sustained association with the German race

[NewAmerica]

How to understand "sustained association with the German race"? It already says the since time immemorial that Jews have lived in Germany (even though being confined to ghettos and deprived of civic status) - that is, Jews are always associated with the German race, sustaining for two millenniums. Now do you want the Jews be rendered pure by sustained association with the German race? What do you mean? Do you think that Jews living in ghettos are not part of German race?

Thanks in advance

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Ironically, the very fact that Jews had been mistreated in Germany (and elsewhere) since time immemorial—by being confined to ghettos and deprived of civic status—gave rise to the modern, secular strand of antiSemitism, for it was not until the emancipation efforts of the early nineteenth century that the hatred of the Jews acquired an explicitly racial inflection. Even the self-proclaimed "friends of the Jews" who sought the admission of Jews into German society with the full privileges of citizenship did so only on the assumption that the Jews could be reformed thereby and rendered pure by sustained association with the German race.

-Sam Harris

Source: The End of Faith (PDF)

 

[Barque]

by sustained association with the German race.

...by constant interaction with the (non-Jewish) German race/people.

It means that constantly interacting with (Christian) Germans would "reform" the Jews.

 

[NewAmerica]

...by constant interaction with the (non-Jewish) German race/people.

It means that constantly interacting with (Christian) Germans would "reform" the Jews.

So being confined to ghettos had actually separated the Jews from the Christians?

Thank you.

 

[Myridon]

So being confined to ghettos had actually separated the Jews from the Christians?

They were already metaphorically separate even before they were physically separate. Just having names separates things. These are the purple ones. Those are the green ones.
To associate with someone means to talk and interact with someone. You can avoid people who are not physically separated from you. You can do business with people without inviting them to your parties.

 

[analeeh]

Myridon is right of course, but the physical confinement in ghettos was certainly a big part of it. Obviously they were interacting with non-Jews, but the idea was that if they became full German citizens they would interact with Germans on a more equal and normalised level, live alongside them etc.