INFORMATION ISSUED by the Assooanm at OWISH RERKEES M &IEAT UHTAM
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume XXIX No. 4 April, 1974 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE AssooAnm at OWISH RERKEES m &IEAT UHTAM '*^. Rosenstock tortured Europe that they should wear the Yellow Star 'with pride'." And in an article "Passover today and 30 years ago" (MB, Tel Aviv, 1963) he wrote: "Today we know that a FEAST OF IDENHnCATION few years later the Yellow Star had to be worn not only as a badge of humiliation but as a label for the transport into the gas chamber." "In every generation, every Jew must feel Willehad Eckert and Pfarrer Professor D. Yet in the same article he reminded his readers ^s if he himself came out of Egypt." This is Eberhard Bethge. The recipient of this year's that the events of April 1933 had evoked a the keynote of the Seder night. Passover is medal was Dr. H. G. Adler (London) in recog new feeling of Jewish self-identification. °ne of those Jewish festivals, where religion nition of his recently-published book "Der For Robert Weltsch himself the awareness •merges with secular history, miracle with fact, verwaltete Mensch". This comprehensive work, of the specific position of Jews who were legend with reality. The Seder, as Chaim which will be reviewed in this joumal shortly, culturally integrated into their environment Raphael puts it in his beautifully laid out describes in detail the anti-Jewish measures had already started in his student days in Haggada with his topical explanations ("A of the Nazi regime. Based on innumerable Prague. It made him a critical analyst of the Feast of History", Weidenfeld & Nicolson, documents, it is of particular importance for Jewish scene before this became an obvious 1972) "has a unique quality in that it is a Jews from Germany, because it lays stress on necessity by force of circumstance. In his ceremony which brings together—and always the initial stages of the persecution, when we concept of Zionism the claim for Jewish-Arab has throughout history—all kinds of people of were the first victims. As the masses of the understanding has, from the very beginning, Jewish origin, no matter what weight they exterminated Jews lived in Eastem Europe, always been one of the foremost issues. This normally attach to this in terms of belief, there has always been the danger that the is reflected not only in the deeply founded practice, political philosophy, social interests recording of our own share in the Holocaust essays on general Jewish subjects, which are or family loyalties". is being neglected. republished in the volume, but also in the Until 1933, we used to read the Haggada As there was no difference in suffering profiles which are reprinted in the section •'s a story which related to the past. We were between Central European and Eastern Jews, "Juedische Gestalten", e.g., of Martin Buber aware of the links with this past, but we did it is fitting that we commemorate the Holo and Georg Landauer. His critical approach to not expect that it might become for us a caust together. In London, we have done so the German-Jewish symbiosis is based on the niatter of the present, that we in our days throughout the years on the anniversary of recognition not only of the problematic aspects •night become subjected to collective discrimi the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and we earnestly of this coexistence but also of the positive nation and persecution and that those of us, hope that many of our members will attend values which emanated from it for both the *ho did not have the good fortune of a new this year's Commemoration Meeting, which Jews and for European culture. This attitude exodus, were doomed to slavery and extermina will be held on Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m., at made him a custodian of our heritage, and tion. the New London Theatre. (Further details are several essays which are included in the book When in those days we enjoyed the beauti announced in this issue on page 3.) first appeared in publications of the Leo Baeck ful scenery of the Rhine, we certainly remem Institute, with which he has been associated bered the Rabbi's Passover flight from Bach since its inception, especially as editor of the arach. Yet we felt secure. "It could not happen Seder Night 1933 Year Books. again," it was "ein Maerchen aus uralten To revert to the first Seder after the Nazis The exodus of the Jews from Germany was Zeiten". Yet the volcano erupted again. It a slow process. The reason was not that the did so with a vehemence which a million times had come to power, we remember the message given to us by Robert Weltsch in his his leaders of Gennan Jewry had to plead with exceeded the event