Benjamin Disraeli and the Myth of Sephardi Superiority

This chapter considers Lady Battersea's observation of Benjamin Disraeli's ideas about race that were central to his self-definition and was consistent with contemporary interpretations of his character and beliefs. It links Disraeli's political behaviour and thinking to his ethnic background, which Lady Battersea called his racial instincts. It also mentions Disraeli's biographers, historians, and political scientists who hesitated to view his racial concerns as central to his identity and career, preferring to ignore or at least minimize them. The chapter talks about Stephen Graubard, who confessed that it was difficult to understand why Disraeli charged Sidonia to instruct Coningsby in the greatness of the Jewish race. It refers to Disraeli's biographer Robert Blake who dismissed Disraeli's Jewishness in favour of the Italian 'streak' in his character.