Books by Manja Herrmann
Jüdische Deutsche, die sich der zionistischen Bewegung anschlossen, taten dies in erster Linie, u... more Jüdische Deutsche, die sich der zionistischen Bewegung anschlossen, taten dies in erster Linie, um das Ideal der Authentizität zu erfüllen. Die Darstellung beginnt mit der Publikation des Werkes Rom und Jerusalem von Moses Hess (1862) und reicht bis in das zweite Jahrzehnt des 20. Jahrhunderts. Untersucht werden die Vorstellungen von einem „authentischen jüdischen Selbst“ und einem „authentischen Judentum“ im frühen deutschen zionistischen Diskurs. Entgegen der konventionellen Sicht, „authentisch“ Jüdisches ausschließlich in Osteuropa zu verorten, zeichnet diese Arbeit Existenz und Wirkungsweisen eines dem deutschen Zionismus eigenen Authentizitätskonstrukts nach. In der Konstruktion des Authentischen ist die Idee des „Unauthentischen“ allgegenwärtig. So geht das Buch der Frage nach, welche Funktionen Grenzziehungen zwischen Authentizität und „Unauthentizität“ hatten, und welche politischen Positionen sich dahinter verbargen. Daneben werden insbesondere die geschlechtergeschichtlichen Perspektiven eingehend beleuchtet.
Edited Volumes by Manja Herrmann
7. Jahrbuch Selma Stern Zentrum für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg
Dieses Jahrbuch des Selm... more 7. Jahrbuch Selma Stern Zentrum für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg
Dieses Jahrbuch des Selma Stern Zentrums für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg setzt sich – über die Grenzen der am Zentrum vertretenen Disziplinen hinweg – mit dem Konzept „Rettung” auseinander. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Rettung von und Hilfe für Jüdinnen und Juden während des Holocaust und dessen Ausdeutung nach 1945. Daneben finden sich auch Überlegungen, die sich Rettung konzeptuell nähern.
Dieser Band vereint historische, literaturwissenschaftliche, politische, philosophische und geschlechtsspezifische Analysen und liefert damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Illustration der Vielschichtigkeit eines oftmals einseitig und verkürzt beleuchteten Themenkomplexes.
Wilhelm Herzberg’s novel Jewish Family Papers, which was first published
under a pseudonym in 186... more Wilhelm Herzberg’s novel Jewish Family Papers, which was first published
under a pseudonym in 1868, was one of the bestselling German-Jewish
books of the nineteenth century. Its numerous editions, reviews, and translations
– into Dutch, English, and Hebrew – are ample proof of its impact.
Herzberg’s Jewish Family Papers picks up on some of the most central
contemporary philosophical, religious, and social debates and discusses
aspects such as emancipation, antisemitism, Jewishness and Judaism,
nationalism, and the Christian religion and culture, as well as gender roles.
So far, however, the novel has not received the scholarly attention it so
assuredly deserves. This bilingual volume is the first attempt to acknowledge
how this outstanding source can contribute to our understanding of
German-Jewish literature and culture in the nineteenth century and beyond.
Through interdisciplinary readings, it will discuss this forgotten bestseller,
embedding it within various contemporary discourses: religion, literature,
emancipation, nationalism, culture, transnationalism, gender, theology,
and philosophy.
Medaon. Magazin für jüdisches Leben in Forschung und Bildung 8, 2014
Editorial edition 14
The current issue of MEDAON turns its attention to the vast research on the... more Editorial edition 14
The current issue of MEDAON turns its attention to the vast research on the history of Zionism. For this purpose, the editors and publishers were able to collaborate with the Center for Austrian and German Studies at Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva (http://www.bgu.ac.il/german) within the context of an international cooperation. In an enjoyable exchange, exiting contributions were organized that will present new insights from the field at this point.
Our sincere gratitude is first of all due to Mark Gelber, Head of the Center for German Studies, for his willing cooperation and to Stefan Vogt, who with the assistance of Malgorzata Anna Maksymiak and Manja Herrmann organized the contributions section for this special issue and who introduces the reader into the theme of “new research on German-language Zionism”.
This special issue was completed by the editors with a number of articles, which in part transcend the German-language context. At the same time—and this is especially delightful for a journal, which is committed to the pedagogical conveying of Jewish history—one can trace the depiction of the history of Zionism in German schoolbooks in the contribution by Martin Liepach.
Finally, more than a dozen reviews, which critically acknowledge current publications and thereby show the liveliness of the field, flank the central theme of the issue.
We wish you an insightful and pleasant reading!
