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Of Heimat and Exile, Identity

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Of Heimat and Exile, Identity Sabine Falch, Moshe Zimmermann, eds.. Israel--Öƒ–sterreich: Von den AnfÖƒ¤ngen bis zum Eichmann-Prozess 1961. Innsbruck: Studien Verlag, 2005. 241 pp. EUR 26.00, paper, ISBN 978-3-7065-1954-0. Yves Pallade. Germany and Israel in the 1990s and Beyond: Still a 'Special Relationship'?. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2005. 598 pp. EUR 86.00, paper, ISBN 978-3-631-54203-3. Reviewed by Tracey J. Kinney Published on H-German (October, 2006) In October 1943, the governments of the Unit‐ ship between the two nations would likely be a ed States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, difficult one. and China issued a joint declaration renewing This relationship, and the underlying theme their commitment to the creation of a cooperative of Austria as both victim and aggressor, is the top‐ international association, pledging their determi‐ ic of a new collection of essays edited by Sabine nation to root out all vestiges of fascism in Italy, Falch and Moshe Zimmerman. This volume is the and promising to judge and punish any German third in a series of works published by Studien‐ officers and men and women of the Nazi Party Verlag that probe the complex relationship be‐ who had perpetrated atrocities during the course tween Israel and Austria, and Austrians and Is‐ of the war. The declaration also noted that Aus‐ raelis. The frst volume in this series, edited by tria, "the frst free country to fall a victim to Hit‐ Thomas Albrich (1998), analyzed the fight of east‐ lerite aggression,"[1] would be returned to inde‐ ern European Jews through Austria to Palestine pendent, democratic rule. This recognition of Aus‐ between 1945 and 1948. The second, by Evelyn tria as the frst victim of Nazi aggression served to Adunka (2002), examined the experiences of Aus‐ complicate profoundly the relationship between trian Jewish exiles, most of whom fed to Palestine Austria and Israel. If Austria was a victim, rela‐ in the 1930s, focusing on questions of identity, ac‐ tions between the two nations should have devel‐ culturation, and assimilation. Volume 3 returns to oped quickly and relatively easily; if, on the other these questions, as well as analyzing the evolution hand, as many believed, Austria was complicit in the crimes of the Nazi era, the postwar relation‐ H-Net Reviews of the diplomatic relationship between the two Hecht, Embacher notes that the decision to leave countries. Austria was a difficult one, undertaken with mini‐ Effectively encompassing the era from the An‐ mal preparation, and, at best, a passing familiari‐ schluß to the Eichmann trial, the essays in this ty with Zionism. Thus life on a kibbutz, with its monograph provide a valuable addition to the ideology of equality, communal living, and build‐ burgeoning literature on the formation of identity, ing a new nation from the soil could be tremen‐ the experience of exile and the evolution of diplo‐ dously difficult. Embacher's research, drawn from matic relations between Israel and other states. As interviews and autobiographies, reveals that, far the editors note in the preface, the relationship from its egalitarian ideal, kibbutz society was pro‐ between Germany and Israel has attracted consid‐ foundly hierarchical, with Palestine-born "pio‐ erable scholarly attention; yet the relationship be‐ neers" dominating. Below them Austrian and Ger‐ tween Austria and Israel has been little re‐ man exiles clashed with each other, yet both dis‐ searched.[2] The essays in this collection aim to criminated against Eastern European exiles. Em‐ fill a gap in the existing scholarship, while raising bacher argues that nonetheless it was this genera‐ new questions for further research. The essays tion of young exiles that, drawing on their experi‐ are loosely organized into two sections: the frst ences in the kibbutzim and in the British army, part examines questions of identity and accultur‐ would forge the identity of the 1948 Israeli state. ation, with particular emphasis on the relation‐ The essay concludes on a cautionary note, howev‐ ship between Jews born in Palestine and newly er. The ideology of the "generation of 1948" grew arrived Austrian exiles; the second section looks increasingly irrelevant as years passed and Is‐ at the evolution of the diplomatic relationship be‐ rael's identity was remade by capitalism and by tween Israel and Austria in light of the events of the ongoing conflict with Palestinians. the recent past. All of the essays are impeccably Maria Ecker contributes an essay based on documented. the fndings of an oral history project. Ecker inter‐ The monograph opens with Dieter Hecht's ex‐ viewed ten women (both Austrian and Czech ex‐ amination of the Austrian-Jewish exodus after iles), each of whom had been imprisoned in a con‐ 1938 and the process of integration into Israeli so‐ centration camp prior to arriving in Palestine/Is‐ ciety by the 1960s. Hecht pays particular