining proud and loyal Jews… Unlike the Japanese-Americans who gave up allegiance to Japan, American Jews later became vigorous supporters of Israel."
The third section of this book deals with Modern Japan, beginning with the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5) through World War II and until today.
World War II was the most tragic event in the histories of the Jews and the Japanese, bringing both to the brink of extinction. Their roles in that war were completely different.
"The tragedies of Auschwitz and Hiroshima were similar in that in both cases advanced technology was employed in the indiscriminate mass killing of civilians. In neither case was there a pressing military necessity to commit these horrors; and in both cases a previous racially based dehumanization of the victims permitted their mass annihilation. Auschwitz and Hiroshima thus represent new kinds of modern atrocities which go beyond what was then and still is today accepted as legitimate modes of warfare."
"The history of the Jews and the Japanese in the second half of the twentieth century has been shaped by the lessons they learned from their tragic war experiences. Interestedly, however, these lessons were diametrically opposite. The Jews, the greatest victims of the war, attributed their distastes to their vulnerability… When WWII ended and the dimensions of the Holocaust became clear, the Jews became convinced that they had to strengthen themselves as people so that they never again could be led like sheep to slaughter. The popular slogan “Never again Auschwitz” meant never again to be weak and helpless. The Japanese having been a major aggressor in the war, attributed their tragedy to excessive reliance on force… The Japanese became convinced that to avoid such disasters in the future they must renounce the use of force to solve international conflicts. The slogan “No more Hiroshimas” meant no more reliance on military power. "
"At the same time the traditionally militaristic Japanese were taking off their uniforms, dissolving their army and navy, and dismantling their military industry, the traditionally pacifist Jews were donning uniforms, building an army, and establishing an armaments industry."
Even while they were allied with Nazi Germany, Japan viewed and treated Jewish people well:
"Matsuoka Yosuke, the foreign minister of Japan who signed the Axis pact with Hitler and Mussolini in September 1940, wrote to a Jewish businessman in November of that year: “I first want to assure you that anti-Semitism will never be adopted by Japan. True, I concluded a treaty with Hitler, but I never promised him to be an anti-Semite. And this is no only my personal opinion, but it is a principle of the entire Japanese empire.” In December of that year, Matsuoka met with Lew Zikman, a Jewish sugar manufacturer from Manchukuo, and confided to him that not only he but the emperor himself strongly opposed the persecution of Jews. Matsuoka added that if Germany ever demanded that Japan persecute Jews, he would rather tear up the Axis alliance than submit to such demand. He also admitted that he gave credit to the theory that the Japanese were descendants of Jews."
While there has been anti-Semitism in Japan, it is quite minor:
"Unlike in the West, there are no anti-Semitic movements or organizations in Japan. As before, anti-Semitism has remained a literary fad, an obsession with an imaginary devil that has little relevance to real Jews. And as before, it is often manifested as a mixture of admiration and vilification."
While there has been very little interaction between Jews and Japanese, they do share certain characteristics.
"There is much that these two peoples share, and there is much they can learn from each other. Both have preserved their ethnic and cultural identities for a long time, but whereas the Japanese achieved this while remaining secluded on their islands, the Jews did it while scattered over the world. In the coming years more and more Japanese will be scattered as well, for reasons of business, education, travel, or emigration, while more and more Jews will return to live in their ancient homeland."
"Ambition, diligence, education, and intellectual curiosity have propelled these two peoples to their advanced positions in the world today. Emphasis on group loyalty, discipline, and consensus has enabled the Japanese to achieve rapid modernization and build a powerful economy. The Jews stressed individual excellence, original though, and nonconformism, producing leaders in many fields."
The book starts by comparing the foundation myths of Judaism and Japan: Abraham and Jimma. Over the next few millennia, however, the experience of Jews and Japanese was drastically opposite.
