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Convergence: The Classic Case Nazi Germany, Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism during World War II

2006; Routledge; Volume: 25; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13531040500502700

1744-0548

Jeffrey Herf,

German History and Society

Abstract Despite granting permission for limited Jewish emigration to Palestine in the 1930s, the ideology and policy of the Nazi regime never supported establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. During World War II, Hitler's ideologically consistent view that such a state would be a branch of an international Jewish conspiracy converged with shorter-term efforts to gain Arab and Islamic support for the Third Reich's military goals in the Middle East. The ideological convergence of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism found expression in the works of Nazi propagandists as well as in the speeches and radio addresses of Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, broadcast from wartime Berlin to the Middle East. Examination of the lineages, similarities and differences between Europe's totalitarian past and its aftereffects in the Arab and Islamic world remains an important task for comparative historical scholarship. Notes [1] This article draws partly on research from a larger project on the history of Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda during World War II and the Holocaust. See CitationHerf, The Jewish Enemy. Also see CitationHerf, "The 'Jewish War.'" [2] CitationHitler, Mein Kampf, 324–25. [3] CitationFriedländer, Nazi Germany and the Jews, vol. 1, The Years of Persecution. [4] See CitationNicosia, The Third Reich and the Palestine Question, "Zionism and Palestine," "Ein Nützlicher Feind," and "Zionism in National Socialist Jewish Policy." [5] Rosenberg, Der Staatsfeindliche Zionismus (1938). [6] See Rosenberg, Der Staatsfeindliche Zionismus (1922), 62–63; and CitationNicosia, "Zionism in National Socialist Jewish Policy," 1256–57. [7] CitationRosenberg, Schriften aus den Jahren 1917–1921. See in particular his discussions of the Jews and the Free Masons, Zionism, Jewish world rule and the consequences. Also see the Nazi publication of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion with Rosenberg's foreword and introduction, Rosenberg, Die Protokolle der Weissen von Zion. By this 4th edition in 1933, the press had published 25,000 copies. [8] See Rosenberg, "Deutschfeindliche Auslassungen, Zionismus und Bolschewismus," in idem, Der Staatsfeindliche Zionismus (1938), 50–64. [9] See Rosenberg, "Deutschfeindliche Auslassungen, Zionismus und Bolschewismus," in idem, Der Staatsfeindliche Zionismus (1938), 73–78. [10] See Rosenberg, "Deutschfeindliche Auslassungen, Zionismus und Bolschewismus," in idem, Der Staatsfeindliche Zionismus (1938), 86. [11] Nicosia, "Zionism in National Socialist Jewish Policy," 1259. [12] Ibid., 1262–63. [13] Ibid., 1267. [14] Ibid., 1281. [15] Rosenberg, "Die Judenfrage als Weltproblem," 64–72; also in Völkischer Beobachter (hereafter VB), 29 March 1941, 1–2; also see the radio transcript of the speech, "28.3.1941, Alfred Rosenberg, Rundfunkvortrag in Berlin im Anschluß an die erste Arbeitstagung des "Instituts zur Erforschung der Judenfrage" in Frankfurt am Main über "Die Judenfrage als Weltproblem"," in CitationRoller, ed., Judenverfolgung und jüdisches Leben, 1:181–87. [16] CitationRosenberg, "Die Judenfrage als Weltproblem," 64–65. [17] CitationRosenberg, "Die Judenfrage als Weltproblem,", 70–71. [18] The following draws on my forthcoming book, The Jewish Enemy. [19] "Antisemitismus," Zeitschriften-Dienst, no. 6 (13 June 1939), Nr. 222. [20] Sammlung Oberheitmann, Bundesarchiv Koblenz, VIdRMVP, V.I., Nr. 215/44, 30 September 1944, Zsg 109/51. [21] CitationHest, Palästina: Judenstaat? and Der Aufbruch in der arabischen Welt. [22] "Bucher: Juden, Engländer, Araber," Zeitschriften-Dienst, no. 17 (26 August 1939), Nr. 656, p. 18. See CitationHest, Palästina: Judenstaat? [23] Hest, Palästina: Judenstaat? [24] Cited in Hest, Palästina: Judenstaat?, 49–50. [25] Hest, Palästina: Judenstaat?, 98. [26] Hest, Palästina: Judenstaat?, 101. [27] Hest, Der Aufbruch in der arabischen Welt. [28] Hest, Der Aufbruch in der arabischen Welt, 38. [29] Hest, Der Aufbruch in der arabischen Welt, 80. [30] Hest, Der Aufbruch in der arabischen Welt, 91. [31] CitationWirsing, Engländer, Juden, Araber in Palästina, 120. The book sold 10,000 copies in four editions. [32] "Die englisch-jüdische Allianz," in Zeitschriften-Dienst, (8 November 1940), Nr. 3504. See CitationMeyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz. By this 3rd edition in 1942, 20,000 copies had been printed. See also the sequel to Mein Kampf that Hitler wrote in 1928 but did not publish. Discovered by the historian CitationGerhard Weinberg in 1958 in American archives of captured German documents, it was first published in German in 1961 and in English in 2003. Hitler argued that England would be amenable to German plans for expansion to the East and domination of the continent unless the Jews would stand