Germans-Jews-Czechs: the Case of the Czech Lands, 1880-1938

Germans-Jews-Czechs: The Case of the Czech Lands, 1880-1938. München: Abteilung für Jüdische Geschichte und Kultur, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München, 10.12.2003-12.12.2003. Reviewed by Mirjam Zadoff Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (May, 2004) In the days of December 10-12, 2003, histori‐ fore WWI, was prominent in the national church, ans convened at the Ludwig Maximilian Universi‐ the absence of anti-Semitism suggests that it had ty in Munich to revisit the ethnic triangle of Ger‐ lost its political and cultural function in the post‐ mans, Jews, and Czechs and address questions of war period. Anti-Semitism had, Schulze Wessel anti-Semitism and Jewish identities in the Czech proposed, become an anti-symbol of the new na‐ Lands in the late nineteenth and early twentieth tional ethos as defined by the dominant cultural century. In his opening remarks, Michael Brenner and political elite. This new ethos embodied val‐ introduced the collaboration between three aca‐ ues such as tolerance, humanism, anti-clericalism, demic institutions engaged in the research project and civility, and consequently, in the new repub‐ entitled History in a Multiethnic Network: The lic, anti-Semitism was discarded as a political in‐ German-Czech-Jewish Triangle. Three studies are strument along with other elements of the Habs‐ underway from researchers at the University of burg heritage. The next speaker, Michal Frankl Haifa, Munich and Erfurt made possible by the (Charles University in Prague), challenged the no‐ German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research tion predominant in the historiography that Czech and Development, which also sponsored this con‐ anti-Semitism was mainly a product of the nation‐ ference. The triangular structure, Brenner contin‐ al conflict between Czechs and Germans. In 'Son‐ ued, is also the lens through which historians derweg' of Czech Anti-Semitism? ", Frankl prob‐ have studied questions of identity and interethnic lematized the perception of Czech anti-Semitism relations in the Czech Lands from the late nine‐ as a temporary, non-racial phenomenon, which teenth century onwards, and one which he hoped disappeared once the national conflict was re‐ the assembled forum would provide new perspec‐ solved. Historians, he argued, have taken the per‐ tives on. ception of the conflict's actors at face value focus‐ The conference's frst session was devoted to ing more on the "facts" about Jews' Germanizing anti-Semitism, and was opened by Martin Schulze influence produced by the anti-Jewish discourse Wessel (University of Munich). In his paper, "Anti- than on the function of the anti-Jewish discourse Semitism in the Czech Lands and the Foundation itself. In contrast, Frankl argued that anti- of the National Czechoslovak Church", Schulze Semitism was an integral part of Czech nationalist Wessel looked at the absence of anti-Semitic dis‐ discourse which helped define the image of the course within the National Czechoslovak Church. Czech nation and forge national unity at a time Considering that lower Catholic clergy, a group when national cohesion was challenged by social considered to be a stronghold of anti-Semitism be‐ and political divisions. Furthermore, in the late H-Net Reviews 1800s, Frankl contended, as ethnic markers such what makes studying Jewish identities in this re‐ as language, occupation, and areas of residence gion so complex. In "Translation - Conversion - diminished, Czech anti-Semitism became an in‐ Projection: Central European Ethno-nationalism creasingly racialized discourse which served to and the Zionist Version of Jewish Nationalism", identify internal enemies by erecting racial Yfaat Weiss (University of Haifa) problematized boundaries between Jews and non-Jews. Thus, the origins of Brit Shalom's support for a bi-na‐ anti-Semitism was not primarily a by-product of tional solution to the conflict between Arabs and the Czech-German conflict, but played an integral Jews in the late 1920s. Weiss challenged the role in the construction of a Czech nation. In his claimed correlation between the Central Euro‐ response to the two presenters, Robert Luft (Col‐ pean origins of the majority of the organization's legium Carolinum in Munich) stressed the need members and its endorsement of bi-nationalism. for a comparative study of Czech and German Rather, Weiss suggested, the Central European anti-Semitism as an ideology, of the ways in which Jewish experience was not monolithic and did in‐ anti-Semitism was disseminated, and the extent to deed produce diametrically opposite views of how which people acted on anti-Jewish discourses. The to best resolve nationality conflicts. Weiss illus‐ subsequent discussion centred on the relation be‐ trated this by comparing the views of Hans