Prof. Rotenstreich's Analyses
Kaethe Kollwitz's Works Honored, Nazi Terror
Exposed in Kleins' Moving 'Life in Art' Story
Kaethe Kollwitz (1867-1945) was
a noted artilk. She was a liberal
and firm opponent of Nazism. She
suffered at the hands of the
Hitlerites in Germany.
In "Kaethe Kollwitz Lifein
Art." Mina C. Klein and H. Arthur
Klein relate the dramatic story of
a heroine who defied the bar-
barians in her homeland and did
not hesitate to express her affinity
in friendship with her Jewish asso-
ciates. In this Holt, Rinehart and
Winston volume we have one of
the most fascinating stories of
bravery in a land of tyranny.
For 60 years, Kaethe kept ex-
pressing her concern for the down-
trodden, and the numerous illustra-
tions in the Kleins' volume—repro-
ductions from her works—indicate
her interests, her love for the just
causes, her defense of the op-
pressed. When Hitler rose to power
she was branded a "degenerate"
artist and was forbidden to teach
art.
She was an impassioned paci-
fist. One of her early art works
was entitled "Never Again War."
The Kleins state that during the
darkening days, just before
Hitler's triumphs, Kaethe Koll-
witz managed to make progress
with her work.
With Hitler's rise to power, in
1933. "with sickening speed,"
there were the many arrests. The
Kleins describe the effects of the
new regime upon the artists after
many had fled the country:
"The anti-Nazi artists who re-
mained were ousted from posi-
tions they held and denied the
right to show or sell their works.
Jewish artists, including some lead-
ing figures in the art world, were
most bitterly persecuted, even
being ordered to stop painting and
dra wing.
A week before Hitler was named
Chancellor, Ernest Earlach (fa-
mous - 'German artist and sculptor,
1870-1938, had talked on the radio.
indignantly asserting the inde-
pendence of artists against the
growing Nazi threat. And shortly
after Hitler became Chancellor.
Kaethe Kollwitz and the venerable
Max Liebermann were among
those who voted to award Barlach
the Prussian order 'Pour le
Merit e'.
"Stilt more courageous—or rash
--she and her husband joined
Heinrich Mann and other promi-
nent personalities in another appeal
to all workers, Socialist or Com-
munist, for electoral unity against
the Nazis and reactionaries . . . "
The Nazi terror reaped its
harvest as the Kleins' story indi-
cates: "In May 1933 Max Lieber-
mann was forced to resign his
honorary presidency of the Acad-
emy of Arts. In his behalf as
well as that of Kaelhe Kollwitz.
Ernst Barlach wrote to the Acad-
emy's president, composer Max
von Schillings. Such protests
were in vain. Barlach himself
soon became the victim of the
full blacklist treatment. Otto
Nagel, who knew the Kollwitzes
well, said that Kaethe was more
stricken by what was done to
Barlach than by her own dif-
ficulties."
The Kleins describe the role of
Liebermann, the great and hon-
ored artist, "conservative—but a
Jew" and they describe his reflec-
tions: "A born Berliner, noted for
his humor, Liebermann looked past
his heavy curtains into the street
where brown-clad Nazi storm
troopers marched, and made a
comment that was later repeated
in endless whispered reports: 'I
can't eat as much as I'd like to
vomit'."
Liebermann died, at age 88, in
February 1935: "Kaethe Kollwitz
paid a condolence call at the Lie-
bermann residence, where she
looked at the wasted body of her
old friend and sponsor. She was one
of only two non-Jews who attended
the memorial service held for him
Quest for Human
Rights in Newest
Heritage Volume
A new Bnai Brith Heritage Clas-
sic, published by Norton, edited
by Prof. Milton R. Konvitz, is
dedicated to a study of Jewish
experience in the quest for human
rights, including religious freedom.
Notable. essays by outstanding
scholars. in addition to several by
Dr. Konvitz, deal with the causes
of liberty and the pursuit of hap-
piness, with the freedom of con-
science and the democratic ideal.
So thorough is the collective
effort that the famous article
by Moses Mendelssohn (1729-
861, "Freedom of Religion—
Absolute and Inalienable," is
among the important declara-
tions on the Jewish position in
the quest for religious and
civil freedoms.
