Zvi Asaria's Zionism and the Reconstruction of Jewish Life in post-war Germany

• In Event: The New Jew: Between Germany and Zion

Abstract

My paper discusses Zvi Asaria’s prominent role in the reconstruction of Jewish life in post-war Germany in connection with his strong commitment to Zionism. While little attention has been paid to Asaria to date, as I will show, he was a crucial actor in post-war Jewish life in Germany and exerted a lasting influence.
Originally a military rabbi in the Yugoslavian army, he survived the Shoah in a prisoner-of-war camp in Northern Germany and served in various functions in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp, before emigrating to the newly founded State of Israel in 1949. Despite his ensuing Zionist belief in Israel as the Jewish homeland, he soon returned to Germany. As part of the so-called Israel Mission, which was assembled to process the reparation payments from the German state, Asaria move to Cologne in 1953. In the same year, he was appointed rabbi by the local Jewish community. In this position, he left an enduring legacy to ensure that Jewish life in Cologne and beyond would thrive. For example, he was a key figure in rebuilding the synagogue for the Jewish community of Cologne. Furthermore, as head rabbi for Lower Saxony (from 1966 to 1971), he was critical in driving efforts to rebuild local synagogues, restore Jewish cemeteries and erect memorials to the murdered. Yet, in his historical and theological writings, as well as in public statements, Asaria expressed doubts over the possibility of the continuation of Jewish life in Germany.
In my paper, I will address the following questions:
• How did Asaria reconcile his Zionist conviction with his strong commitment to reviving Jewish life in Germany?
• What was his conceptualization of the Holocaust as a historical event in Jewish history?
• How did he envision the future of German Jewry, especially in relation to the State of Israel?

Author

• Sebastian Musch, University Osnabrueck