Volume XXXIV No. 2 February 1979 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE ASSOOAim OF JEWISH RER/COS A¥ UEAT BRITAU H,"fgot Pottlitser ism became the signposts of two cultures which co-existed in Imperial Germany, but were tom asunder in the Weimar years. Hitler and his associates found a ready weapon to be THE TRAGIC PAST OF GERMAN JEWRY transformed into a battle-cry for intimidation and annihilation. Twenty-three years ago, the late Dr. Sieg- the Leo Baeck Institute with the contemporary '^ed Moses, first president of the Leo Baeck academic world have steadily increased, both "Jews and Judaism in the Gartenlaube" by "istitute, defined the tasks which the Insti- in the countries of refuge and in Germany Henry Wassermann describes the treatment "Jte had set itself in its publications: "The era where we witness a considerable interest in the of the Jewish problem in the venerable 'German Jewry, so irretrievably past, could study of German Jewish history before and 'Gartenlaube", the first German mass-circula­ Wy be retraced and preserved for ourselves, after the final catastrophe. Professor Liebe­ tion periodical. Its founder, progressive Ernst *"• children and the Jewish world at large, schiitz points to the importance of studying Keil, believed in educating his mostly middle- „ We, the generation that had set out from the background of German history against class and middle-brow readers in an entertain­ ^rmany, could take this cultural task upon which the history of the German Jews has ing manner to support liberal causes. 1878, in urselyes. In our minds, the German Jewish to be seen and quotes an English professor of its peak year, the "Gartenlaube" reached ene is still alive, and in our midst forces are history as saying recently that neither pro­ 375,000 readers. In its novels by best-selling ^JUl available who can present and analyse from fessional knowledge nor methodical skill could authors of the time, Jews were shown in a eir own affinity and experience the manifold enable any historian to foresee the future. How favourable light, and a whole series of articles Manifestations of German Jewry." This state- then could a population which had to rely on was devoted to the practice of Judaism, pre­ jj^it is taken from the first Year book pub- the limited information offered in daily life, sented as a family affair in which Gemiitlich­ ,«ned by the Institute. Now its 23rd volume have foreseen the catastrophe? Therefore, when keit was tempered by quaint tradition-hallowed ^ appeared.* outlining the future tasks of the writers of practices, though religion did not play a great ^ a way, the new volume marks the end such history. Professor Liebeschutz concludes: part in them. Whereas the literature of the Of an epoch. Like its predecessors it has an In order to present a comprehensive critical Enlightenment had created a rather bloodless iy^^°duction by its founder-editor Dr. Robert presentation of the emancipation period, the image of the "noble Jew", the "Gartenlaube" eitsch, written before his wife's untimely Institute "will have to concentrate on the showed the Jew just like any other honest relevant factors in the diflerent spheres of life and hard-working Biirger, i.e., like the readers j^ ath and his subsequent retirement to Israel. to whom the paper appealed and which, in Dr K?** contains an important appraisal of the which had an impact on Jewish existence, and at the same time describe the attributes and tum, included many Jews of just that type. j^°blems of Jewish historiography by Pro- After Keil's death in 1878, his liberal concept sor Hans Liebeschiitz who died recently. traditions of Jewry through many generations which produced co-operation and conflict. If of Jews gradually evaporated, and when after PP n together, these two essays survey the the economic depression, liberal ideas began (^5sent stage in the writing of German Jewish this is done, it will be possible to describe the creativeness of the period without neglecting to founder, the "Gartenlaube", like its com­ ^ cory. They both stress that historical events petitors, was not above applying to the Jews "St not be judged in the light of what hap- the root causes of the final catastrophe." A daunting task! the stereotypes created by the anti-emancipa­ i^oed afterwards. Robert Weltsch gives a tion nationalist forces. 