"In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Japan, like medieval Europe, developed into a society of peasant and warriors. In consequence, the nation’s dominant values were those of the farmer - diligence, perseverance, and teamwork - and those of the soldier - loyalty, courage, and self-sacrifice. The merchants of traditional Japan occupied the lowest social stratum, and their preoccupation with profit was looked down on by the warrior class, the samurai. Because they wielded power and owned land, warriors, whether in Europe or in Japan, could afford to despise money. For the Jews, however, money was the means of survival. It could be accumulated, stored, hidden, transported, exchanged, invested, and loaned out. It was the best insurance against adversity and could buy security, at least for a considerable period of time."
One thing they share is the rejection of Christianity, although for different reasons:
"Although both the Jews and the Japanese refused to accept Christianity, they did so for fundamentally opposed reasons. Whereas the Jews rejected Christianity because religion was extremely important to them, the Japanese did so because religion was not important to them… Indeed the Japanese rejection of Christianity was also motivated by the instinct of cultural preservation."
The American experience of Jewish and Japanese immigrants can also be contrasted:
"It is significant that Americans of Japanese ancestry call themselves Japanese-Americans, whereas the Jews living in America refer to themselves as American Jews. Unlike the Japanese, the Jews did not arrive from their own land. They had been living in exile for almost two thousand years and had learned to preserve their cultural identity under greatly varying circumstances. By coming to America they had exchanged a bad exile for a much better one. Although they became loyal Americans, proud of their new land, this did not prevent them from remaining proud and loyal Jews… Unlike the Japanese-Americans who gave up allegiance to Japan, American Jews later became vigorous supporters of Israel."
The third section of this book deals with Modern Japan, beginning with the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5) through World War II and until today.
World War II was the most tragic event in the histories of the Jews and the Japanese, bringing both to the brink of extinction. Their roles in that war were completely different.
"The tragedies of Auschwitz and Hiroshima were similar in that in both cases advanced technology was employed in the indiscriminate mass killing of civilians. In neither case was there a pressing military necessity to commit these horrors; and in both cases a previous racially based dehumanization of the victims permitted their mass annihilation. Auschwitz and Hiroshima thus represent new kinds of modern atrocities which go beyond what was then and still is today accepted as legitimate modes of warfare."
"The history of the Jews and the Japanese in the second half of the twentieth century has been shaped by the lessons they learned from their tragic war experiences. Interestedly, however, these lessons were diametrically opposite. The Jews, the greatest victims of the war, attributed their distastes to their vulnerability… When WWII ended and the dimensions of the Holocaust became clear, the Jews became convinced that they had to strengthen themselves as people so that they never again could be led like sheep to slaughter. The popular slogan “Never again Auschwitz” meant never again to be weak and helpless. The Japanese having been a major aggressor in the war, attributed their tragedy to excessive reliance on force… The Japanese became convinced that to avoid such disasters in the future they must renounce the use of force to solve international conflicts. The slogan “No more Hiroshimas” meant no more reliance on military power. "
"At the same time the traditionally militaristic Japanese were taking off their uniforms, dissolving their army and navy, and dismantling their military industry, the traditionally pacifist Jews were donning uniforms, building an army, and establishing an armaments industry."
Even while they were allied with Nazi Germany, Japan viewed and treated Jewish people well:
"Matsuoka Yosuke, the foreign minister of Japan who signed the Axis pact with Hitler and Mussolini in September 1940, wrote to a Jewish businessman in November of that year: “I first want to assure you that anti-Semitism will never be adopted by Japan. True, I concluded a treaty with Hitler, but I never promised him to be an anti-Semite. And this is no only my personal opinion, but it is a principle of the entire Japanese empire.” In December of that year, Matsuoka met with Lew Zikman, a Jewish sugar manufacturer from Manchukuo, and confided to him that not only he but the emperor himself strongly opposed the persecution of Jews. Matsuoka added that if Germany ever demanded that Japan persecute Jews, he would rather tear up the Axis alliance than submit to such demand. He also admitted that he gave credit to the theory that the Japanese were descendants of Jews."
While there has been anti-Semitism in Japan, it is quite minor:
"Unlike in the West, there are no anti-Semitic movements or organizations in Japan. As before, anti-Semitism has remained a literary fad, an obsession with an imaginary devil that has little relevance to real Jews. And as before, it is often manifested as a mixture of admiration and vilification."
Displaying 1 of 1 review