As a black Jew-by-choice, Jesse Newman knows all about different and diverse cultures. He has also always loved history. All the above led Newman to write “The Hated Outsiders: How Manifest Destiny Affected the Japanese and the Jews,” a book self-published this past summer through AuthorHouse.
“I have always loved history and read as much as I could. I studied all the history courses at KU, except for art history,” Newman said. “It was out of this love for history that the ‘Hated Outsiders’ came about.”
Newman wrote a paper in college that became the basis for this book. The book compares the similarities between Japanese and Jewish people and how they were both affected by the expansion of the United States. The book also talks about the connections between these peoples and black culture and American culture as a whole. The interconnectivity of all of these groups becomes a central focus in Newman’s book.
“I was attempting to fill in the pieces that had been left out of the history books,” Newman said. “I felt driven to write down these facts that a lot of people were not aware of.”
Newman explained that the histories of different, diverse cultures are often more intertwined than can be perceived with a quick glance at a text book. An event in one region can have a domino effect that changes the fortunes of another people in another part of the world.
For example, the successful slave revolt in the late 1700s in what is now known as Haiti against French forces made Napoleon lose hope of building a French New World empire. This led him to sell the Louisiana territory to Thomas Jefferson for well below market value. This more than doubled the size of the fledgling United States, and would increase its power. Subsequently, more slaves would be sent from Africa to work in the new, larger county.
“These details were left out of the history books when I was a kid,” said Newman, a historian who has also written two other books. “Either they were left out because teachers didn’t know them, or because they challenged the status quo.”
Parallel Cultures
In college, Newman converted to Judaism, and today he is a member of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. In 1969 it was unusual for a black man to convert to Judaism; however, Newman felt the teachings of Judaism best fit his world view because the racial (Jim Crow) segregation he grew up in was overwhelmingly oppressive.
“I loved the universalism of the Jewish thought process,” Newman said. “When I saw Judaism, I thought the universalism of the religion made it unique among world philosophies. And my studies pointed me to Judaism.”
He also began to see parallels between the Jewish and Black experiences in America.
“Jews have a tremendous history that has been left out of mainstream education in this country,” Newman said. “The same way that so much Black history has been left out.”
His interest in history began to take him down a path of researching the mysteries of marginalized peoples’ role in the creation of a world power.
“Knowing early American history, you see the pieces coming together,” Newman said. “Slavery was introduced in the early 17th century, and Jews came in at about the same time. Both groups changed the country more than anyone could have expected.
“There were two statements my professor made that changed my life,” he continued. “The first is ‘America is the least worst of any country in the world.’ The second was ‘Look at all the conflicts America is involved in from one of three standpoints, from the Bible, ethics or the constitution.’ These statements shaped how I began to look at history.”
Other Influences
Karate also influenced a young Newman. He began exploring Japanese culture more, including books contrasting Japanese and Jews.
“I read these things that others have written and thought I could do better,” Newman said. “I thought no one had covered the topic from both sides before.”
He first explored this topic in a paper at KU, called the “Successful Outsiders.” Newman renamed his paper and began his extensive research for this book in 1995.
“I began to find more and more, and the more I found the more excited I got,” Newman said. “The Jews had a huge impact on the Japanese, in this country and abroad.”
Some of his research led Newman to some surprising findings.
“You begin to weave together a history, such as Jews causing Japan to be a world power in the 20th century,” Newman said, “I always wondered why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Then I found a document that was recently declassified called “War Plan Orange: U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan 1897-1945. You see that the aggression between the two countries has been going on a lot longer than you might think. And that America was at times the instigator.”
Newman said his research has amassed enough information for two volumes, so he is considering writing a follow up to this book with more focus on economics.
“I like looking at all of the pieces and at how everything fits together, and while studying these histories, you see so many pieces coming together. I hope I can add to this continually evolving history,” Newman said. “These manuscripts are meant to be a part of this historical record. That is their legacy.”
A New Foundation
Newman continues his pursuit of bridging cultures as the founder and chairman of the Japanese Cultural Arts Foundation. The Foundation is planning to open a new center in Olathe. He hopes a groundbreaking will take place in 2013.
The concept of the Japanese Cultural Arts Foundation and Asian Conference Center is authentic Japanese buildings and gardens on a 40-acre location, and will promote a greater understanding, friendship and cross-cultural exchange between Japan and other Asian nations and the United States.
The Center will feature libraries, museums, exhibition spaces, classrooms, gift shops, restaurants and theaters. The formal gardens will also include the traditional Japanese tea house. For more information on the Japanese Culture Arts Foundation, log onto the www.jcaf.org.
To order “The Hated Outsiders” or any of Newman’s other books, visit www.jessenewmanbooks.com.
“This is a story that needs to be told,” Newman said. “Someone needed to bring this information to the public. I hope I will be one of the first.”