One hundred years ago
The effort of the poor Jews in Russia to emigrate to America is impeded by an unexpected difficulty. It is the practice of the Emigration Committee at New York to find work for the immigrants, and distribute them through the country in the occupations with which they are,' acquainted. They distribute hundreds of thousands of persons every year in this way, but they say they fail with Jews. Either their employers send them back, making charges of idleness or in- competence, or the Jews themselves return, declaring that 'the work is too hard'. The Committee have, therefore, declined to receive any more Jews. The truth seems to be that the Jews are ex- pected to do hard, manual labour; and that in America, as everywhere else, they refuse to do it, except under pressure of absolute necessity. Their business in the world, as they think, is to distribute, taking a heavy toll upon the article distributed. That is a useful function, but a colony can no more be made up distributors than a State can be compos- ed of tax-gatherers.
Spectator, 24 June 1882
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