Selections of Benjamin H. Freedman’s Writings on the Jews

Benjamin Harrison Freedman (October 4, 1890 – May 1984) was an American Jewish convert to Roman Catholicism, businessman, anti-Zionist activist, and prolific pamphleteer. Born in New York City into a Jewish family, he rose to prominence as a partner in the John H. Woodbury Laboratories and claimed insider knowledge of the highest levels of Zionist and Democratic political organization — including personal acquaintance with Bernard Baruch, Samuel Untermyer, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and both Kennedys. After breaking with organized Jewry following what he termed the “Judeo-Communist victory of 1945,” he spent the remainder of his life — and the great preponderance of his considerable fortune, estimated at no less than $2.5 million — publishing and lecturing in opposition to Zionism, Talmudic Judaism, and what he saw as the subjugation of the Christian faith in America. His principal works include the 1954 letter-pamphlet Facts Are Facts (addressed to the Jewish Catholic convert Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D.), the article “Jesus Was Not a Jew” (published in Common Sense, 1953 and 1959), and his landmark 1961 speech before a patriotic audience at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., as well as a subsequent 1974 address before a military organization in Washington.

The passages reproduced below are drawn exclusively from verified primary-source texts of his works held at the Internet Archive or transcribed from authenticated audio recordings. They bear on the following themes of the Adversus Judaeos tradition: the Talmud’s blasphemies of Jesus Christ and enmity toward Christians, the identity of modern so-called “Judaism” with the Pharisaism condemned by Our Lord, the theological question of whether Jesus was a “Jew” in the modern sense, the Zionist exploitation of Christian piety as a weapon against Christianity, the anti-Christian implications of the Kol Nidre, and the overriding danger posed by Zionism to the survival of the Christian faith.

I. The Stakes: The Christian Faith at the Zero Hour

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

“The Christian faith today stands at the crossroads of its destiny. The Divine and sacred mission of the Christian faith is in jeopardy today to a degree never witnessed before in its long history of almost 2000 years.”

“It is clear that the Christian faith today stands at the crossroads of its destiny. The Divine and sacred mission of the Christian faith is in jeopardy today to a degree never witnessed before in its long history of almost 2000 years. The Christian faith needs loyal friends now as never before.”

“Regardless of what anyone anywhere and anytime in this whole wide world may say to the contrary, events of recent years everywhere establish beyond any question of a doubt that the Christian faith today stands with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel figuratively speaking of course.”

“It is useless to try to deny the fact that today finds the Christian faith on the defense throughout the world.”

“The world-wide network of diabolical conspirators implement this plot against the Christian faith while Christians appear to be sound asleep. The Christian clergy appear to be more ignorant or more indifferent about this conspiracy than other Christians.”

II. Pharisaism, Talmudism, and the Identity of Modern “Judaism”

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

“The form of religious worship known as ‘Pharisaism’ in Judea in the time of Jesus was a religious practice based exclusively upon the Talmud. The Talmud in the time of Jesus was the Magna Charta, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, ALL ROLLED INTO ONE, of those who practiced ‘Pharisaism’. The Talmud today occupies the same relative position with respect to those who profess ‘Judaism’. The Talmud today virtually exercises totalitarian dictatorship over the lives of so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ whether they are aware of that fact or not.”

(Freedman here cites Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, head of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, from the Foreword to the First Edition of his classic The Pharisees, The Sociological Background of Their Faith*:)*

“…Judaism…Pharisiasm became Talmudism, Talmudism became Medieval Rabbinism, and Medieval Rabbinism became Modern Rabbinism. But throughout these changes in name…the spirit of the ancient Pharisees survives, unaltered…From Palestine to Babylonia; from Babylonia to North Africa, Italy, Spain, France and Germany; from these to Poland, Russia, and eastern Europe generally, ancient Pharisaism has wandered…demonstrates the enduring importance which attaches to Pharisaism as a religious movement…”

(Freedman then comments on this passage:)

“The celebrated Rabbi Louis Finkelstein in his great classic quoted from above traces the origin of the form of religious worship practiced today under the present name ‘Judaism’, to its origin as ‘Pharisaism’ in Judea in the time of Jesus.”

“Religious worship known and practiced today under the name of ‘Judaism’ by so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ throughout the world was known and practiced in Judea in the time of Jesus under the name ‘Pharisaism’ according to Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, head of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.”

