FROM MISSION TO MEMORY: WALTER BENJAMIN AND WERNER SCHOLEM IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF GERSHOM SCHOLEM

Abstract

This article deals with Gershom Scholem's role in the remembrance and reception of two of the most influential figures of his youth: Walter Benjamin and Werner Scholem. The first part of the article examines his role in the reception and remembrance of Walter Benjamin in Germany, focusing on his position among émigré intellectuals in the light of Scholem's complex relationship with his friend and colleague Theodor Adorno. The second part of the article compares Scholem's memory of his friend with the remembrance of his brother, the communist politician Werner Scholem. By analysing the way Gershom Scholem reflected his relationship with his friend and his brother throughout the 1960s and 1970s, his own position towards the political and social changes in post war Germany is discussed.

Notes

1. Szondi, “Hope in the Past,” 502.

2. Joseph Weiss to Jacob Taubes, letter from 15 January 1949 (Hebrew). In Susan Taubes Archive, Zentrum für Literaturforschung, Berlin. The authors wish to thank Christina Pareigis and Martin Treml for sharing this letter with them. “Major Trends” refers to Scholem's authoritative book: Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism.

3. Benjamin, Briefe. vols 1-2. For the English translation see Benjamin, The Correspondence: 1910-1940.

4. G. Scholem, Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship, 53.

5. See e.g. G. Scholem, Tagebücher: 2, 395–6, 409, 413.

6. See e.g. Jacob Taubes, “Der liebe Gott steckt im Detail,” 26. In an article in Ha'aretz from 14 April 1967, Robert Weltsch noted that at the time Walter Benjamin was known in Israel only to the writer S.Y. Agnon and to Benjamin's immigrant friends Werner Kraft and Kitty Steinschneider,

7. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism.

8. Scholem, Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship, 215.

9. See Garber, Rezeption und Rettung, 124–34; Küpper and Skrandies, “Rezeptionsgeschichte,” 17–56.

10. Benjamin, Schriften, vols 1-2.

11. On these volumes and Scholem's role in their preparation see Adorno, Suhrkamp and Unseld, “So müsste ich ein Engel und kein Autor sein,” 85–93.

12. Rolf Tiedemann, “Erinnerung an Scholem” [1993], 197.

13. “ohne daß man so recht hätte sagen können: Autorität wofür:” Rolf Tiedemann, “Erinnerung an Scholem” [1998], 212.

14. Interview with Jürgen Habermas on Gershom Scholem, Munich, 03 July 2006.

15. Theodor W. Adorno, Traumprotokoll vom 13.04.1962, in The National Library Jerusalem, Department of Archives, Gershom Scholem Archive 1599, Adorno correspondence file. For a similar text, where the name of Scholem is omitted, see Adorno, Traumprotokolle, 76.

16. Schöttker, Konservativer Fragmentarismus, 115.

17. The main voices of critic were Heissenbüttel, “Vom Zeugnis des Fortlebens in Briefen;” Hamm, “Unter den Neuern der Wichtigste.” The journal Alternative dedicated, in fall 1967, a whole volume to the critique of Adorno's way of editing Benjamin's writings.

18. See also Behrmann, “Kulturrevolution; ” Garber, Rezeption und Rettung, 152–61; Küpper and Skrandies, “Rezeptionsgeschichte,” 22–5; G. Scholem, Briefe II, 309–12.

19. Gershom Scholem to Theodor W. Adorno, letter from 08 February1968, in Briefe II, 203.

20. It is interesting to note here that almost all of Scholem's writings about his late friend were first published in German. See e.g. Benjamin, Berliner Chronik; G. Scholem, “Ahnen und Verwandten Walter Benjamins,” 29–55. This article was also the last one Scholem wrote in his life. Scholem's essays on Benjamin were published after his death in Scholem, Walter Benjamin und sein Engel.

21. Benjamin, Berliner Kindheit; Benjamin, Berliner Chronik. See also Malachi H. Hacohen in this volume and Szondi, “Hope in the Past,” 499.

22. Werner Scholem to Gerhard Scholem, 19 June 1916, in The National Library Jerusalem, Department of Archives, Gershom Scholem Archive 1599, family correspondence file.

23. Written evidence by Emmy Scholem, 9 June 1934, University of Hanover, Department for Political Science, Emmy and Werner Scholem Archive; Betty Scholem to Gershom Scholem, 5 May 1935, in B. Scholem and G. Scholem, Mutter und Sohn im Briefwechsel, 387–8; see also the fictional approach to the topic: Enzensberger, Hammerstein oder Der Eigensinn.

24. Helga von Hammerstein had a relationship with Leo Roth (“Viktor”), a young Jewish communist, who in the 1930s became one of the most important figures in the KPD's secret department: Weber and Herbst, Deutsche Kommunisten, 629–30; see also Grundmann, Der Geheimapparat der KPD.

25. Deutsches Bundesarchiv, J13 195/33 NJ 23; Betty Scholem to Gershom Scholem 12 March 1935, in Scholem and Scholem, Mutter und Sohn im Briefwechsel, 380–81.

26. Written evidence by Emmy Scholem, 9 June 1934, University of Hanover, Department for Political Science, Emmy and Werner Scholem Archive; Interview with Renee Goddard, Sussex.

27. Das Gedenkbuch des Bundesarchivs für die Opfer der nationalsozialistischen Judenverfolgung in Deutschland (1933–1945), at <http://www.bundesarchiv.de/gedenkbuch/index.html.de> (accessed 9 Februaru 2012).

