Obraz wschodnioeuropejskiego Żyda w piśmiennictwie żydowskich pisarzy niemieckojęzycznych dwudziestolecia międzywojennego

Abstract

The verbal categorization of the Jewish population into Eastern and Western Jews emerged in German-speaking regions at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This division was primarily based on attitudes toward assimilation, with Eastern Jews generally less inclined to assimilate than their Western counterparts. Eastern Jewish identity was expressed through distinctive attire, language, and speech, and was often perceived by assimilated German Jews as culturally foreign. Consequently, their organizations were largely closed to newcomers from the East, and Jewish migration was viewed negatively within German Jewish circles. A significant shift in the perception of Eastern Jews occurred through the writings and translations of the Zionist thinker Martin Buber, who popularized East European Hasidism. This role of cultural mediation was further advanced by the journals “Ost und West” (1901–1922) and “Der Jude” (1916–1927), as well as by the publishing house Jüdischer Verlag. In the 1920s, authors such as Arnold Zweig, Alfred Döblin, and Joseph Roth also contributed to the dissemination and appreciation of East European Jewish culture.