To give this work additional
status, the editor has included as
appendices the Bill of Rights of
the United States Constitution and
the Universal Declaration of Hu-
man Rights.
Among the eminent authors in-
cluded in this collection of valuable
writings are Dr. Robert Gordis,
Dr. Emanuel Rackman, Prof. Wit,
liam A. Irwin, Lord Acton, Rabbi
Norman Lamm, Rabbi Samuel
Raphael llirsch (1808-88), Rabbi
Richard G. llirsch and others.
NO, YOU WON'T • • •
be able to follow a debate in Israel's Knesset,
but you will mtise around in the country much
more freely., if you will get a good grounding in
Hebrew through the Television Coursv
"
To Israel With Hebrew ',
on CHANNEL 56
Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.
..1 Public Service of
is
Zionist Organization of Detroit
th-g.toi,itiwo of 1.merica
Des ... i .
)
Tradition's Impact on
by the Jewish Committee of Ber-
lin. When his body was buried in
the Jewish cemetery, she was one
of four non-Jews from the art
world who stood beside the grave.
The other three who thus honored
Liebennann and themselves were
Konrad von Kardoroff, Hans Ourr-
man and Karl Scheffler, an art
critic and Academy member, who
eulogized Liebermann's greatness
and humanity. The controlled press
and radio of Nazi Germany made
no mention of the event."
While Kaethe and her husband
Karl escaped arrest, they were
witnesses to Germany becoming
a vast prison. The Kleins state in
their valuable work about Kaethe
Kollwitz:
"To a Jewish friend, she once
wrote, 'You
are
experiencing
everything in your own body and
soul. I experience it only through
(my) friends'. But even that in-
direct contact ' ... has often dark-
ened my life'."
The Kleins' work is about an
artist, her works, her noble soul
that yearned for justice. It is also
an added indictment of the cruel-
ties that marked the tragic Nazi
era
LESSON 11
1117.0
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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SONG, POEM
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and The Detroit Jewish News
l'ocabulary for Lesson 11, Tuesday, Aug.
History
to acknowledge the contradictory
Prof. Nathan Rotenstreich, for-
fact that such an assimilation
mer Rector of the Hebrew Uni-
is not taking place, and thus the
versity and presently teaching in
argument that it has taken place
American universities as a visiting
is no solution."
professor, analyzes the effects of
tradition in Jewish life in his new-
It is a viewpoint that is quali-
est hook, "Tradition and Reality," fied by the assertion that "ad-
published by Random House.
herence to the tradition in times
Subtitled "The Impact of History of crises cannot arise from the
on Modern Jewish Thought," Dr. norm of the tradition itself. We
Rotenstreich's study delves into must return to the basic ideas
the Jewish historians' attitudes and from which tradition arose, and
the effects achievement of political from which a coherent philosophy
and academic freedoms had upon may be evolved."
their thinking, The views of Kroch-
Prof. Rotenstreich's views gain
mal, Bialik,.Dubnow, Graetz, Ahad special significance in his com-
Ha-Am and many others—the ments on the traditional values
founders of the "Science of Juda- inherent in national revival. For
ism" and of Zionism—are under example, he goes into great detail
scrutiny in evaluating the theme in outlining the philosophy of Ahad
undertaken in this book.
Ha-Am. lie states that Ahad Ha-
Am's "thinking is more of a com-
The conclusion reached by Dr.
promise than a synthesis" in pro-
Rotenstreich is that the Jew
viding solutions to Jewish needs.
who rejects the conceptual world
Dr. Rotenstreich evaluates the
of Judaism to accept full citi-
view of Haim Nahman Bialik. He
zenship of the Western world
emphasizes
that Biallic "called
"no longer has the right to
upon his generation to know the
argue that his attachment to
past first, selective as that knowl-
Western culture is at the same
edge might be. Knowledge of the
time an allegiance to Jewish
past
might power a new wave of
tradition." He maintains that
creativity," but be adds that "it
"the Jew who advocates the com-
might also be no more than a
plete assimilation of Judaism
summation."
into Western culture is bound
EREV)
17.11
0 7:TY
niv