'n ^fh^^ description of the problems of Jews 1^ the old Austrian Empire in which he grew "Antisemitism and Philosemitism" The nineteenth-century evolvement both of l)j'^nd draws attention to the part that Jews the term and the meaning of "antisemitism" 'ivpri ^'^^'l^ently played in regions where they "Antisemitism and Philosemitism" is the and the ambiguous reactions of the Liberals to '1 H,"* ^° environment of mixed nationalities main theme of the present volume. The sub­ the new ideology are dealt with in several ^ntit frontier regions of German-speaking ject covers a wide field. With the exception essays. In "Two Generations in the History of Part ^® concludes that perhaps Jews were of our friend and board member Dr. E. G. German Antisemitism", Moshe Zimmermann aod ''^^'arly suited for the role of mediators Lowenthal who uses his extensive knowledge traces its growth from Wilhelm Marr who bej^Sents for a better mutual understanding of post-war Germany for a third instalment of actually coined the word in order to place bitf j^n people of a similar background, his survey of post-war publications on Jewish the idea in a supra-religious context to Theo­ ^rty divided by political strife. communal history in Gennany, none of the dor Fritsch, the ill-famed author of the "Hand­ te^J^^essor Liebeschutz stresses the two main contributors was bom before 1920, and quite buch der Judenfrage" which inspired Hitler to .t.'^^ies of German Jewish history-writing: a few belong to the post-war generation of and Streicher and supplied them with a mass German, American and Israeli historians. This „y '^^Ofd and interpret the creative part of stock propaganda material. Waye means, of course, that they lack the personal The First World War and its effects on the pow.Pajl-. " ^-Jy JewMcwso iilnl thiiiec agagee oUf l emancipationciiiduui , and involvement which earlier writers invariably a^^'^arly in the "stimulating intellectual Jewish situation in Germany are investigated displayed to the advantage or disadvantage of in a number of essays. Of particular value is 3j 'osphere of the Weimar Republic", and— their statements. To them, what happened to as _ Warning to future generations—to des- Wemer T. Angress' study in depth of the German Jews, is part of history to be learned circumstances surrounding the infamous n.:^ the oppression anan d crimes which brought from original sources in patient research, and ,^ Period to an end. 'Judenzahlung" in 1916. Despite the patriotic to be evalued with the critical equipment of fervour of the great majority of German Jews, thaih - L Present volume, liie the many others the professional historian. It does not speak bh,j^j have so far appeared, is an expression of a mounting antisemitic campaign accused them against them that survivors of an older gen­ of shirking their military duty, and the p^jj. *hese tendencies. The first few of them eration sometimes disagree with their findings. Hos^ contributions by many survivors Prussian Minister of War, "in order to examine *hich ™^^°ries formed significant material In a thoroughly researched important essay, these complaints, and should they prove un­ lo.<!f ^ Would otherwise have been irretrievably Israeli-born Shulamit Volkov examines the warranted, to be able to refute them", asked •^Part from personal memories scholars basic philosophy of antisemitism, the "role of all military commands in the field, in occu­ of ".* ''efugee generation evaluated the period antisemitism as a cultural code". She says that pied territories, and behind the front to submit antisemitism has never been a direct reaction Man,,^*°'^Majy ^"'^ . which they had lived through,. suitable statistics based on a special census. diej °f these early contributors have since to actual circumstances, but that it arose in Heated discussions in the Reichstag and angry sejJ, °thers have retired from active re- strength after the economic depression of protests from Jewish leaders were of no n. but in the meantime, the contacts of 1873, the "Grunderkrach". It was made salon- avail. The results of the census were not fdhig in bourgeois society and in the universi­ published at the time, and it was only many u? stJL^*'^ ''"III. Published for the Leo Baeck Institute ties, when the historian Treitschke endorsed it, years later that the Federal German Govem- r^'tsch ^ and Warburg. 1978. Founder Editor Robert coupled with the emergent ideology of Ger­ 'Ofi. E^' (Co-editor Arnold Paucker. 402 pp. 12 illustra- man nationalism. Emancipation and antisemit­ Continaed on page Z, column 1 Page 2 AJR INFORMATION February 1979 The Past of German Jetcry Continued from page I NEWS FROM GERMANY MAIDANEK TRLVL IN DANGER ment officially recognised the sacrifices made DEATH OF CARDINAL FRINGS by German Jews for their "fatherland" by The Diisseldorf court which has been in The Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Frin|s, making the figures available. However, Pro­ session since November 1975 to deal with 15 who has died, aged 91, won wide acclaim for fessor Angress sees in the census no more men and women accused of murder and his stand against the Nazis. When he de­ than a tactical blunder, which, if the course torture at Maidanek, has released 68-year-old Wilhelm Reinartz, a former medical camp nounced their persecution of Jews in 193", of German history after the war had been orderly as unfit to stand trial.