The enduring nature of Jewish identity in Nazi Germany

This is the research essay I just wrote last week for my History of the Holocaust class this term. Enjoy.

The enduring nature of Jewish identity in Nazi Germany

The history of the Jewish people is fraught with slavery, racial hatred and intolerance. There have been many accounts of the persecution of Jews – the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, the Spanish Inquisition, and more recently, the Holocaust. This history of suffering is taught to Jewish children from a very young age, so that they may clearly understand their heritage and the meaning of Jewish holidays which commemorate important historical events such as the Exodus. With this history of persecution, a cultural mentality of “enduring in spite of the odds” is common amongst many Jews.[1] Education, community, optimism, and an ongoing determination for self-improvement are some of the many reasons why the Jewish people have survived this history of hatred.

This essay will outline the intentions of Jewish educators to maintain, within their pupils, a strong bond with Judaism. Both elementary school and adult education curriculum will be discussed, and related back to the theme of the enduring Jewish identity. Some of the Nazi laws against Jews will be outlined, and the resilient response from some Jewish communities in Germany will be described. The will of the Jews to maintain their traditions in spite of the increasing threat of Nazi Germany is remarkable. This essay will attempt to discover how the Jewish identity, within German Jewry, was able to endure the horrors of the Holocaust.

Jewish public elementary schools in pre-WWII Germany developed a sense of duality within their pupils, much like modern day Jewish schools. The curriculum ensured that the students were able to assimilate into German culture up to a point, so that they were able to relate to, converse with, and live amongst non-Jewish Germans. The students were also taught of their past, and of their responsibility to maintain strong bonds with their religious and cultural traditions of which their ancestors fought to uphold in spite of many obstacles. As described in the Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools in Documents on the Holocaust, “The Jewish school develops a special character as a result of the two-fold experience of life of every Jewish child living in Germany: Jewish and German. These two basic experiences are to be equally developed and made conscious…”[2] The importance of creating this bond is described, “The growing child is to have a secure and healthy awareness of himself as a Jew… A vital understanding of the eternal values of the Jewish religion… must be aroused and developed.” [3] Due to the historical struggles of the Jewish people and the political climate of Germany at the time (early 1934) when this elementary school instruction document was written, a warning is also made to the students. “…the Jewish child must be enabled to take up and master the exceptionally difficult struggle for survival which awaits him.” [4]

Jewish adult education facilities also were aware of the growing problems for the Jewish people and sought to ensure that the Jewish community bound themselves together and helped each other through tough times. The Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education noticed a significant increase in participation from the community, and thus was aware of the growing necessity for Jewish brotherhood and sisterhood. “For those with an acute ear, the Study Institute always served as an indicator of the level of spiritual problems of the Jewish intellectual…”[5] Also, these education facilities strived to maintain a sense of shared Jewish heritage and common purpose amongst the community, with the purposes of ensuring the survival of the Jewish religion. As Martin Buber stated, “The issue is no longer equipment with knowledge, but mobilization for existence.” [6] The importance of keeping the bonds strong between the community and their shared Jewish heritage is explained quite eloquently by Martin Buber, who describes this connection as “the spark.”

“Persons, Jewish persons, are to be formed, persons who will not only ‘hold out’ but will uphold some substance in life; who will have not only morale, but moral strength, and so will be able to pass on moral strength to others; persons who live in such a way that the spark will not die. Because our concern is for the spark, we work for ‘education.’ What we seek to do through the educating of individuals is the building of a community that will stand firm, that will prevail, that will preserve the spark…”[7]

As the years progressed, the political aggression against the Jews increased. On April 1, 1933, an Anti-Jewish boycott took place, a “…systematic implementation of a boycott of Jewish shops, Jewish goods, Jewish doctors and Jewish lawyers.” [8] In 1935, under the Nuremberg laws, Jews were forbidden from certain relations, such as marriage, with non-Jewish Germans. One of the laws implied a reduction in the citizenship status of the Jew, “Jews are forbidden to fly the Reich or National flag or to display the Reich colors.” [9] The first regulation to the Nuremberg laws spelled out these rules more directly, “A Jew cannot be a Reich citizen.” [10] The implied position of the Jews amongst their German countrymen was greatly diminished by these and other laws and by the increasingly hostile nature of the political climate. As Alfred Wiener stated, “According to the ruling of the laws and regulations directed against us only the ‘Aryans’ now belong to the German people. What are we, then?” [11] It was becoming clear to the Jews of Germany that they were “…non-Germans without equal rights.” [12]

