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Anti-Semitism in the Finnish Academe: rejection of Israel-Jakob Schur's PhD dissertation at the University of Helsinki (1937) and Åbo Akademi University (1938) 1

2009; Routledge; Volume: 34; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03468750902860468

1502-7716

Simo Muir,

Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics

Abstract The primary goal of this article is to present anti-Semitism as the underlying reason for the rejection of Israel-Jakob Schur's PhD dissertation at the University of Helsinki and at Åbo Akademi University in the late 1930s. The article analyzes the different stages of the processes and the ideological background and motives underpinning the rejections. Schur's antagonists were right-wing professors, some of whom sympathized with National Socialism and/or maintained contacts with eminent German anti-Semitic ideologues. The article analyzes the rhetoric of the written statements, which contain ideas of Christian anti-Semitism as well as other anti-Jewish stances. Moreover, the article demonstrates that Schur was regarded as an alien element in the Finnish academe, and the topic of his research – circumcision – was considered non-national from the perspective of Finnish science. Keywords: Finlandanti-SemitismUniversity of HelsinkiÅbo Akademi University Wissenschaft des Judentums Notes 1 This article draws upon the signatory's recently published article: 'Israel-Jakob Schurin väitöskirjan hylkääminen Helsingin yliopistossa 1937: antisemitismiä, kielikiistaa ja henkilöintriigejä', Historiallinen Aikakauskirja 4 (2007). The current article contains new information concerning the handling of Schur's dissertation at Åbo Akademi University. 2 The data have been gathered from the student register 1935–1939. The Jewish names are from the register of members of the Jewish congregation in Helsinki during the period 1918–1946. 3 Mäenpää et al., Israel-Jakob Schurin väitöskirjan käsittely ja hylkääminen. 4 On Schur's biography and bibligraphy see Muir, Yiddish in Helsinki, 56, 92; Muir, 'Fenno-jidica', 518. 5 Westermarck's letter to the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, 14 November 1936. 6 The protocols and statements attached to them are hereafter referred to by their dates and author. The statements have been translated from the original Swedish and Finnish by the signatory. 7 Saarisalo's letter to the Rector of the University of Helsinki, 19 March 1937. 8 In G.J. Ramstedt's Collection, Finnish National Library. 9 See page 51 in Hämäläinen's copy of Schur's dissertation, A. Hämäläinen's Collection. I wish to thank I. Salomaa for bringing this remark to my knowledge. 10 Salomaa, 'Ja niin loppui radikalismilta veto', 503–7. 11 Present were [Arthur] Långfors, [Juho Heikki] Vennola, [Yrjö] Hirn, [Edwin] Linkomies, [Aarne Michaël] Tallgren, [Gunnar] Castrén, [Viljo] Tarkiainen, [Onni] Okkonen, [Martti] Rapola, G. [Gabriel] Rein, [Eino] Kaila, E. [Edvard] Rein, [Albert] Hämäläinen, [Jalmari] Jaakkola, [Väinö] Salminen, [Herman] Gummerus, [Yrjö Henrik] Toivonen, [Kaarlo Ilmari] Kovero, [Jalo] Kalima, [Arno Rafael] Cederberg, [Juho August] Hollo, [Uno] Lindelöf, [Georg John] Ramstedt and [Yrjö] Ruutu. [Aapeli] Saarisalo was ill; absent without reason were [Albert] Lilius, T. E. [Tor Evert] Karsten and [Gunnar] Landtman. For some reason Rafael Karsten's name is not mentioned at all. 12 G.J. Ramstedt's Collection. 13 Salmela, Suomalaisen kulttuurifilosofian vuosisata, 173–4; Klinge, Helsingin yliopisto, 147–50. 14 Hietala, 'Tutkijat ja Saksan suunta', 46. 15 Salomaa, Rafael Karsten, 76. 16 Kater, 'Everyday Anti-Semitism', 129–59; Friedländer, The Years of Persecution, 229. 17 Samuli Skurnik's interview in David. 18 Ekberg, Führerns trogna följeslagare, 343. 19 Kuparinen, Antisemitismin musta kirja, 284. 20 See the discussion at a meeting of the Finnish National Radio [Yleisradio] in David. 21 Barth's letter to the Rector, 26 August 1938. 22 Hietala, 'Tutkijat ja Saksan suunta', 49–50. 23 Kuparinen, Antisemitismin musta kirja, 281–2; Bélinki, 'Shylock in Finland', 45–56. 24 Klinge, Vihan veljistä valtiososialismiin, 160–1. 25 Karemaa, Vihollisia, vainoojia ja syöpäläisiä, 183. 26 Sibelius, Dagbok, 204, 206, 234, 235. 27 Levin-Silvenius, 'Naum Levin', 29–31; Muir, 'Vanha juutalainen musiikki Helsingissä', 19; Samuel Maslovat's interview, David. 28 Torvinen, Kadimah, 118; Samuel Maslovat's and Samuel Hirschowitsch's interviews, David. 29 See Hanski, 'Juutalaisvastaisuus'. 30 Niemelä, Antti Filemon Puukko, 18; Salomaa, Rafael Karsten, 200–15. 31 Salomaa, 'Ja niin loppui radikalismilta veto', 503–7. 32 See Wassermann, 'Wissenschaft des Judentums'. 33 E-mail correspondence with I. Salomaa, March 2007. 34 Klinge, Vihan veljistä valtiososialismiin, 57–65. 35 Niemelä, Antti Filemon Puukko, 22, 205–7. 36 Myllykoski and Lundgren, Murhatun Jumalan varjo, 364–5. 