Kohn, tween anti-Semitism and the national conflict as a supporter of bi-nationalism, with those of well as the role of race within the anti-Jewish dis‐ Arthur Ruppin, who wanted to create an autono‐ course in the Czech Lands. mous Jewish space in Palestine. In his response, The next panel focusing on Jewish national‐ Hillel J. Kieval was especially interested in the ex‐ ism was introduced by Petr Brod. In her paper, tent to which the Jewish experience in the Czech "Czechs, Germans, Jews - Where is the difference? Lands was unique, and suggested that a compara‐ ", Katerina Capková (Charles University in Prague) tive perspective might add in significant ways to compared the national identities of Jewish nation‐ the discussion of Jewish identities in the region. alists and Czech-oriented Jews in the interwar pe‐ Kieval pointed out that despite their differences riod. She contended that despite their apparent both Hans Kohn and Arthur Ruppin used their ex‐ differences, the homogeneity of these Jews' socio- perience with nationalism in Central Europe as a cultural background produced identities which negative model in relation to the developments in were difficult to distinguish from each other. Fig‐ Palestine. The following discussion focused on the ures such as Egon Hostovsky and Viktor Fischl need to break down the perception of a clearly de‐ were deeply immersed in Czech culture, and fined triangle of ethnicities and to de-essentialize shared both local patriotism, loyalty to Czechoslo‐ national identities. vakia embodied in an admiration for T.G. Analytical categories and their utility re‐ Masaryk, and a profoundly secular interest in mained a key theme in the following session enti‐ their Jewish cultural heritage. While the similari‐ tled "Cultural Hybridity". In his paper, "Mittel-Eu‐ ties were shaped by the historical experience of ropa: Some Afterthoughts on Prague Jews and Jews in the Czech Lands, the different conclusions Translation", Scott Spector (University of Michi‐ Hostovsky and Fischl drew from it, Capková ar‐ gan, Ann Arbor), discussed his understanding of gued, was a matter of personal conviction and de‐ Prague Jews' position as a "middle nation" by pended to some degree on the different social cir‐ looking at the work of Prague Jewish translators cles to which they belonged. National identities Rudolf Fuchs and Otto Pick. Prague Jews of the were, in other words, more a matter of choice generation born in the 1880's, Spector claimed, oc‐ than prescription. This fuidity of national bound‐ cupied a position of mediation between Czech and aries among Jews is exactly, Capková concluded, German culture. While belonging within the Ger‐ 2 H-Net Reviews man ruling elite, they were also conscious of the rospective "misrepresentation" demonstrates the challenges to their position coming from both power of the discourse of nationalist conflict in Czech and German nationalism. The simultaneous framing and shaping Prague Jews' memory. How‐ challenge to German hegemony and to Jews' be‐ ever, at the same time the multiethnic "facts" im‐ longing within German culture, Spector suggest‐ ply that there were limits to the national conflict. ed, shaped Prague Jews' identities as both inside Nationalists' efforts to construct rigid national and outside of structures of power, and formed boundaries were, Shumsky contended, subverted the basis for their position as a "middle nation", by the reality of the continued coexistence of an alternative space in between German and Czech, Jews, and Germans side by side in the city's Czech culture. Spector pointed out that he found neighbourhoods. the term "cultural hybridity" problematic for the In his response, Andreas Gotzmann (University of study of Prague Jewry. In particular, he ques‐ Erfurt) discussed the utility of post-Colonial stud‐ tioned if the implied notion of the hybrid as cul‐ ies for the understanding of the Jewish experi‐ turally marginal was an accurate way of describ‐ ence in the Czech Lands, a theme which remained ing Prague Jews who composed more than half of central in the following discussion of the contrast the German ruling minority in Prague and who between "reality" and its representation, and the saw themselves as part of the dominant German meaning of these discrepancies. Kulturnation. Rather, Spector suggested, Prague The fourth and concluding panel was entitled Jews' cultural position was as one of cultural me‐ "Jewish Spaces and Private Spheres". Mirjam diation. The experience of Prague Jews was also Triendl's (University of Munich) paper, the topic of Dimitri Shumsky's (University of Hai‐ "'L'schonnoh habbo! Nach dem schönen Marien‐ fa) paper "Unintentional Subversives: Jews and bad... ': Secular Jewish Pilgrimage and its Strate‐ Multi-ethnic Neighbourhoods in the Czech-Ger‐ gies of De/Territorialization",

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