28. Werner Scholem to Reinhold Scholem, 2 July 1934, University of Hanover, Department for Political Science, Emmy and Werner Scholem Archive.

29. Death certificate Werner Scholem, International Tracing Service, Bad Arolsen.

30. International Tracing Service, Bad Arolsen; Federn, “In Memoriam.”

31. Emmy Scholem to Gershom Scholem, 3 October 1958, and 7 June 1967, The National Library Jerusalem, Department of Archives, Gershom Scholem Archive 1599, family correspondence file.

32. Emmy Scholem to Gerhard Scholem, 4 April 1968: Ibid.

33. Emmy Scholem to Gerhard Scholem, 3 December 1919: Ibid.; Gerhard Scholem to Werner Kraft, 10 April 1919, in G. Scholem, Briefe I, 202–203.

34. Emmy Scholem to Gerhard Scholem, 3 December 1968, University of Hanover, Department for Political Science, Emmy and Werner Scholem Archive.

35. W. Scholem, “Die politische Revolution und die USP,” 189.

36. Weber, Die Wandlung des deutschen Kommunismus, 18–19.

37. Hannah Arendt, in her Men in Dark Times, described Rosa Luxemburg as an independent revolutionary, who regarded herself a cosmopolitan, but appeared rather as a European thinker.

38. G. Scholem, Walter Benjamin. die Geschichte einer Freundschaft; Von Berlin nach Jerusalem.

39. In the Federal Republic Hermann Weber was among the first to remember Scholem in his various publications. In the GDR he was consciously forgotten. See: SBZ Archiv. Dokumente, Berichte, Kommentare zu gesamtdeutschen Fragen 12 (Cologne 1961): 378.

40. G. Scholem, From Berlin to Jerusalem. See especially the dedication and the first six chapters.

41. The National Library Jerusalem, Department of Archives, Gershom Scholem Archive 1599.

42. G. Scholem, Briefe I; Tagebücher: 1.

43. G. Scholem, Tagebücher: 1, 79 fn.18; Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship, 6.

44. G. Scholem, On Jews and Judaism in Crisis, 27.

45. Gerhard Scholem, Diary Entries 15 Aug. 1915, 18 June 1916, and 24 Aug. 1916, in G. Scholem: Tagebücher: 1, 147, 313, 392.

46. Gerhard Scholem, Diary Entry 22 Nov. 1916: Ibid., 430.

47. Gerhard Scholem, Diary Entry 18 June 1916: Ibid., 313.

48. Gerhard Scholem to Aharon Heller, 9 July 1917: G. Scholem, Briefe I, 72–4; Gerhard Scholem, Diary Entry, 27 Sept. 1917: G. Scholem, Tagebücher: 2, 42–3.

49. Italics indicate underlined words. Gerhard Scholem an Erich Brauer, 17. July 1916: G. Scholem, Briefe I, 42.

50. Gerhard Scholem to Werner Scholem, 10 Aug. 1919: Scholem: Tagebücher: 1, 507–509.

51. Gershom Scholem to Walter Benjamin, 20 Feb. 1930, in Benjamin, The Correspondence, 362–4; G. Scholem, Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship, 161.

52. Ibid., 114–15.

53. Ibid., 122–3.

54. Winkler, Weimar, 254.

55. Betty Scholem to Gershom Scholem, 5 May 1924 and 31 Jan. 1928, in B. Scholem and G. Scholem, Mutter und Sohn im Briefwechsel, 105–106, 155.

56. Benjamin, The Correspondence, 257–8.

57. Scholem, Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship, 123.

58. Walter Benjamin to Gershom Scholem, 10 Dec. 1926, in Benjamin, Moskauer Tagebuch, 209.

59. Walter Benjamin to Gershom Scholem, 20 May 1935, and 18 Oct. 1936, in Benjamin and Scholem, Briefwechsel, 197, 228.

60. Deutscher, Stalin; The Prophet Armed; The Prophet Unarmed; The Prophet Outcast:.

61. Deutscher, The Non-Jewish Jew and Other Essays; Shore, “Children of the Revolution,” 61.

62. Talmon, Israel among the Nations, 1–2.

63. Ibid, 80–81; for Jacob Talmon's Cold War Liberalism see Hacohen, “Jacob Talmon,” 146–57.

64. G. Scholem, “Zionism,” 293–4.

65. G. Scholem, On Jews and Judaism in Crisis, 25–6.

66. Gerhard Scholem, diary entry 25 Dec. 1918, in G. Scholem, Tagebücher: 2, 423–4.

67. G. Scholem, “Zionism,” 269.

68. Ibid., 293–4.

69. See Gershom Scholem's introduction to Sabbatai Sevi.

70. Mosse, German Jews Beyond Judaism.

Additional information

Dr Mirjam Zadoff is Assistant professor at the Department for Jewish History and Culture at Munich University. She has just completed a biography of the communist politician Werner Scholem (Munich: Carl Hanser, forthcoming). Among her most recent publications are: Next Year in Marienbad (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012; original German published in 2007); “Tales of a Disappointed Revolutionary. Werner Scholem (1895–1940)” in Chidushim [in Hebrew], in print.

Dr Noam Zadoff teaches and researches at the University of Munich. He edited the correspondence between Gershom Scholem and Joseph Weiss (Jerusalem: Carmel, 2012). His book, From Berlin to Jerusalem and back: Gershom Scholem between Israel and Germany, is forthcoming in Hebrew (Jerusalem: Carmel, 2014), and in German (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014).