Life — June 20, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Jewish Mind in these States" This article discusses Mrs. Rose Pastor Stokes, a Russian-born Jewish woman and socialist activist who lived in New York. The accompanying cartoon depicts a German military figure (identifiable by the Prussian uniform and spiked helmet) sitting contentedly while a Jewish figure, labeled with Yiddish text, appears to be serving him. The satire targets what the author calls Stokes' pro-socialist, internationalist views. The cartoon suggests that Jewish socialists' loyalty to internationalism and their criticism of nationalism makes them effectively serve German (enemy) interests. This reflects wartime anxieties about Jewish Americans' political allegiances during or after World War I, playing on antisemitic stereotypes about Jews being insufficiently patriotic to America.