Dickens was an anti-Semite, as evinced by his portrait of Fagin. Trollope was an anti-Semite, as evinced by his portraits of Melmotte and others (though leavened by one favorable Jewish character, Madame Max). Probably most great men of previous ages thought ill of Jews as a group. But their dislike of Jews and Judaism weren’t their core concerns, nor did they imagine there was a specific “Jewish problem” in need of a solution. Henry Ford revolutionized industry, but when it came to his message about civilization, practically his sole concern was with the diabolical threat of the Jews. He was a great businessman. He was a bad American. UPDATE: David Frum, who knows everything, reminds me that Dickens created a sympathetic Jewish character in Our Mutual Friend as a kind of apology for his portrait of Fagin.