Sojourners: The Return of German Jews and the Question of Identity (Texts and Contexts)

“A firsthand confrontation with the inner fears and the outer realities of [German Jews] as they themselves reflect post-Shoah history and experience. This is not merely lived ‘history,’ it is ‘history’ with a living face.”—Sander L. Gilman This absorbing book of interviews takes one to the heart of modern German Jewish history. Of the eleven German Jews interviewed, four are from West Berlin, and seven are from East Berlin. The interviews provide an exceptionally varied and intimate portrait of Jewish experience in twentieth-century Germany. There are first-hand accounts of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, the Holocaust, and the divided Germany of the Cold War era. There are also vivid descriptions of the new united Germany, with its alarming resurgence of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. Some of the men and women interviewed affirm their dual German and Jewish identities with vigor. There is the West Berliner, for instance, who proclaims, “I am a German Jew. I want to live here.” Others describe the impossibility of being both German and Jewish: “I don’t have anything in common with the whole German people.” Many confess to profound ambivalence, such as the East Berliner who feels that he is neither a native nor a foreigner in Germany: “If someone asks me, ‘Who are you?’ then I can only say, ‘I am a fish out of water.’” Uncertain, angry, resolute, anguished—the diverse testimonies of these people provide startling evidence that “the history of German Jews is not over.” “A firsthand confrontation with the inner fears and the outer realities of [German Jews] as they themselves reflect post-Shoah history and experience. This is not merely lived ‘history,’ it is ‘history’ with a living face.”—Sander L. Gilman This absorbing book of interviews takes one to the heart of modern German Jewish history. Of the eleven German Jews interviewed, four are from West Berlin, and seven are from East Berlin. The interviews provide an exceptionally varied and intimate portrait of Jewish experience in twentieth-century Germany. There are first-hand accounts of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, the Holocaust, and the divided Germany of the Cold War era. There are also vivid descriptions of the new united Germany, with its alarming resurgence of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. Some of the men and women interviewed affirm their dual German and Jewish identities with vigor. There is the West Berliner, for instance, who proclaims, “I am a German Jew. I want to live here.” Others describe the impossibility of being both German and Jewish: “I don’t have anything in common with the whole German people.” Many confess to profound ambivalence, such as the East Berliner who feels that he is neither a native nor a foreigner in Germany: “If someone asks me, ‘Who are you?’ then I can only say, ‘I am a fish out of water.’” Uncertain, angry, resolute, anguished—the diverse testimonies of these people provide startling evidence that “the history of German Jews is not over.” Contents 5 Preface 7 Part 1. Identifying German Jews 13 Part 2. Life Histories: From die Soviet Union to East and West Berlin 47 1. Ruth Benario 49 2. Albert Klein 73 Part 3. Life Histories: From the United States to East and West Berlin 91 3. Hilde Eisler 93 4. Ernst Cramer 115 Part 4. Life Histories: From England to East Berlin 131 5. Jürgen Kuczynski 133 6. Susanne Rödel 147 7. Wolfgang Herzberg 169 Part 5. Life Histories: Carrying on Tradition 189 8. Marion Ruth Thimm 191 9. Kate P. Leiterer 209 Part 6. Life Histories: Rediscovery of Jewishness East and West 231 10. Jessica Jacoby 233 11. Konstanin Münz 255 Part 7. From Surviving to Belonging: Stories of the Returned 273 Notes 305 Selected Bibliography 313 Index 319 Features interviews that takes one to the heart of modern German Jewish history. This title offers accounts of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, the Holocaust, and the divided Germany of the Cold War era. It includes vivid descriptions of the new united Germany, with its alarming resurgence of xenophobia and anti-Semitism.