Disraeli on Jewish Disabilities: Another look

Abstract

This paper examines a speech given by Benjamin Disraeli during the early debates on the Jewish Disabilities Bill. In light of Disraeli's previous successes in adapting his discourse to the House of Commons his “Jewish Disabilities” speech stands out as an anomaly. The author finds, however, that by examining the Judaic theses in Disraeli's literary works, it is possible to argue that Disraeli deliberately ignored the rhetorical goal of persuading his political cohorts. His speech, moreover, seems to function as a “display” of Disraeli's esoteric claims, assuming the role of the auditor as that of a passive observer.