I've never understood the inclination of certain Marxists, as well as others who admire aspects of Marx's work, to deny the anti-Semitic material there is in his essay On the Jewish Question. Michael Ezra cites the work in a post at Harry's Place today discussing whether Marx was an anti-Semite. Michael refers also to an opinion of Gertrude Himmelfarb's to the effect that Marx expressed views there that 'were part of the classic repertoire of anti-Semitism'. This is plainly and undeniably so.
It is true that the central theme of On the Jewish Question is one supportive of the political rights of Jews. Bruno Bauer, against whom Marx was polemicizing in that essay, had argued that the political emancipation of the Jews, their availing themselves of political and civil rights within the democratic state, was incompatible with their Jewish particularism; remaining Jewish they could not be true citizens. Against this, Marx counter-argued that political emancipation, so far from being incompatible with religious particularisms, presupposes them. The democratic state gives everyone the right to their own beliefs and to practise their religion.
None of this, however, can obscure the themes which Marx deploys in the second part of his essay. Here is a key passage from it:
For us, the question of the Jew's capacity for emancipation becomes the question: What particular social element has to be overcome in order to abolish Judaism? For the present-day Jew's capacity for emancipation is the relation of Judaism to the emancipation of the modern world. This relation necessarily results from the special position of Judaism in the contemporary enslaved world.
Let us consider the actual, worldly Jew - not the Sabbath Jew, as Bauer does, but the everyday Jew.
Let us not look for the secret of the Jew in his religion, but let us look for the secret of his religion in the real Jew.
What is the secular basis of Judaism? Practical need, self-interest. What is the worldly religion of the Jew? Huckstering. What is his worldly God? Money.
Very well then! Emancipation from huckstering and money, consequently from practical, real Judaism, would be the self-emancipation of our time.
Further on:
Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist.
And further on again:
Contempt for theory, art, history, and for man as an end in himself, which is contained in an abstract form in the Jewish religion, is the real, conscious standpoint, the virtue of the man of money.
It is fruitless to pretend that these sentiments are expressed merely ironically when there is no clear supporting evidence that they are to be read in that way rather than straightforwardly. Supporting evidence points in the opposite direction. Marx and Engels exchanged standard anti-Semitic remarks from time to time. Marx once wrote to Engels of Ferdinand Lassalle:
The Jewish nigger Lassalle who, I'm glad to say, is leaving at the end of this week, has happily lost another 5,000 talers in an ill-judged speculation. The chap would sooner throw money down the drain than lend it to a 'friend', even though his interest and capital were guaranteed. In this he bases himself on the view that he ought to live the life of a Jewish baron, or Jew created a baron (no doubt by the countess).
Engels wrote to Marx of someone else:
As a Jew he simply cannot stop cheating...
The only reason for not facing up to these things is to protect Marx's reputation as a thinker. But this is not a good reason, because it's no protection; what's there is there. Better to admire Marx for whatever in his work is really worthy of admiration.