Description
Book SynopsisOffers an assessment of the non-Jewish defense of Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness from the foundation of the German Reich in 1871 until the ascent of the Nazis in 1932, when befriending Jews became a crime. Alan T. Levenson reveals the dynamic process by which a generally despised minority attracts defenders and supporters.
Trade Review“Whether addressing voices in the German peace movement, authors of works of fiction, missionaries, or supporters of Herzlian Zionism, Levenson detects a common thread of otherness preventing any mutually constructive German-Jewish symbiosis from emerging. In the shadow of the Holocaust, Levenson demonstrates that all shades of anti-semitism were present in the German culture . . . the complex matrix of social interaction that made the Holocaust possible.”—D. A. Meier,
Choice“A vigorous defense of philosemitism as a moral and intellectual category in the history of German-Jewish relations from Bismarck to Hitler.”—
Central European History “Levenson presents a balanced picture that is neither apologetic of the German intellectual tradition nor indulges in the simplistic construction of an antisemitic German ‘national character.’ . . . The book is very interesting throughout, carefully argued and documented, and well-written. It should be widely read.”—Marcel Stoetzler,
German Studies Review “Levenson’s analysis is penetrating and his conclusions . . . are well worth considering.”—Daniel J. Rettberg,
Association of Jewish Libraries NewsletterTable of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Part 1. Philosemitism in the Public Arena
1. Philosemetic Discourse in Imperial Germany
2. The German Peace Movement and the Jews
3. The Problematics of Philosemetic Fiction
4. Missionary Protestants and the Defense of Judaism
Part 2. Philosemitic Tendencies and Individuals
5. The Gentile Reception of Herzlian Zionism
6. Christian Author, Jewish Book?
7. An Adventure in Otherness
8. The Apostate as Philosemite
Appendix: The Case for Philosemitism
AfterwordNotes
Selected Bibliography
Source Acknowledgments
Index