attention rael between 1945 and 1949. Ecker's article is to the role of various agencies, in particular the most valuable in its inclusion of lengthy excerpts Hitachdut Olej Austria (Vereinigung österreichis‐ from her interviews with these ten women. Their cher Einwanderer), in facilitating the integration accounts reveal a range of motives in leaving of the largely middle-class Austrians forced into their homes, but few held Zionist convictions, and exile by the Anschluß, for whom, according to some had no choice whatsoever, as their hus‐ Hecht, Palestine held little initial appeal. Hecht bands had determined that their destination concludes that, although many exiles did over‐ would be Palestine. For each woman the process come barriers of status, language, and culture to of assimilation and acculturation was a difficult integrate successfully, others simply could not and one. The remainder of Ecker's analysis draws opted instead to return to Austria--a return facili‐ upon the theory developed by Ronit Lentin, who tated by the notion that Austria had itself been a argues that "[t]he others arrived, broken, ill, in victim of Nazism. the uncomprehending Israel of the 1950s. Their new home. Where I and my generation refused to Helga Embacher next examines the reality of hear their stories.... Not only that in constructing life on a kibbutz for young Austrian-Jewish exiles itself as a 'new Jewish identity' did Israel con‐ (most of them aged thirteen to seventeen). Like struct itself as masculine thereby 'feminizing' Jew‐ 2 H-Net Reviews ry and the Shoa" (p. 78). According to Ecker, life in was to dominate the early responses. Nonetheless, Israel thus became an "us" (the new Jews who ac‐ a strong belief persisted in Israel that the estab‐ cepted their new identity) versus "them" (the Jews lishment of 'normal' relations with other coun‐ of the old world) struggle. Only those women who tries would be a key element of Israeli state-build‐ fully accepted the new identity stood a good ing. Viewing Austria as a victim of National Social‐ chance of complete integration. Ecker appends a ist aggression could potentially facilitate the cre‐ case study of one such "new" woman, Chava Ko‐ ation of a normal relationship. Hotam concludes havi, in order to bolster her claims. In many ways, that further study will be required in order to de‐ Ecker's is the most ambitious of the essays in this termine whether Israel's hesitation represented a collection, and no doubt the most contentious. It Machiavellian ploy or truly reflected the difficulty does, however, highlight the strengths and weak‐ of reconciling the political and moral dimensions nesses of oral history, as well as revealing numer‐ of the decision facing the state. ous avenues for further study. Eyal Gertmann examines the contribution of The fnal essay in the frst section of the book, sport to the development of diplomatic relations by Falch, looks at the question of identity through between Israel and Austria. Gertmann argues that the issue of citizenship, specifically the new Is‐ the study of sporting relationships (a form of Allt‐ raeli citizenship law of 1952. The citizenship law, agsgeschichte) can reinforce and supplement which granted that "every Jew living in the land more conventional historical studies. In this case, on this day automatically become a citizen of the Austrian Jewish sporting associations--most no‐ land" (p. 103), also required the renunciation of tably the Hakoah Wien soccer club--facilitated prior nationality (unless the person was deemed both the development of new sporting associa‐ stateless), thus bringing questions of identity into tions in Israel (Verein Hakoah in Israel) and the sharp relief. Falch notes that the response of Aus‐ re-establishment of sporting exchanges between trian Jews reflected a mixture of pragmatism and the Israeli and Austrian states. Many of the 5,000 idealism; citizenship was offered even as the Is‐ members of Hakoah Wien had immigrated to raeli state's economic crisis worsened. Thus mate‐ Palestine and were active in the new state. Old rial concerns also had to be factored in to the ties thus contributed to the relatively speedy re- broader political and ideological considerations. establishment of sporting relationships. Gert‐ In the end, 551 persons returned to Austria at this mann argues that these relationships also contrib‐ time. uted to the normalization of diplomatic relation‐ As noted, the second half of the collection ex‐ ships, too. amines the development of a formal diplomatic In the penultimate essay in this collection, relationship between Israel and Austria, begin‐ Winifried Garscha examines the overall impact of ning with Austria's de facto recognition of Israel the Eichmann trial in Austria, concluding that it in March and April 1949. De facto recognition was "an irritation, not an earthquake" (p. 186). De‐ and, in particular Israel's reaction to this decision, spite tremendous Austrian media interest in the is the topic the essay by Yotam Hotam.
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