“HENCE THE TERM JUDAISM COINED BY JOSEPHUS REMAINED ABSOLUTELY UNKNOWN TO THEM…IT WAS ONLY IN COMPARATIVELY RECENT TIMES, AFTER THE JEWS BECAME FAMILIAR WITH MODERN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE, THAT THEY BEGAN TO NAME THEIR RELIGION JUDAISM.” (emphasis supplied)

(Freedman commenting on this:)

“This statement by the world’s two leading authorities on this subject clearly establishes beyond any question or any doubt that so-called ‘Judaism’ was not the name of any form of religious worship practiced in Judea in the time of Jesus.”

III. The Talmud’s Blasphemies of Jesus, Christians, and the Christian Faith

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

“From the Birth of Jesus until this day there have never been recorded more vicious and vile libelous blasphemies of Jesus, or Christians and the Christian faith by anyone, anywhere or anytime than you will find between the covers of the infamous ’63 books’ which are ‘the legal code which forms the basis of Jewish religious law’ as well as the ‘textbook used in the training of rabbis’.”

“The Talmud reviles Jesus, Christians and the Christian faith as the priceless spiritual and cultural heritage of Christians has never been reviled before or since the Talmud was completed in the 5th century.”

“The Soncino Edition of the Talmud with its footnotes is like a double-edged sword. It teaches the Talmud to countless millions of the younger generation of so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ who are not able to read the Talmud in the many ancient languages in which the Talmud was written by its authors between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. It also teaches Christians what the Talmud has to say about Jesus, About Christians and about the Christian faith. Someday this is bound to back-fire.”

(Freedman then provides a summary of what the Rev. I. B. Pranaitis’ scholarly translation of the Talmud into Latin found concerning Jesus. The following are Freedman’s own verbatim enumeration of these citations, as they appear in Facts Are Facts*:)*

“Sanhedrin, 43a — On the eve of Passover they hanged Jesus. Schabbath, 104b — Called a fool and no one pays attention to fools. Toldoth Jeschu. Judas and Jesus engaged in quarrel with filth. Sanhedrin, 103a. — Suggested corrupts his morals and dishonors self. Sanhedrin, 107b. — Seduced, corrupted and destroyed Israel. Zohar III, (282) — Died like a beast and buried in animal’s dirt heap. Hilkoth Melakhim — Attempted to prove Christians err in worship of Jesus Abhodah Zarah, 21a — Reference to worship of Jesus in homes unwanted. Orach Chaiim, 113 — Avoid appearance of paying respect to Jesus. Iore dea, 150,2 — Do not appear to pay respect to Jesus by accident.”

(On the Talmud’s instructions regarding Christians generally:)

“Abhodah Zarah (72b) — Wine touched by Christians must be thrown away. Iore Dea (120, 1) — Bought-dishes from Christians must be thrown away. Abhodah Zarah (2a) — For three days before Christian festivals, avoid all. Abhodah Zarah (78c) — Festivals of followers of Jesus regarded as idolatry. Iore Dea (139, 1) — Avoid things used by Christians in their worship. Abhodah Zarah (14b) — Forbidden to sell Christians articles for worship. Iore Dea (151,1) H. — Do not sell water to Christians articles for baptisms. Zohar (1,25b) — Those who do good to Christians never rise when dead. Abhodah Zarah (20a) — Never praise Christians lest it be believed true. Babha Kama (113a) — Jew may lie and perjure to condemn a Christian. Babha Kama (113b) — Name of God not profaned when lying to Christians. Zohar (1,160a). — Jews must always try to deceive Christians. Iore Dea (158,1) — Do not cure Christians unless it makes enemies. Hilkkoth Akum (X,1) — Do not save Christians in danger of death. Abhodah Zarah (54a) — Usury may be practiced upon Christians or apostates. Iore Dea (159,1) — Usury permitted now for any reason to Christians.”

IV. Jesus Was Not a Jew — The Word “Jew” and Its Corruption

“Jesus Was Not a Jew”, Common Sense, p. 2-1-53 and 5-1-59

“Christians have been duped by the unholiest hoax in all history, by so-called Jews. This is considered their most effective weapon.”

“This ‘big lie’ technique is brainwashing United States Christians into believing that Jesus Christ was ‘King of the Jews’, in the sense that so-called ‘Jews’ today call themselves ‘Jews’. This reference was first made in English translations of the Old and New Testaments, centuries before the so-called Jews highjacked the word ‘Jew’ in the 18th century A.D. to palm themselves off on the Christian world as having a kinship with Jesus Christ.”