In spite of the relentless Anti-Semitism of the Nazi party and the increasing laws against the Jews, the powerful bond to Judaism in some Jewish communities increased in its resilience. As the Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief and Reconstruction stated, “There is great distress in German Jewry… The purpose of a community reveals itself in times of trouble… In times of distress the community must grow anew, gain life and existence. It is from the community that the individual must draw the strength to live and be active.” [13] The Jewish people in these communities were strongly encouraged to band together, and to respect their fellow Jews who were even less fortunate than themselves. The need for charity from those fortunate enough to still have jobs was explained, and those in the community who were more fortunate were asked to support those in the community who were not. The emphasis for direct action from the community was clear. “We must not be the cause of making one of our own people lose his job or his bread!” [14] It was also implied that emigrating from Germany to a safer country was cowardly and was only for the betterment of one’s own situation, rather than for the betterment of the Jewish community as a whole. “Do not imagine that the problems of German Jewry can be solved without the greatest of sacrifices, by means of undirected emigration. There is no honor in leaving Germany in order to live untroubled on your income abroad, free of the fate of your brothers in Germany… don’t leave Germany senselessly! Do your duty here! Don’t push people off blindly to an uncertain fate.” [15] As previously stated in this essay, the Jews understood that the rise of Anti-Semitism in Germany was yet another trial in the history of the Jewish people, and they must meet these problems head-on and overcome them, as their ancestors did before them. “The hour of German Jewry has arrived, the hour of responsibility, the hour of trial. Let German Jewry prove itself capable of facing this hour.” [16]

The ongoing optimism and underlying strength of the Jewish people is stated in a powerful, yet unexpected manner in the article Wear it with pride, the yellow badge. This article displays another example of the drive to keep the flame of Judaism alive, and the brave political defiance of the Jewish people. In this article, Robert Weltsch states that the Jews must come to terms with the reality of the political climate. “We live in a new period, the national revolution of the German people is a signal that is visible from afar, indicating that the world of our previous concepts has collapsed… in this world only those will be able to survive who are able to look reality in the eye.” [17] The Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 is referenced, and is used as a political “call to arms.” “April 1, 1933, can become the day of Jewish awakening and Jewish rebirth. If the Jews will it. If the Jews are mature and have greatness in them. If the Jews are not as they are represented to be by their opponents… The Jews, under attack, must learn to acknowledge themselves… in the face of the unprecedented display of the universal slander of the entire Jewish population of a great and cultural country, we must first of all maintain: composure.” [18] The article then attacks those Jews who do not stand up as part of the collective Jewish community. “It is not true that the Jews betrayed Germany. If they betrayed anyone, it was themselves, the Jews. Because the Jew did not display his Judaism with pride, because he tried to avoid the Jewish issue, he must bear part of the blame for the degradation of the Jews.” [19] The surprising part of the article occurs when Robert Weltsch asks the Jews to stand up behind the symbol of the yellow star, the device used by the Nazis to identify Jews and Jewish businesses. This is the symbol of the shield of King David and the symbol of Judaism itself. He turns the singling out of the Jews by the Nazis as an opportunity for Jews to wear the Star of David with pride, and to bind themselves closer to their fellow Jews. “A powerful symbol is to be found… this regulation [to post a yellow star on Jewish shops] is intended as a brand, a sign of contempt. We will take it up and make of it a badge of honor… One often saw windows bearing a large Magen David, the Shield of David the King. It was intended as a dishonor. Jews, take it up, the Shield of David, and wear it with pride!” [20]

The final article that will be discussed in relation to the theme of the enduring Jewish identity, is a prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is widely accepted as the holiest day of the Jewish Year. Jews around the world go to their synagogue to atone for their sins, and to re-evaluate themselves. The Jew is in a constant state of self-renewal, and of self-improvement. In Judaism, there is a great deal of importance assigned to one’s actions: if you are a good person, your future will reflect this. If you acted negatively in the past year, the purpose of Yom Kippur is to come clean to G-d and acknowledge your shortcomings. The end result is that if you truly repent for your negative actions, you will be forgiven by G-d and start the New Year with a “clean slate.” Note that this prayer was spoken by Rabbi Leo Baeck in October of 1935 on Erev Yom Kippur (the eve of the Day of Atonement.) This holiday occurs eight days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which takes place in September or October each year. The context of Yom Kippur offers an explanation to the underlying message in the Rabbi’s sermon.