37 See webpage of Israelin Ystävat ry [Friends of Israel], http://www.israelinystavat.fi/historia2.htm. 38 Lauha, Zaphon. 39 Puukko's letter of recommendation, 20 May 1932. 40 Invitation card to the Finnish Oriental Society, 13 October 1932. 41 Tommila et al., Suomen tieteen historia 2, 163–7. 42 See Salomaa, Rafael Karsten, 76. 43 Hanski, 'Juutalaisvastaisuus', 200, 291. 44 See Israel-Jakob Schur's personal card in the Archives of Finnish Security Police [Valpo]. 45 See Friedländer, 'The Demise', 73. 46 See correspondence in A. F. Puukko's Collection. 47 Ericksen, Theologians under Hitler, 55. 48 Michael, Holy Hatred, 156. 49 Ibid., 159. 50 Halén, Biliktu Bakshi, 291. 51 Kuparinen, Antisemitismin musta kirja, 281, 285. 52 Halén, Biliktu Bakshi, 64. 53 Klinge, Helsingin yliopisto, 73, 87–90. 54 Helsingin Sanomat, 10 April 1937. 55 Saarisalo, Elämäni mosaiikki, 24. 56 Ibid., 123–31. 57 Friedländer, 'The Demise', 78. On the relation of the German academic elite to nationalism and National Socialism see Ibid., 81. 58 Friedländer, The Years of Persecution, 56, 347. 59 See Ibid., 51. 60 Myllykoski and Lundgren, Murhatun Jumalan varjo, 339; Wassermann, 'Wissenschaft des Judentums', 86. 61 Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction, 305. 62 Brustein, Roots of Hate, 53. 63 Niemelä, Antti Filemon Puukko, 63. 64 Kusche, Die unterlegene Religion, 119. 65 Niemelä, Antti Filemon Puukko, 148. 66 Klinge, Vihan veljistä valtiososialismiin, 173. 67 Wassermann, 'Wissenschaft des Judentums', 83, 92. 68 Brustein, Roots of Hate, 49. 69 Wassermann, 'Wissenschaft des Judentums', 86. 70 Lowenstein, 'The Beginning of Integration', 128. 71 Fishman, 'Lively Life', 210. 72 Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction, 204. 73 Brustein, Roots of Hate, 133; Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction, 307. 74 Tamagne, 'The Homosexual Age', 192. 75 Brustein, Roots of Hate, 64, 133, 143; Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction, 303–17. 76 Lector Dietrich Assmann's and Professor Emeritus Helmut Diekmann's statements on Schur's German, see Mäenpää et al., Israel-Jakob Schurin väitöskirjan käsittely ja hylkääminen, appendices 5 and 6. 77 Michael, Holy Hatred, 153. 78 Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction, 307, 314. 79 Brustein, Roots of Hate, 53. 80 To the best of my knowledge, no copy of the dissertation is available. 81 Westermarck's letter to Karsten, 14 November 1936. 82 Schur's letter to Lagerborg, 4 February 1938. 83 The pre-defence was discussed in four meetings of the Faculty of Humanities, 1 February, 28 February, 16 March and 24 March 1938. 84 Friedländer, The Years of Persecution, 228. 85 Gyllenberg, Rafael Gyllenberg, 143. 86 Ibid., 112–26; see correspondence between Gyllenberg and Kittel in R. Gyllenberg's Collection. 87 Wikman's statement, 10 March 1938. 88 Anttonen, Uno Harva, 107. 89 See Ibid., 87. 90 See Salomaa, Rafael Karsten, 294. 91 Högnäs, Kustens och skogarnas folk, 71. 92 Wikman, 'Österbottens svenskar', 94. 93 Ekberg, Führerns trogna följeslagare, 307; Wikman, 'Finländsk fascism'. 94 The following voted against Schur: [Werner] Wolf, Professor of German Philology, [Rolf] Pipping, Professor of Swedish and Nordic Philology, [Gabriel] Nikander, Professor of Nordic Cultural History and Ethnology, [Johannes] Sundwall, Professor of History of Antiquity, and [Per Olof] von Törne, Professor of Nordic History. The following votes in favour of Schur: [H.W.] Donner, Professor of English Language and Literature, [Arthur] Montgommery, Professor of National Economics, [Olaf] Homén, Professor of Literature History and [Rolf] Lagerborg, Professor of Philosophy. 95 Ellonen, Suomen professorit, 828. 96 Friedländer, The Years of Persecution, 227. 97 Högnäs, Kustens och skogarnas folk, 86. 98 Ekberg, Führerns trogna följeslagare, 161. 99 Email correspondence with Malte Gasche, September 2008. Gasche is writing his PhD on 'Germanischer Wissenschaftseinsatz' at the University of Helsinki. 100 Byström, En broder, 78, 81. The Swedish conception of the Nordic prerogative differed from that of the Germans in the sense that 'race' and 'blood' did not play such an important role in the discourse. 101 Larsmo, Djävulssonaten, 20. 102 Memorandum of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters concerning the printing of Schur's dissertation, undated; Knut Tallqvist's letter to the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, undated. 103 Numelin, Gunnar Landtman, 42–3. 104 Ibid., 42–3. 105 The matter first appeared in Helsingin Sanomat, 7 January 2008. 106 Helsingin Sanomat, 8 January 2008; 10 January 2008; 12 January 2008. 107 Die Welt, 13 December 2005. 108 Mäenpää et al., Israel-Jakob Schurin väitöskirjan käsittely ja hylkääminen. 109 Helsingin Sanomat, 17 April 2008. 110 ResearchResearch. Newspaper for the Research World, 18 April 2008. 111 Helsingin Sanomat, 31 May 2008; Email correspondence with Dan Kantor, September 2008.