“Jesus was a ‘Judean’, not a Jew. During His lifetime, no persons were described as ‘Jews’ anywhere. That fact is supported by theology, history and science. When Jesus was in Judea, it was not the ‘homeland’ of the ancestors of those who today style themselves ‘Jews’. Their ancestors never set a foot in Judea. They existed at that time in Asia, their ‘homeland’, and was known as Khazars. In none of the manuscripts of the original Old or New Testament was Jesus described or referred to as a ‘Jew’.”

“The religious sect in Judea, in the time of Jesus, to which self-styled ‘Jews’ today refer to as ‘Jews’, were known as ‘Pharisees’. ‘Judaism’ today and ‘Pharisaism’ in the time of Jesus are the same. Jesus abhorred and denounced ‘Pharisaism’; hence the words, ‘Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites, Ye Serpents, Ye Generation of Vipers’.”

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

“The utterance by the Christian clergy which confuses Christians the most is the constantly repeated utterance that ‘Jesus was a Jew.’ That misrepresentation and distortion of an incontestable historic fact is uttered by the Christian clergy upon the slightest pretext.”

“Jesus Christ was not a so-called or self-styled ‘Jew’. During His lifetime Jesus was known as a ‘Judean’ by His contemporaries and not as a ‘Jew’, and Jesus referred to Himself as a ‘Judean’ and not as a ‘Jew’. Except for His few followers at that time in Judea, all other Judeans abhorred Jesus and detested His teachings and the things for which He stood.”

“INSCRIBED UPON THE CROSS WHEN JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED were the latin words ‘Jesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum.’ Pontius Pilate was the author of that famous inscription. Latin was Pontius Pilate’s mother tongue. Authorities competent to translate and pass upon the correct translation into English agree that it is ‘Jesus the Nazarene Ruler of the Judeans.’ There is no disagreement among them of that. THE WORD ‘JEW’ did not occur anywhere in the English Language until the 18th Century.”

“Well-planned and well-financed world-wide publicity through every available media by well-organized groups of so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ for three centuries has created a ‘secondary meaning’ for the word ‘Jew’ which has completely ‘blacked out’ the original and correct meaning of the word ‘Jew’. There can be no doubt about that.”

“Christians are becoming more and more aware day by day of all the economic and political advantages accruing to the so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ as a direct result of their success in making Christians believe that ‘Jesus was a Jew’ in the ‘secondary meaning’ they have created for the 18th century word ‘Jew’.”

V. The Zionist Weaponization of Christian Piety Against Christianity

Speech at the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., 1961

“What I intend to tell you tonight is something that you have never been able to learn from any other source, and what I tell you now concerns not only you, but your children and the survival of this country and Christianity. I’m not here just to dish up a few facts to send up your blood pressure, but I’m here to tell you things that will help you preserve what you consider the most sacred things in the world: the liberty, and the freedom, and the right to live as Christians, where you have a little dignity, and a little right to pursue the things that your conscience tells you are the right things, as Christians.”

“Now, what are the facts about the Jews? The Jews — I call them Jews to you, because they are known as Jews. I don’t call them Jews. I refer to them as so-called Jews, because I know what they are. If Jesus was a Jew, there isn’t a Jew in the world today, and if those people are Jews, certainly our Lord and Savior was not one of them, and I can prove that.”

(On the Zionist claim to Christian support for the occupation of Palestine:)

“And yet they come to the Christians and they ask us to support their armed insurrection in Palestine by saying: ‘Well, you want to certainly help repatriate God’s chosen people to their Promised Land, their ancestral homeland, It’s your Christian duty. We gave you one of our boys as your Lord and Savior. You now go to church on Sunday, and kneel and you worship a Jew, and we’re Jews.’ Well, they were pagan Khazars who were converted just the same as the Irish [were converted].”

“Now imagine how silly it was for the Christians… for the great Christian countries of the world to say, ‘We’re going to use our power, our prestige to repatriate God’s chosen people to their ancestral homeland, their Promised Land.'”

(On Zionism’s choice of Talmudism:)

“Now, the [Khazar] king became so disgusted with the degeneracy of his kingdom that he decided to adopt a so-called monotheistic faith — either Christianity, Islam — the Moslem faith — or what is known today as Judaism — really Talmudism. So, like spinning a top and calling out ‘eeny, meeny, miney, moe,’ he picked out so-called Judaism. And that became the state religion.”

(On the existential struggle between Christianity and Communism:)

“The Germans decided: ‘We’re going to keep it Christian if possible.'”

(Context: Freedman is recounting the German leadership’s perception of the interwar period as a binary struggle:)

“Europe is going to be Christian or Communist: there is no in between. It’s going to be Christian or it’s going to be Communist.”