in the small town during the Pharaohs of the day: "Let my people go." we Middle Ages. It affected not only all the torical article, published in the "Juedische Rundschau" of April 4, 1933, under the head On the contrary, the Nazis were quite ready °ld established families in that part of Ger- to let them go, and the pressure for emigra "^any, but the Jews of the whole country and ing "Tragt ihn mit Stolz, den gelben Fleck!" finally the major part of European Jewry. We are reminded of this article anew in a tion grew harder from year to year. Yet many ^f>day, these twelve years from 1933 to 1945 collection of essays and articles by Robert Jews were first reluctant to leave. Some thought have themselves become past history, but they Weltsch, published by the Leo Baeck Institute that the regime would be overthrown soon, ^Ul be with us to the end of our days. on the occasion of the SOth birthday of this and though, in hindsight, it is easy to blame outstanding and courageous Jewish publicist them of shortsightedness, we now know that (Robert Weltsch: "An der Wende des there were several situations, when the fate "Brotherhood Week" in Germany modemen Judentums. Betrachtungen aus of the Government was in jeopardy. It was also fuenf Jahrzehnten." Geleitwort von Hans not easy for middle-aged people to embark Yet we also have to take notice of the efforts Tramer. J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tueb on a life of adventure and uncertainty. Last oy political and cultural representatives of ingen, 1972, 309 pp. DM 49). "Tragt ihn mit but not least, in the course of time, when Post-war Germany, who try to keep alive the Stolz, den gelben Fleck!" was a signal of en emigration had become the only chance of niemory of the past happenings and to create couragement when it was written. It reminded survival, the obstacles to finding refuge be a new relationship between people of different the German Jews that they could only with came greater and greater. In this connection ^rtgins and religions, especially between stand the shock of the happenings if they it is good to be reminded in the outstanding Christians and Jews. Last month, as in the gathered strength from their Jewishness book by A. J. Sherman, "Island Refuge" Past years, "Brotherhood Week" was observed ("Das angegriffene Judentum muss sich nun (reviewed in our January 1974 issue) that by functions of various kinds all over Westem zu sich selbst bekennen"). Yet with his intel Anglo-Jewry not only raised substantial funds Germany and in West Berlin. lectual honesty, Weltsch wrote ten years later for the rescue and relief of the persecutees The climax was the award of the Buber- in "Haaretz" (Tel Aviv): "I must confess that but that Jewish politicians and communal I sometimes regret the popularity which my workers, like Lord Samuel, Lord Bearsted, «osenweig Medal. The fact that, for several slogan of 1933 obtained. Since then, the years, Brotherhood Week has been linked with otto Schifl' and Sir Robert Waley Cohen, to situation has fundamentally changed, and quote only a few names at random, from 1933 ^hese two spiritual leaders of German Jewry in whilst the exhortation was appropriate ten Itself indicates the importance, which the spon onwards constantly pressed the British Govern years ago, when one could not yet recognise ment of the day to relax the admission policy sors attribute to the creative power of what and not even foresee the true character of *as once German Jewry. The handing-over to this country, Palestine and the British National Socialism, it is certainly not in keep Commonwealth. eeremony was held in Berlin's Hochschule ing with the tragic reality of our days. Today, tuer Musik, where addresses were delivered I would not dare to appeal to the Jews in oy Mayor Klaus Schuetz, Pater Professor Dr. Continued on page 2, column 1 Page 2 AJR INFORMATION April, 1974 Feast of Identification FROM THE ISRAELI SCENE Continued from page 1 The identification of Jewish politicians with GOLDA MEIR PRAISES THE "YEKKES" VISIT BY MAYOR KLAUS SCHUETZ their community of origin is one of the remark Under this heading, the "Mitteilungsblatt" "Ich bin ein IsraeU" able features of Anglo-Jewish history. Today of the AJR's fraternal organisation in Israel On the occasion of his visit to Israel, the many of the 46 Jewish members of the newly published a report about an address, delivered Mayor of West Berlin, Klaus Schuetz, elected Parliament also take an active part in by Prime Minister Golda Meir at a meeting addressed a meeting of 500 former Berliners Jewish affairs. The fact that statistics of the held in memory of Giora Lotan (Georg in Tel Aviv. Paraphrasing the famous saying Lubinski), the creator of the National Insur of the late John F.