This issue would also not have been possible without the support of all the reviewers. Corrections were made by Cathleen Bürgelt, Katherine Ebisch-Burton, Maja-Sophie Götting, Phillip Roth und Marcus Schaub as well as Gunther Gebhard and Steffen Schröter of text plus form – the publishers thank them very much!
The MEDAON editors, April 2014.
For access to this issue click: https://www.medaon.de/en/artikel/editorial-edition-14/
Articles and Book Chapters by Manja Herrmann
German History, 2021
This article concentrates on the first German-language compilation of ‘rescue stories’, narrative... more This article concentrates on the first German-language compilation of ‘rescue stories’, narratives of Jews who survived the Holocaust with the help of non-Jews. While Kurt R. Grossmann’s 1957 book Die unbesungene Helden: Menschen in Deutschlands dunklen Tagen (The Unsung Heroes: Humans in Germany’s Dark Days) has received some scholarly attention, its original sources have not yet been examined. Previous research on the remembrance of the ‘rescue of Jews’ in Germany has tended to read Grossmann’s anthology within a single national—that is, German—context. This article provides a short introduction to Grossmann’s biography and the development history of The Unsung Heroes. It then traces the editorial history of four chapters in the anthology dealing with German cases: ‘Mieze’, ‘The Block Warden and the Eastern-Jewish Tailor’, ‘The Yellow Badge—A Symbol of Protest’ and ‘The Case of Schindler’. The article proposes that in light of its collection of material, its various sources and its production context of formerly German Jews in the United States, the text serves as a superb example of ‘transcultural’ remembrance or ‘travelling memory’.
Within the field of German-Jewish studies in general, and Zionist thinking in particular, the dis... more Within the field of German-Jewish studies in general, and Zionist thinking in particular, the discourse of authenticity is of central importance. This article critically examines the functions and effects of the ideas of “the authentic Jew” and “the authentic Jewishness” or “Judaism” within early German Zionism. It will trace the skillful marking of “authentic” and “inauthentic” entities in German-Zionist thinking. Certain figures and a certain habitus are referred to as unambiguously “inauthentic”—usually summarized in the slogan “assimilation,”—and Zionism is constructed as the only authentic form of being.
Wilhelm Herzberg’s novel Jüdische Familienpapiere. Briefe eines Missionairs (Jewish Family Papers... more Wilhelm Herzberg’s novel Jüdische Familienpapiere. Briefe eines Missionairs (Jewish Family Papers; or, Letters of aMissionary) (1868) incorporates several important insights regarding our conception of early German-Jewish nationalist or proto-Zionist discourse, two of which will be central to this article. First of all, the analysis of this discourse is usually limited to Moses Hess (1812-1875) and his Rome and Jerusalem of 1862, which is generally understood to be the first manifestation of modern Zionist thought and secular nationalist Judaism in the German lands. The rediscovery of
Herzberg’s fascinating Jewish nationalist novel represents an important additional source for this period. Secondly, and this will be the main focus of the article, the novel represents a rich text for better understanding the context of early German-Jewish nationalist concepts and ideas, especially with regard to that of authenticity.The idea of authenticity, which comprises the notion of self-fulfilment, both collective and individual, is central to national theory.Within the German-Jewish realm, a distinctive national Jewish authenticity was constructed using religious, cultural, and geocultural aspects. This formation process operates with binary concepts such as Modernity/Tradition, Judaism/Christianity, and Hebrews/Hellenes, and additionally produces geocultural spheres of authenticity, such as ‘eastern Europe’ and ‘the Orient’.
This article analyzes the relationship between universalism and
particularism in early Zionist di... more This article analyzes the relationship between universalism and
particularism in early Zionist discourse. Like every national
movement, the Zionists saw themselves faced with the paradox
between universalism and particularism that is inherent to
nationalist theory. The Zionist response to this paradox is not only
fruitful for the understanding of national ideology in general, but can also help us to understand the arguments put forward by movements of minoritized groups. In this context, the concept of hybridity is of major importance: for the Zionists, the idea of a nation—just as for other activist groups notions of ‘identity’, ‘culture’ or ‘essence’—rather than reflecting the aforementioned paradox, formed a hybrid entity consisting of both particularist and universalist aspects. The article further uncovers a fact research thus far has neglected: in support of their argument and for tactical reasons, German Zionists referred to other minority movements, such as the African American or Civil Rights movements, the Native American movement, and the women’s movement.
Conference and Workshop Posters by Manja Herrmann
Poster for the XIII. International Conference of the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin... more Poster for the XIII. International Conference of the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg. Conference Title: "New Approaches to the Rescue of Jews During the Holocaust: History, Politics, Commemoration."
