German as A Jewish Problem: The Language Politics of Jewish Nationalism Seminar

Abstract:

 

German has held a momentous and multifaceted place in the modern history of European Jews. It was at once a pathway to secular knowledge, a language of Jewish religious reforms, a marker of Central European Jewish emancipation, and an esteemed global language of modern culture. These attributes continued to play a crucial role in the formation of Jewish national culture and politics beginning in the late nineteenth century. However, the history of the German language as an integral part of the Jewish social landscape has been largely forgotten and overshadowed by the catastrophic events that befell Jews under Nazi rule. This talk explores the place of German in the formation of Jewish national culture, and argues that it is impossible to understand the histories of modern Hebrew and Yiddish without situating them in relation to German.

Please register for this event on the above link. We will send you joining instructions on the day of the event.

This seminar will be chaired by Joachim Schlor