ABSTRACT
Ludwig von Mises was a passionate advocate of reason who deeply believed in the value of human freedom. He also was a patriotic cosmopolitan; that is, in the years before he left Europe in 1940, Mises was deeply loyal to the Austria of his birth, while adhering to a philosophy and an outlook on life that was universalistic in its principles. In other words, Ludwig von Mises was an Austrian Jew.1 This may seem like a strange statement to anyone familiar with Mises’ writings. In his memoirs, Notes and Recollections, he never once mentions the faith of his ancestors.2 Nor does he speak in favor of Judaism – indeed, in his treatise on Socialism, he refers to Orthodox Judaism as one of the stagnant and backward religions.3 And only in Omnipotent Government, written during World War II from his exile in America, does he discuss and criticize anti-Semitism in Germany in particular and Europe in general.4 Yet, Friedrich A. Hayek once commented that Mises considered himself to have been a victim of antiSemitism in having never been awarded the academic position at the University of Vienna for which he considered himself rightfully qualified.5