(On Christian boys being sent to fight for Zionist interests:)

“In other words, Christian boys are going to be yanked out of their homes, away from their families, and sent abroad to fight in Palestine against the Christian and Moslem Arabs who merely want to return to their homes.”

VI. The Kol Nidre — A Pre-Emptive Annulment of All Oaths Made to Christians

Speech at the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., 1961

“I want to tell you one more thing. You talk about… ‘Oh, the Jews. Why the Jews? Christianity. Why, we got Christianity from the Jews and the Jews gave us Jesus, and the Jews gave us our religion’. But do you know that on the day of atonement that you think is so sacred to them, that on that day… and I was one of them! This is not hearsay. I’m not here to be a rabble-rouser. I’m here to give you facts. When, on the Day of Atonement, you walk into a synagogue, the very first prayer that you recite, you stand — and it’s the only prayer for which you stand — and you repeat three times a short prayer. The Kol Nidre.”

“In that prayer, you enter into an agreement with God Almighty that any oath, vow, or pledge that you may make during the next twelve months — any oath, vow or pledge that you may take during the next twelve months shall be null and void. The oath shall not be an oath; the vow shall not be a vow; the pledge shall not be a pledge. They shall have no force and effect, and so forth and so on. And further than that, the Talmud teaches: ‘Don’t forget — whenever you take an oath, vow, and pledge — remember the Kol Nidre prayer that you recited on the Day of Atonement, and that exempts you from fulfilling that’.”

“How much can you depend on their loyalty? You can depend upon their loyalty as much as the Germans depended upon it in 1916. And we’re going to suffer the same fate as Germany suffered, and for the same reason. You can’t depend upon something as insecure as the leadership that is not obliged to respect an oath, vow or pledge.”

(On the 1844 rabbinical attempt to abolish the Kol Nidre and the Eastern European reaction:)

“But in 1844 the German rabbis called a conference of rabbis from all over the world for the purpose of abolishing the Kol Nidre from the Day of Atonement religious ceremony. In Brunswick, Germany, where that conference was held in 1844, there was almost a terrific riot. A civil war. The Eastern Europeans said, ‘What the hell. We should give up Kol Nidre? That gives us our grip on our people. We give them a franchise so they can tell the Christians, “Go to hell. We’ll make any deal you want”, but they don’t have to carry it out. That gives us our grip on our people’.”

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

(The Kol Nidre prayer as Freedman reproduces it verbatim:)

“All vows, oaths, promises, engagements, and swearing, which, beginning this very day of reconciliation, we intend to vow, promise, swear, and bind ourselves to fulfill, we repent of beforehand; let them be illegalized, acquitted, annihilated, abolished, valueless, unimportant.”

VII. The Theological Enmity of the Talmud Toward the Christian Faithful

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

(Freedman provides an extended enumeration drawn from Rev. Pranaitis’ translations of the Talmud’s prescriptions concerning Christians:)

“Iore Dea (81,7 Ha) — Christian wet-nurses to be avoided because dangerous. Iore Dea (153, 1 H) — Christian nurse will lead children to heresy. Iore Dea (155,1). — Avoid Christian doctors not well known to neighbors. Peaschim (25a) — Avoid medical help from idolators, Christians meant. Iore Dea (156,1) — Avoid Christian barbers unless escorted by Jews. Abhodah Zarah (26a). — Avoid Christian midwives as dangerous when alone. Hilkoth Akum (X,6) — Help needy Christians if it will promote peace. Iore Dea (148, 12H) — Hide hatred for Christians at their celebrations. Iore Dea (151,14) — Not allowed to praise Christians to add to glory. Hilkoth Akum (V, 12) — Quote Scriptures to forbid mention of Christian god. Schabbouth Hag. (6d). — Jews may swear falsely by use of subterfuge wording. Zohar (1,160a). — Jews must always try to deceive Christians. Orach Cahiim (330,2) — Do not assist Christian’s childbirth on Saturday. Choschen Ham.(425,5) — Unless believes in Torah do not prevent his death. Iore Dea (158,1) — Christians not enemies must not be saved either. Hilkkoth Akum (X,1) — Do not save Christians in danger of death.”

VIII. Anti-Zionism as a Defense of the Christian West

Speech at the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., 1961

“The Jews of the world, the Zionists and their co-religionists everywhere, are determined that they are going to again use the United States to help them permanently retain Palestine as their foothold for their world government.”

“Here in the United States, the Zionists and their co-religionists have complete control of our government. For many reasons too many and too complex to go into here at this time… the Zionists and their co-religionists rule this United States as though they were the absolute monarchs of this country.”