“We shall examine our ways before Him. We shall examine what we have done and what we have failed to do… We stand before our G-d and with the same courage with which we have acknowledged our sins, the sins of the individual and the sins of the community, shall we express our abhorrence of the lie directed against us, and the slander of our faith and its expressions.” [21]

“We believe in our faith and our future,” [22] continues Rabbi Leo Baeck in his Yom Kippur sermon. As explained in the thesis of this essay, the history of the Jewish people is fraught with many accounts of persecution. This history is taught to schoolchildren and to adults, in the hopes that these Jewish people will band together as a community and uphold the pillars of their faith. The mentality of enduring hard times, in spite of all odds, is visible in the subtext of Rabbi Leo Baeck’s sermon. There is a clear hope expressed for the resilience of the Jewish religion and identity. The painful memories of Jewish ancestors are indirectly referenced, and thus the plight of the Jews in the past is used as a ray of hope for the Jews receiving this sermon.

“We stand before our G-d: Our strength is in Him. In Him is the truth and the dignity of our history; In Him is the source of our survival through every change, our firm stand in all our trials. Our history is the history of spiritual greatness, spiritual dignity. We turn to it when attack and insult are directed against us, when need and suffering press in upon us. The Lord led our fathers from generation to generation. He will continue to lead us and our children through our days.” [23]

The strength and resilience of the Jewish people and the Jewish identity was again threatened and tested to the utmost of its limits during the Holocaust. Once again, the Jewish people have used their commitment to each other, and their undying optimism and determination to survive, against all odds.

References

C.V.-Zeitung. (1933). Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for relief and reconstruction. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (pp. 47-50). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

C.V.-Zeitung. (1933). The position of German Jews, as seen by Alfred Wiener, of the leadership of the Centralverein. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 50). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

First Circular Letter of the Center for Jewish Adult Education. (1934). Martin Buber on the tasks of the Center for Jewish Adult Education. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 51). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Israelitisches Gemeindeblatt Mannheim. (1933). Activities of the Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 52). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Jüdische Rundschau. (1933). “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 45). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Reichsgesetzblatt. (1935). First regulation to the Reich Citizenship law November 14, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 80). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Reichsgesetzblatt. (1935). Nuremberg law for the protection of German blood and German honor, September 15, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 78). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Report of the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief and Reconstruction. (1934). Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (pp. 65-66). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

The Attorney-General of the Government of Israel v. Adolf Eichmann – Minutes of Session No. 14. (1961). Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 87). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Völkischer Beobachter. (1933). Organization of the Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 – Instructions give by the National-Socialist party. In Yitzhak Arad, Israel Gutman & Abraham Margaliot (Eds.), Documents on the Holocaust (p. 32). Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

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[1] From the author’s [Mike Jutan] personal experience with Jewish culture and history, through teachings from

Rabbis, family and friends.

[2] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 65.

[3] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), pp. 65-66.

[4] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #24 Instructions for Jewish Public Elementary Schools, January 1934

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 66.

[5] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #18 Activities of the Study Institute for Jewish Adult Education

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 52.

[6] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #17 Martin Buber on the tasks of the Center for Jewish Adult Education

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 51.

[7] Ibid., pp. 51-52.

[8] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #7 Organization of the Anti-Jewish boycott of April 1, 1933 –

Instructions given by the National-Socialist party (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 32.

[9] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #33 Nuremberg law for the protection of German blood and German honor, September 15, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 78.

[10] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #34 First regulation to the Reich Citizenship law November 14, 1935

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 80.

[11] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #16 The position of German Jews, as seen by Alfred Wiener, of the

leadership of the Centralverein (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 50.

[12] Ibid., p. 50.

[13] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #15 Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for Relief

and Reconstruction (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), pp. 47-48.

[14] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #15 Proclamation by the Central Committee of German Jews for relief

and reconstruction (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 49.

[15] Ibid., pp. 49-50.

[16] Ibid., p. 50.

[17] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #14 “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 45.

[18] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #14 “Wear it with pride, the yellow badge” Article by Robert Weltsch

(University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 45.

[19] Ibid., pp. 45-46.

[20] Ibid., pp. 46-47.

[21] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #39 Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities

in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 87.

[22] Ibid., p. 87.

[23] Arad et. al, Documents on the Holocaust - #39 Prayer composed by Rabbi Leo Baeck for all Jewish communities

in Germany for the eve of the Day of Atonement, October 10, 1935 (University of Nebraska Press, 1999), p. 87.