in the way: "But another important factor for England's attitude toward Germany appeared as well: world Jewry, which also exerts a controlling influence in England." While "the English people" could "overcome the war psychosis vis-à-vis Germany ... world Jewry will leave nothing undone to keep the old enmities alive, to prevent a pacification of Europe, and to enable—in the confusion of general turbulence—full expression of its disruptive Bolshevik tendencies .... One cannot speak of world politics without taking this most terrible power into account" (Weinberg, ed., Hitler's Second Book, 174). Hitler's views about the role of world Jewry in England and elsewhere found ample expression in Nazi propaganda by Meyer-Christian and others. [33] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 10–11. [34] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 18. [35] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 20–26. [36] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 78. [37] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 89. [38] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 141. [39] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 142–45. [40] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 153. [41] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 185 and 188. [42] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 200. [43] The literature on Sombart is extensive. See CitationHerf, Reactionary Modernism, 130–51; and CitationMuller, The Mind and the Market. [44] Meyer-Christian, Die englisch-jüdische Allianz, 207–8. [45] "Die Briten–Helfer des Bolschewismus," and "USA auch in Vorderasien," Zeitschriften-Dienst, no. 199/68, 26 February 1943, Nr. 8433, and Nr. 8435, p. 2. [46] "Die islamische Welt als Kulturfaktor," Zeitschriften-Dienst, no. 175/44, 11 September 1942, Nr. 7514, p. 2. [47] "Die islamische Welt als Kulturfaktor," Zeitschriften-Dienst, no. 175/44, 11 September 1942, Nr. 7514, p. 2 [48] "Aufruf des Großmufti gegen die Todfeinde des Islams, Araber werden für ihre Freiheit an der Seite der Achse kämpfen," VB, 20 March 1943, 1. The Nazi regime published a sympathetic book about the Grand Mufti. See CitationFischer-Weth, Amin Al-Husseini. [49] On the Grand Mufti in wartime Berlin, see the valuable study by CitationGensicke, Der Mufti von Jerusalem. On contact beginning in 1937, see 45–55. For a very early and quite detailed account of Husseini's cooperation with the Nazis, and criticism of the failure to bring him to justice, see CitationWiesenthal, Großmufti–Großagent der Achse. [50] "Aufruf des Großmufti gegen die Todfeinde des Islams," VB, 20 March 1943, 1. [51] "Englisch-amerikanischer Gegensatz im Nahen-Osten, Juda präsentiert den Wechsel, Palästina, Ägypten und Irak sollen jüdisch-amerikanische Kolonien werden," VB, 6 October 1943, 1; also see "Englands Polizistenrolle für das Weltjudentum, Britische militärmacht soll für Ordnung und Sicherheit in Palestine sorgen," VB, 11 October 1943, 1. [52] "Englisch-amerikanischer Gegensatz." [53] "Englisch-amerikanischer Gegensatz." [54] Gensicke, Der Mufti von Jerusalem, 134–39. [55] Cited in Gensicke, Der Mufti von Jerusalem, 155, from the Politisches Archiv Auswärtiges Amt, "handakten Ettel 3," no date, 304371. [56] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 55: Rede zur Eröffnung des Islamischen Zentral-Instituts in Berlin, 18.12.1942," in CitationHöpp, Mufti-Papiere, 123–26. [57] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 73: Rede zum Maulid, 19.3.1943," in Höpp, Mufti-Papiere, 152–55. [58] On these contacts and activities, see Gensicke, Der Mufti von Jerusalem, 149–212 and 225–51. On the letter to Ribbentrop, see 160–61. [59] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 101: An Himmler, 27.7.1944," in Höpp, ed., Mufti-Papiere, 216. [60] On the Bosnian and Muslim SS volunteer division, see Gensicke, Der Mufti von Jerusalem, 167–212. [61] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 104: Rede vor den Imamen der bosnischen SS-Division, 4.10.1944," in Höpp, ed., Mufti-Papiere, 224–25. [62] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 18a: Rundfunkerklärfung an das agyptische Volk, 3.7.1942," in Höpp, ed., Mufti-Papiere, 45–46. [63] Amin al Husseini, "Nr. 42: Rundfunkrede an die Araber ("Märtyrerrede"), 11.11.1942," in Höpp, ed., Mufti-Papiere, 103–5. [64] Amin al-Husseini, "Nr. 45a: Rundfunkrede an die Nordafrikaner, 25/26.11.1942," in Höpp, ed., Mufti-Papiere, 115. [65] See CitationHerf, "What Is Old and What Is New," 25–32. [66] See CitationHirszowicz, The Third Reich and the Arab East; CitationKedourie, Arabic Political Memoirs; CitationCao-Van-Hoa, "Der Feind meines Feindes..."; and CitationSchwanitz, ed., Jenseits der Legenden. For the most comprehensive synthesis of the global dimensions of World War II, see CitationWeinberg, A World at Arms. [67] CitationBerman, Terror and Liberalism; CitationKüntzel, Djihad und Judenhaß. [68] Berman, Terror and Liberalism, 21. [69] See Herf, Reactionary Modernism. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJeffrey Herf Jeffrey Herf is Professor of History at the University of Maryland.