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This might be a little off topic, but I thought people would be interested in this anyway.
I just read through "Concerning the Jews" by Mark Twain, and, as a Jew myself, I found a couple things very interesting.
First is that, if you read his comments about Germany and Austria, the events of the Holocaust, in hindsight, seem very predictable. The hatred of the Jews and desire to "evict" them from the country seemed already well seeded. However, not even Twain saw it coming, as he stated that Jews had a foothold in Austria and would never leave (or something to this effect).
The second thing I found interesting was that even though Jews serve in war as much or more often than other "patriots," many people believe that they do not serve in war at all. This comes to a suprising revelation when many Jews gave their lives for Germany in World War I, and then were enemy #1 during World War II.
The third thing I found interesting was his prediction that Palestine would be a force to be reckoned with, and Jews would find their own strength. Israel is certaintly a world power, and has yet to have a military defeat, though numerous countries have tested it.
One thing I found interesting is that Jews were able to fend off persecution and survive when they had little or no representation in government. Twain mentioned that they were "granted" rights, rather than that they fought for these rights. I'm not sure if I agree with Twain or not in the matter, but let's say that he's right. Finally, then, Jews have met their match in America. The current problem plaguing the Jewish population of America is not persecution, but mass acceptence. This is causing an amazing rate of assimilation into American society, and a majority of Jews no longer practice their faith, nor do they learn about it. There is certaintly still a deep sense of Jewish community, but the rigorous learning and practice of the faith can no longer help Jews gain the "advantage" over others as they once could.
This sort of en mass assimilation has never before plauged the Jews, and I think the reason for this is that, in the past, they have not been accepted and respected so widely. Thus, by accepting the Jews, Americans (and most of the modern world) have solved the "problem" of Jews overtaking commerce.
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