Nixon Jew Count

Oct 16, 2023 ·

The Nixon Jew Count was an action taken by former President Richard Nixon in 1971 to count Jews in the United States, ostensibly to monitor anti-Semitism. The count was conducted by sending a questionnaire to federal agencies asking them to report their number of Jewish employees. This caused public outrage, and the count was eventually abandoned.

The Nixon Jew Count was part of a larger effort by Nixon to reduce discrimination against Jews in federal agencies. During his first term in office, Nixon issued several executive orders banning discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin in government hiring practices. However, these orders did not extend to religious organizations, which were already exempt from the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Thus, religious organizations could still discriminate based on faith when hiring for federal positions.

In response to this, Nixon decided to conduct the Nixon Jew Count to assess the extent of discrimination against Jews in federal employment. The questionnaire was sent out to various departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the Internal Revenue Service, asking them to provide information about the number of Jews they employed.

Although the Nixon Jew Count was intended to monitor discrimination against Jews, it instead sparked a massive backlash from both Jewish and non-Jewish Americans. Critics argued that it was a violation of civil liberties, and that it unfairly targeted one particular religious group. The White House eventually issued an apology and discontinued the count.

The Nixon Jew Count incident is often cited as an example of government overreach and a violation of civil liberties. Although it wasn’t the only incidence of discrimination against Jews in the United States, it serves as a reminder of the need to protect minority groups from unjustified governmental actions. Today, the United States has stronger anti-discrimination laws and regulations in place to ensure that all people are provided equal protection under the law.