“The United States participated had absolutely no reason to be in that war. We went in there — we were railroaded into it — if I can be vulgar, we were suckered into — that war merely so that the Zionists of the world could obtain Palestine.”

“The Balfour Declaration was merely Great Britain’s promise to pay the Zionists what they had agreed upon as a consideration for getting the United States into the war. So this great Balfour Declaration, that you hear so much about, is just as phony as a three dollar bill.”

“Now those same Jews, when they saw the possibility of getting Palestine, they went to England and they made this deal. At that time, everything changed, like the traffic light that changes from red to green. Where the newspapers had been all pro-German, where they’d been telling the people of the difficulties that Germany was having fighting Great Britain commercially and in other respects, all of a sudden the Germans were no good. They were villains. They were Huns. They were shooting Red Cross nurses. They were cutting off babies’ hands.”

(On Christians being manipulated into fighting for Zionist interests:)

“So why do you let these people send their money over there to buy guns to drive people out of their ancient homeland? And you say, ‘Oh, well. The poor Jews. They have no place to go and they’ve been persecuted all their lives’. They’ve never been persecuted for their religion.”

“Now, what do we face now? If we trigger a world war that may develop into a nuclear war, humanity is finished. And why will it take place? It will take place because Act III… the curtain goes up on Act III. Act I was World War I. Act II was World War II. Act III is going to be World War III.”

IX. Freedman’s Personal Testimony and Conversion

Facts Are Facts, Letter to Dr. David Goldstein, LL.D., October 10, 1954

(On dedicating his work to the defense of the Christian faith, as expressed in the Dedication:)

“To all Men of Good Will, ‘Pax Vobiscum!'”

(From the Introduction note appended to the Willard Hotel speech transcript, summarizing Freedman’s biography:)

“Mr. Freedman, born in 1890, was a successful Jewish businessman of New York City who was at one time the principal owner of the Woodbury Soap Company. He broke with organized Jewry after the Judeo-Communist victory of 1945, and spent the remainder of his life and the great preponderance of his considerable fortune, at least 2.5 million dollars, exposing the Jewish tyranny which has enveloped the United States.”

X. The Identity of the Khazars and the Fraudulent Claim to Palestine

Speech at the Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C., 1961

“The eastern European Jews, who form 92 per cent of the world’s population of those people who call themselves Jews, were originally Khazars. They were a warlike tribe that lived deep in the heart of Asia. And they were so warlike that even the Asiatics drove them out of Asia into eastern Europe.”

“He sent down to the Talmudic schools of Pumbedita and Sura and brought up thousands of these rabbis with their teachings, and opened up synagogues and schools in his kingdom of 800,000 people — 800,000 thousand square miles — and maybe ten to twenty million people; and they became what we call Jews. There wasn’t one of them that had an ancestor that ever put a toe in the Holy Land, not only in Old Testament history, but back to the beginning of time. Not one of them!”

“Now these Pagans, these Asiatics, these Turko-Finns… they were a Mongoloid race who were forced out of Asia into eastern Europe. They likewise, because their king took the faith — Talmudic faith — they had no choice. Just the same as in Spain: If the king was Catholic, everybody had to be a Catholic. If not, you had to get out of Spain.”

(On the absurdity of the Christian duty argument:)

“When the Irish became Christians, nobody dumped them in the ocean and imported from the Holy Land a new crop of inhabitants that were Christians. They weren’t different people. They were the same people, but they had accepted Christianity as a religious faith.”

“Jesus Was Not a Jew”, Common Sense, p. 2-1-53 and 5-1-59

“The historic existence of the Khazar kingdom of so-called ‘Jews’, their rise and fall, the permanent disappearance of the Khazar kingdom as a nation from the map of Europe, and how King Bulan and the Khazar nation in 720 A.D. became so-called ‘Jews’ by conversion, were concealed from U.S.A. Christians by censorship imposed by so-called ‘Jews’, of historic Khazar ancestry, upon all U.S.A. media of mass communications directed by them.”

Sources

All passages are transcribed verbatim from the verified primary-source texts listed below. No paraphrase has been substituted for any original text.

Primary Works of Benjamin H. Freedman:

On the Talmud Citations (Pranaitis):

The Talmud citations in Section III and Section VII above are reproduced from Freedman’s own enumeration in Facts Are Facts, which he drew from the Latin translations of Rev. I. B. Pranaitis, The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning Christians (Imperial Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 1893; English translation, 1939). Freedman’s enumeration of these citations appears verbatim in the digitized text of Facts Are Facts at the Internet Archive URL above.

Secondary and Biographical Sources: