Five Orientations ΓÇô One Common Concern: The Future of German Jewry Article in the Israelitisches Familienblatt, 24 May 1933.
Source: Israelitisches Familienblatt, 24 May 1933.
The difficult situation in which German Jewry finds itself today requires an urgent solution. All members of the German-Jewish community strive equally to find such a solution. However, as the German Jews are organised in groups with diverse views, each sees the solution to the problems in a different way. It is therefore necessary to open the floor to representatives of the different views to express themselves, so that the Jewish public can obtain a comprehensive picture that is not presented by any publication of the Jewish press in Germany…. It has always been the task of the Israelitisches Familienblatt – as a non-party organ in the deepest sense of the word – to constructively gather all the forces and to present all the views of Jewish thinking. The fact that even at these times we let all German-Jewish factions express their opinions is the fulfilment of an unmistakable Jewish duty. The diversity of the opinions presented is the best proof of the necessity for a reconciliation of all circles of German Judaism… The representatives of the large Jewish organisations who are presented here speak of the position of German Jews in their surroundings and of the consequences for internal Jewish affairs that have to be drawn from the changed circumstances. We are convinced that this parallel presentation of the different views will help to clarify and advance us one important step forward. It will help our readers to form their own opinion about this whole complex of questions. R.-H.
Heinrich Stern, Berlin, Chairman of the Liberal Jews in Germany: The Mental Suffering of German Jews
…The massive tide changed directions and many of those who in the past identified completely as Germans, have received a blow that shattered their very existence. Due to the economic, and maybe also the political, impact they have switched sides. I can only speak for myself. These times are especially demanding for people of my point of view. We have to recognise many aspects of the national revolution as right and fruitful for Germany. This young Germany expresses, many of the ideals of our youth, and one would like to join in the building and creation [of the new Germany]. Those who regard Germany not as a source for civil rights but as an internal experience are shaken and insulted to the depths of their hearts because German Jews are being prevented from joining the national effort. We, the older people who were born here, who passed their youth and the most wonderful part of our life in Germany, whose most cherished memories – starting with the graves of our parents and forefathers and ending with our own personal experiences – are tightly bound to this beloved mother earth, we German Jews have no doubts regarding the question thrown at us by the others. When asked about national or cultural autonomy, there is but one answer: We thoroughly reject this autonomy… One need not repeat that the definition of an independent nationality for German Jewry does not apply for us even today. We feel the pain of the way we are being treated especially because we feel that nationally we are Germans…What ties Jewish and non-Jewish Germans together is plentiful and concerns their innermost life experiences: shared schoolmates, university years, shared experiences at work, at war and at the front, and in short: shared memories, work, hope and aspirations. I am deeply convinced that these bonds are stronger the momentary fanaticism, even if it emanates from honest hearts, even if they make laws and regulations that deny the existence of these ties…
Dr. Alfred Hirschberg, Berlin, Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith: Between Reality and Utopia
…We represent the view that German Jews engaged in the task of reconstruction should choose to bridge over insecure grounds. The legal ground on which the community and the individual now stand is shaky and unsteady… The laws promulgated by the National Revival Government over the past months have transformed important areas of the life of the community and have placed German Jews under exclusionary legislation… One can easily understand why this comprehensive exclusion of Jews by means of legislation and other means has instilled a certain degree of angst in many people, irrelevant of their Jewish beliefs or their organizational affiliation. They fear that within a short time the remains of our living space will be taken from us and that our economic life will be smothered. These are moments when solutions are being formed that might have the exterior appearance of a plan of action, but in fact result only from panic. There is no need to say much about the utopian idea of total resettlement. This was feasible in the Middle Ages or earlier… We have to take a realistic political view of our situation. In addition, there is the still great difficulty of tearing ourselves away from our German national community, from the German fatherland…. A counter proposal is that we should now live within German borders as a separate entity, according to the model and the laws of a national minority. This would be an artificial national minority…. German Jewry lacks the most important components for separation and autonomy as a national minority: their own living language and their own living culture….
Dr. Ludwig Freund, Berlin, Union of Jewish Front Veterans : To the Contemporary Jewish Situation
…The individualistic disposition and the liberal spirit have certainly collapsed…. When I have to answer the challenge…with which we are faced, I can only do so on the assumption that we German Jews must gather all our forces in our own interest and in the interests of Germany so that the new national spirit in Germany will not be eternally identified with enmity and hatred towards Judaism. Should our efforts fail, only then will we have to regard the deprivation of our rights as something permanent. As long as there is still a minimum of hope, we have to continue our struggle for our rights. No time should be lost now on theorizing. Our task is clear and indisputable: Judaism today is tied to the Diaspora. Given this assumption, we can only obtain a complete existence as human beings if we take full part in the life of our surroundings outside Jewish circles… The majority of German Jews today does not want a spontaneous separation from all things German. These have found deep roots in their hearts. The reality that is unfolding in front of us now is being forced upon us. If we accept it, we have given up as human beings and as citizens. The Union of Jewish Front Veterans is directing all of its work today at defending and saving all possible positions for German Jews…. After all the dissolution of the liberal standpoint…the only ones who can lead in such times are people who conform to the new political type in Germany, and who will devote themselves fully to their convictions. The glorification of intellectual analytical abilities in Jewish circles …will have to come to an end. We must be led by a man of deeds and no longer by men of theory who have suffered total shipwreck among us and among others.
Georg Kareski, Berlin, the Jewish National Party: As I See It.
…For the majority of German Jews, the position of the ruling circles in the new Germany point to the necessity for a comprehensive reorientation of their Jewish views. It is clear that the Jewish liberal camp has been shaken… The Zionist circles in German Jewry require much less of a reorientation… The first signs of a fundamentally changed situation were accepted more or less in a dignified manner with a feeling of growing commitment to mutual help. The fact that at first there was no plan and that we suffered organisational failure can be understood and excused in view of the terrible impact of the events…. What we need is a plan for two major tasks… First, we must secure viable lconditions for that part of German Jewry who can not or do not wish to leave Germany, even if their existence will be modest. The second task is to create possibilities for building new lives for those who wish to leave, or who must leave Germany because they have further possibility of existence here. For those who remain in Germany – and there will be a few hundred thousands of them – their status in the state must be regulated in one way or another. One can exist under any law. One cannot exist, however, if one has no idea of what is permitted and what is forbidden…. German Jewry has to wake up from the one hundred year old dream of emancipation. As difficult as this may be for the individual, one has to accept the new conditions, and adjust to them. For those Jews who understand the national character of our community, such an adjustment is self-evident. One can be a useful and respected citizen as a member of a minority within a large nation. It is no catastrophe if the veil that had concealed the relationship between the German people and the Jews has been torn away…. The solution to the economic problems for those Jews who remain in Germany is of enormous importance…. Over the long term, it will be impossible, to use philanthropy to prevent tens of thousand of people form sinking into poverty. We will have to create new employment opportunities for the thousands who have been thrown out. If necessary, we will have to provide vocational training…. The second problem may not be of the same scope, but will be of extreme importance in coming years. This is the second principal problem: Jewish emigration…. The situation of many thousands of Jews who have left Germany and are presently residing abroad is miserable, although there are incredible accomplishments, thanks to brotherly help. We are now paying for decades of idleness within broad circles of German Jewry, which prevented Palestine not only from becoming the Jewish people's home, but also from becoming a haven for Jewish people in need…. May German Jewry finally awaken and force its leadership to have the courage and sense to do what fate commands us to do – to save the Jewish people in its hour of need, to transform this need into a blessing by promoting the building of Palestine.
5. Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Cohn, Berlin, Head of the Agudas Jisroel world, Orthodoxy Rejects Cultural Autonomy. The following article by the representative of Orthodoxy requires a short introduction. More than other streams in Judaism, Orthodoxy quite naturally expects help and solutions to come through an emphasis on religious values and a return to piety. Consequently, there is no need for a reaffirmation of this opinion in the following essay; it will comment mostly on the issue of cultural autonomy. The editors
Many minds, and not only Jewish ones, search for a solution to the urgent Jewish question. In this context, the idea of Jewish national autonomy has been proposed. A national authority (Curia) should be formed in Germany and be endowed with cultural autonomy by the government. Guided by our tradition, the commandments handed down to us on Mount Sinai and our sense of duty, this article wishes to point the way for an orthodox statement on this matter. First, a short examination of the political situation: Since the Versailles treaty established the notion of minority rights and the League of Nations was made guardian of this provision, Orthodoxy has believed that the Jews of each country should claim their rights and present their aspirations in accordance with the laws and bodies of the countries in which they live. Furthermore, any intent by foreign interests to exert undue influence on the internal affairs of the home country contradicts Jewish tradition. We emphasise that the rejection of minority rights is not based on the consideration that minority rights could cause an estrangement between the majority, i.e. the ruling people of a country, and the Jews. As mentioned above, our rejection is deeply rooted in religious grounds. Yet regrettably, we have to openly acknowledge that even within Jewish circles we are only understood by those whose lifestyles, world views and political conceptions are based entirely on religion. Hence follows the purely political conclusion that Orthodoxy rejects outright the Jewish national authority. The entire project would only be conceivable if the minority were to be subordinated to the protection of the League of Nations. Consequently, Germany's integrity would no longer be sustained in relation to the League of Nations. Religious factors are added to this political consideration. Apparently, anyone who is not of purely Aryan descent dating back at least three generations, would be relegated to the Jewish national authority. This also includes people who reject the Jewish religious community and do not have anything in common with the Jewish Weltanschauung . From the religious point of view, this is intolerable, for reasons which no doubt need no further elaboration. Yet another serious consideration arises. Orthodoxy has achieved its independence through terrible and heated battles, and the purely historical question, of the extent to which this independence has been utilised, can be disregarded in this statement. Attempts by the other side to undo this achievement continue incessantly. From previous experience we learn that such times are a fertile ground for such efforts. If a kind of "forced unity" were created through a Jewish national authority, the majority would seriously endanger Orthodoxy's independence within this authority. To doubt the validity of this prediction is to disregard 150 years of historical experience. One ought to admit that calls for freedom of conscience have not been sufficiently respected. Nobody should say that, compared with the current situation, this is a trivial concern, as it is no small matter when historical continuity is broken. During the past 40 years, a great deal has been said about the differences between the purely national, the purely religious and the mixed national-religious definitions of Jewry. In the current state of affairs, acceptance of the Jewish national authority would signify an acceptance of the racial definition and would disregard the fact that Jewry and Judaism are bound to accept anyone of an alien race who professes belief in Judaism. Such a person is regarded as a full member of the Jewish community. In Judaism, religion stands very high above all racial and national conceptions. To adopt and accept a Jewish national authority is close to a betrayal of this idea. We stress that [the religious] conception of Jewry does not arise only from passing circumstances, but is in fact an objective one, independent of time, and universally valid.