Papers by Manja Herrmann
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Books by Manja Herrmann
Edited Volumes by Manja Herrmann
Dieses Jahrbuch des Selma Stern Zentrums für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg setzt sich – über die Grenzen der am Zentrum vertretenen Disziplinen hinweg – mit dem Konzept „Rettung” auseinander. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Rettung von und Hilfe für Jüdinnen und Juden während des Holocaust und dessen Ausdeutung nach 1945. Daneben finden sich auch Überlegungen, die sich Rettung konzeptuell nähern.
Dieser Band vereint historische, literaturwissenschaftliche, politische, philosophische und geschlechtsspezifische Analysen und liefert damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Illustration der Vielschichtigkeit eines oftmals einseitig und verkürzt beleuchteten Themenkomplexes.
under a pseudonym in 1868, was one of the bestselling German-Jewish
books of the nineteenth century. Its numerous editions, reviews, and translations
– into Dutch, English, and Hebrew – are ample proof of its impact.
Herzberg’s Jewish Family Papers picks up on some of the most central
contemporary philosophical, religious, and social debates and discusses
aspects such as emancipation, antisemitism, Jewishness and Judaism,
nationalism, and the Christian religion and culture, as well as gender roles.
So far, however, the novel has not received the scholarly attention it so
assuredly deserves. This bilingual volume is the first attempt to acknowledge
how this outstanding source can contribute to our understanding of
German-Jewish literature and culture in the nineteenth century and beyond.
Through interdisciplinary readings, it will discuss this forgotten bestseller,
embedding it within various contemporary discourses: religion, literature,
emancipation, nationalism, culture, transnationalism, gender, theology,
and philosophy.
The current issue of MEDAON turns its attention to the vast research on the history of Zionism. For this purpose, the editors and publishers were able to collaborate with the Center for Austrian and German Studies at Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva (http://www.bgu.ac.il/german) within the context of an international cooperation. In an enjoyable exchange, exiting contributions were organized that will present new insights from the field at this point.
Our sincere gratitude is first of all due to Mark Gelber, Head of the Center for German Studies, for his willing cooperation and to Stefan Vogt, who with the assistance of Malgorzata Anna Maksymiak and Manja Herrmann organized the contributions section for this special issue and who introduces the reader into the theme of “new research on German-language Zionism”.
This special issue was completed by the editors with a number of articles, which in part transcend the German-language context. At the same time—and this is especially delightful for a journal, which is committed to the pedagogical conveying of Jewish history—one can trace the depiction of the history of Zionism in German schoolbooks in the contribution by Martin Liepach.
Finally, more than a dozen reviews, which critically acknowledge current publications and thereby show the liveliness of the field, flank the central theme of the issue.
We wish you an insightful and pleasant reading!
This issue would also not have been possible without the support of all the reviewers. Corrections were made by Cathleen Bürgelt, Katherine Ebisch-Burton, Maja-Sophie Götting, Phillip Roth und Marcus Schaub as well as Gunther Gebhard and Steffen Schröter of text plus form – the publishers thank them very much!
The MEDAON editors, April 2014.
For access to this issue click: https://www.medaon.de/en/artikel/editorial-edition-14/
Articles and Book Chapters by Manja Herrmann
Herzberg’s fascinating Jewish nationalist novel represents an important additional source for this period. Secondly, and this will be the main focus of the article, the novel represents a rich text for better understanding the context of early German-Jewish nationalist concepts and ideas, especially with regard to that of authenticity.The idea of authenticity, which comprises the notion of self-fulfilment, both collective and individual, is central to national theory.Within the German-Jewish realm, a distinctive national Jewish authenticity was constructed using religious, cultural, and geocultural aspects. This formation process operates with binary concepts such as Modernity/Tradition, Judaism/Christianity, and Hebrews/Hellenes, and additionally produces geocultural spheres of authenticity, such as ‘eastern Europe’ and ‘the Orient’.
particularism in early Zionist discourse. Like every national
movement, the Zionists saw themselves faced with the paradox
between universalism and particularism that is inherent to
nationalist theory. The Zionist response to this paradox is not only
fruitful for the understanding of national ideology in general, but can also help us to understand the arguments put forward by movements of minoritized groups. In this context, the concept of hybridity is of major importance: for the Zionists, the idea of a nation—just as for other activist groups notions of ‘identity’, ‘culture’ or ‘essence’—rather than reflecting the aforementioned paradox, formed a hybrid entity consisting of both particularist and universalist aspects. The article further uncovers a fact research thus far has neglected: in support of their argument and for tactical reasons, German Zionists referred to other minority movements, such as the African American or Civil Rights movements, the Native American movement, and the women’s movement.
