Jacob Schiff was from Germany. Germans did harbor animosity to the Czars up to and including WW I. With good reason, for that matter. The Czars were a corrupt, inbred, vicious bunch, who took sadistic pleasure in making trouble for the Jews unfortunate to live in their empire, and taxing the living sh!t out of them. Jacob Schiff, for that matter, was a famous philanthropist to whom poor Jewish immigrants, coming from the lands of the Czars to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, would go to for help.
But returning to the issues of why wars start, it was ill-advised for Russia to go to war against Japan. It worked out just peachy for Japan, however. And Jacob Schiff extended favorable loans to Japan. He wasn’t going to help Russia.
So I don’t see the point where I am refuted here. Do explain, please.