Jewish loyalty remained private and apolitical as the prince’s role grew into a state.
Evidence
When, however, the function of the feudal lord changed, when he developed into a prince or king, the function of his court Jew changed too. The Jews, being an alien element, without much interest in such changes in their environment, were usually the last to become aware of their heightened status. As far as they were concerned, they went on handling private business, and their loyalty remained a personal affair unrelated to political considerations. Loyalty meant honesty; it did not mean taking sides in a conflict or remaining true for political reasons. To buy up provisions, to clothe and feed an army, to lend currency for the hiring of mercenaries, meant simply an interest in the well-being of a business partner. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 104
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- XREF: The Jews’ persistent self-understanding as private, apolitical servants — not taking political sides — prefigures how they fail to grasp their own politicization, a blindness that recurs in Arendt’s account of antisemitism’s rise.