Conference and Workshop Posters by Manja Herrmann
Papers by Manja Herrmann
Dieses Jahrbuch des Selma Stern Zentrums für Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg setzt sich – über die Grenzen der am Zentrum vertretenen Disziplinen hinweg – mit dem Konzept „Rettung” auseinander. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Rettung von und Hilfe für Jüdinnen und Juden während des Holocaust und dessen Ausdeutung nach 1945. Daneben finden sich auch Überlegungen, die sich Rettung konzeptuell nähern.
Dieser Band vereint historische, literaturwissenschaftliche, politische, philosophische und geschlechtsspezifische Analysen und liefert damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Illustration der Vielschichtigkeit eines oftmals einseitig und verkürzt beleuchteten Themenkomplexes.
under a pseudonym in 1868, was one of the bestselling German-Jewish
books of the nineteenth century. Its numerous editions, reviews, and translations
– into Dutch, English, and Hebrew – are ample proof of its impact.
Herzberg’s Jewish Family Papers picks up on some of the most central
contemporary philosophical, religious, and social debates and discusses
aspects such as emancipation, antisemitism, Jewishness and Judaism,
nationalism, and the Christian religion and culture, as well as gender roles.
So far, however, the novel has not received the scholarly attention it so
assuredly deserves. This bilingual volume is the first attempt to acknowledge
how this outstanding source can contribute to our understanding of
German-Jewish literature and culture in the nineteenth century and beyond.
Through interdisciplinary readings, it will discuss this forgotten bestseller,
embedding it within various contemporary discourses: religion, literature,
emancipation, nationalism, culture, transnationalism, gender, theology,
and philosophy.
The current issue of MEDAON turns its attention to the vast research on the history of Zionism. For this purpose, the editors and publishers were able to collaborate with the Center for Austrian and German Studies at Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva (http://www.bgu.ac.il/german) within the context of an international cooperation. In an enjoyable exchange, exiting contributions were organized that will present new insights from the field at this point.
Our sincere gratitude is first of all due to Mark Gelber, Head of the Center for German Studies, for his willing cooperation and to Stefan Vogt, who with the assistance of Malgorzata Anna Maksymiak and Manja Herrmann organized the contributions section for this special issue and who introduces the reader into the theme of “new research on German-language Zionism”.
This special issue was completed by the editors with a number of articles, which in part transcend the German-language context. At the same time—and this is especially delightful for a journal, which is committed to the pedagogical conveying of Jewish history—one can trace the depiction of the history of Zionism in German schoolbooks in the contribution by Martin Liepach.
Finally, more than a dozen reviews, which critically acknowledge current publications and thereby show the liveliness of the field, flank the central theme of the issue.
We wish you an insightful and pleasant reading!
This issue would also not have been possible without the support of all the reviewers. Corrections were made by Cathleen Bürgelt, Katherine Ebisch-Burton, Maja-Sophie Götting, Phillip Roth und Marcus Schaub as well as Gunther Gebhard and Steffen Schröter of text plus form – the publishers thank them very much!
The MEDAON editors, April 2014.
For access to this issue click: https://www.medaon.de/en/artikel/editorial-edition-14/
Herzberg’s fascinating Jewish nationalist novel represents an important additional source for this period. Secondly, and this will be the main focus of the article, the novel represents a rich text for better understanding the context of early German-Jewish nationalist concepts and ideas, especially with regard to that of authenticity.The idea of authenticity, which comprises the notion of self-fulfilment, both collective and individual, is central to national theory.Within the German-Jewish realm, a distinctive national Jewish authenticity was constructed using religious, cultural, and geocultural aspects. This formation process operates with binary concepts such as Modernity/Tradition, Judaism/Christianity, and Hebrews/Hellenes, and additionally produces geocultural spheres of authenticity, such as ‘eastern Europe’ and ‘the Orient’.
particularism in early Zionist discourse. Like every national
movement, the Zionists saw themselves faced with the paradox
between universalism and particularism that is inherent to
nationalist theory. The Zionist response to this paradox is not only
fruitful for the understanding of national ideology in general, but can also help us to understand the arguments put forward by movements of minoritized groups. In this context, the concept of hybridity is of major importance: for the Zionists, the idea of a nation—just as for other activist groups notions of ‘identity’, ‘culture’ or ‘essence’—rather than reflecting the aforementioned paradox, formed a hybrid entity consisting of both particularist and universalist aspects. The article further uncovers a fact research thus far has neglected: in support of their argument and for tactical reasons, German Zionists referred to other minority movements, such as the African American or Civil Rights movements, the Native American movement, and the women’s movement.