Were many Americans anti-Semitic during World War II ?

Question

I read in a holocaust book that many Americans did not want the Jews in the country during World War II because they saw them as a threat. Did some of the Americans repented?

Answer 1

Watch the movie "The Great Dictator" with Charlie Chaplin. It was an American movie produced in 1940, a full two years before we entered the war, and clearly depicts a parody of Hitler and his death camps. We knew full well what was going on; and we didn't get moving until Japan attacked us. So yes, I think there was a heavy Anglo-Aryan-Christian prejudice lurking in our national subconscious, of which we are only now becoming fully aware. People on the whole were not openly anti-semetic. However, it was very easy to turn our backs to people who had a different religion or language, and to blame their plight on someone else. Deep down, we saw the Jews as dangerous to our culture; but to avoid looking hypocritical in the face of our Constitution we did not speak out against them.

Answer 2

Yes, many Americans were anti-semetic during World War II. Many prominent Wasp businessmen saw WWII as a way to financially profit. They bought into Nazi propaganda and consequently helped fund the Holocaust. The only ones that repented were the ones that were caught, and then, only grudgingly.

Answer 3

Americans had mixed feelings at the time. Some saw Jews as a threat, but others didn't.

Answer 4

Henry Ford never did. The death toll was higher by a couple of million because of prominent isolationists whose influence kept refugees from coming. This is a major reason why most Jews still prefer to vote Democratic.

I personally will never buy a Ford, but GM makes a better car anyway.

Answer 5

One cannot answer this question because the meaning of 'American' isn't clear:

- A person or attribute of South or North America
- A person or attribute of the indigenous peoples of South or North America
- A citizen or attribute of the ’United States of America’: the political correct term
is 'US-American'

Answer 6

Yes, don't forget that at that time one third of americans were of german descent and a lot of golf clubs would not allow jews to join

Answer 7

Look... EVERYONE was anti-Semitic back then.