Tension in Germany, between the Jews and the Nazi party, predated the mass extermination we now know as the holocaust. Nazi officials had been using propaganda newspapers such as the Angriff, which was headed by Joseph Goebbels, to promote the relocation of Jews out of Germany since the 1920’s (Segev, 19). These newspapers played to the idea of Jewish nationalism known as Zionism. Zionists believed that Jews should relocate back to the Promised Land of Scripture, which was then Palestine. Nazis initially saw relocation as a more preferable option than genocide, and were willing to utilize the media, and work with the Jewish community to achieve that goal. However, many Jews were untrusting of anything having to do with the Nazis, and saw the German relocation efforts as an impure form of Zionism. This desire held by the Jews to seek resettlement, coupled with Germany’s desire to see them leave, would contribute to the relocation of thousands of Jews into Palestine, and the eventual construction of the nation of Israel.
Signed in 1933, The Haavara document was a landmark piece of legislation for Jews living in Germany. The document allowed for Jews to move more freely from Germany into Palestine, while also allowing them to retain more of their money and personal property. For Jews living in Germany, this was an answer to prayers, as conditions were growing increasingly hostile. This surge of people seeking relocation into Palestine, benefited the Jews in Germany, the Nazi party, and the Jews already residing in Palestine. Despite all of the positives that it promised, the Haavara agreement was largely unpopular within certain circles of Zionism that decried any form of treating with the Nazis. These Jews did not want any influences from Hitler’s Germany making its way into their new Zion, and they saw German Jews who relocated solely due to fear, as not possessing the true spirit behind Zionism (Segev, 23).
What Zionism lacked was a sense of unity. Jews had been scattered throughout Europe and all had different ideas about what Israel should be. Unfortunately, it took something as catastrophic as the holocaust to bring together the Jewish people. Jews began to rally behind Zionism as a means to gain some sort of meaning out of their national identity. As Avinoam Patt wrote in Living in Landberg, Dreaming of Deganiah, “Zionism filled a symbolic need that had arisen for the Jewish people in the wake of tragedy even if not all would make the Zionist dream their personal reality”. The Zionist movement, particularly in relation to post World War II, led to the establishment of the nation-state of Israel. The decision to grant Palestine to the Israelis has had lasting repercussions that are still being felt today.
Jewish Holocaust survivors raise proudly the flag of Israel, which bears the Star of David.
It’s interesting that one of the ideas proposed by the Nazi’s was establishing a Jewish homeland instead of extermination. It was interesting that Jews did not see this relocation as a “pure” form of Zionism, how would they define a “pure” form of Zionism? It is interesting that you pointed out that the Holocaust brought Jews together on what their idea of Israel would be. I wrote a bit about that as well, it is such a sad reality that something so horrible had to occur to unify a group.
I agree the Zionism was lacking unity at this time. The Revisionists and Ben-Gurion’s group had differing view about the haavara agreement that caused some disputes about how to deal with Germany. The Revisionists wanted nothing to do with Germany, while Ben-Gurion saw this as a great opportunity to bring more Jews to Palestine. As you mentioned, some German Jews were not as religious and were moving to Palestine out of fear, but the Palestinian Jews did not want anything German tainting their land and Zionism. Was it right of the Palestinians to judge the German Jews that did not actively worship as much as they did? Wouldn’t they want to help their Jewish brothers and sisters get out of the terrible situation that was occurring in Germany?
The lack of unity of the Zionism movement certainly caused repercussions in the future. The largest one is the Arab-Israel dispute. By nature of sending displaced Jews to Palestine (their homeland) this displaced a new set of people, the Arabs who inhabited the region. This problem is only park of the problem that arose from Zionism. The Arab-Israel conflict is one specific incident that can be applied to many other displaced persons conflicts. The DPs created such a problem in Europe because by creating one population flux in one area this naturally caused a population shortage in another.