Sigmund Freud... Jew Crea tivity for Good Mood
and Medical Scientist Standard of Arab Literature in Israel
To the mounting book-
shelves devoted to the life
and works of Sigmund Freud
has been added another im-
portant study—"Freud as We
Knew Him" by world-famous
personalities, just issued by
Wayne St ate University
Press.
Edited by Dr. Hendrik M.
Ruitenbeek, noted psycho-
analyst, a member of the
faculty of the American In-
stitute for Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis in New York,
whose introduction briefly de-
fines some of the partici-
pants' views, this collection
attars importance because
of the'intimacy of the numer-
ous descriptive essays. The
editor of the book also author-
ed the opening article, "The
Professor."
portant as objects of scien-
tific interest, but I do not
share the emotional feeling
that goes with them. On the
other hand, I have always
felt a strong feeling of kin-
ship with my race and have
also nurtured the same in
my children. We have all
adhered to the Jewish re-
ligion.)
DR. SIGMUND FREUD
discovery of cocaine as an
anesthetic."
Abraham Arden Brill (1874-
1948), the eminent American
analyst, discussing Freud's
"Moses a n d Monotheism,
stated:
"In short, Freud, like many
scientists — Jewish or 'non-
Jewish—was not orthodox in
religion, but was fundamen-
tally as good a Jew as Spi-
noza, Einstein, and many
others. I recall e.g. that while
he was here during Septem-
ber of 1909, when he partici-
pated in the Clark University
celebration, he sent a Rosh
Hashana good wishes cable
to his wife and family in
Vienna. In the letter just
mentioned he also explains
in a way why he was not
orthodox. He says: "Meine
Jugend fiel in einer Zeit da
unsere freisinnige Religion-
slehrere keinen Wert auf die
Erwarbung von Kenntnissen
in der Hebraischen Sprache
and Literatur bei ihren Schu-
lern legten. Meine Bildung
ist daher auf diesem Gebiete
recht Zuruckgeblieben, des
ich spater oftmal bedauert
hatte." (My youth happened
in a period when our free-
minded teachers of religion
placed no value on their
pupils' acquisition of knowl-
edge in the Hebrew language
and literature. This part of
my education was therefore
quite neglected, which I
often regretted later.)
"Judging by what I know
of the Austrian Jews, I can
say that any Jewish boy
whose Hebrew education was
not stressed could not have
been brought up very relig-
iously.
Freud's son Martin and his
"Taking Moses as his start-
sister, Anna Freud Bernays,
are represented in the collect- ing point, he shows paleo-
psychologically not only some
ed works.
of the moments of primeval
Harry Freud wrote recol- history that have become in-
lections of "My Uncle Sig- corported into our modern
mund."
life, but also the course of
the libido as it manifests it-
There is added significance self phylo- and onto-genetical-
in the participation of such ly from the beginning of
eminent personalities as organic existence. It is quite
Thomas Mann, Stefan Zweig, obvious why he illustrates
Emil Ludwig, Ernest Jones his views through the Jews
and many other distinguished and their religion. To Freud,
writers who had come in con- as to Spinoza, who looks at
tact with Freud.
everything sub specie aeter-
There are several refer- nitatis, his coreligionists, the
ences to Freud's Jewish inter- Jews, m e r el y represent a
ests in a number of the mode of the substentia. It so
essays in this extensive work. happens that the Jews not
For example, the Italian poet, only furnish record of what
fiction writer and critic, Gio- took place five or six thou-
vanni Papini (1881-1956), writ- sand years ago, but their
ing about a visit to Freud, religion and traditions contain
May 8, 1934, quotes the father much material from primeval
of psychoanalysis as saying: times, preserved by them in
pristine form. Through mono-
"Everybody thinks that I theistic religion, which seems
"Concerning the o r i g i n,
stand by the scientific char- to have developed on the
acter of my work and that scheme of a traumatic neu- Freud stated that he had
my principal scope lies in rosis, one can best follow the reason to believe that his
curing mental maladies. This course of libido through the father's family was settled
is a terrible error that has ages. The trials and tribula- for a long time on the Rhine
prevailed for years and that tions which Freud had to en- (at Cologne), that as a result
I have been unable to set dure as a Jew put the fate of of a persecution of the Jews
right. I am a scientist by his people vividly before his during the 14th or 15th Cen-
tury they fled eastwards, and
necessity, and not by voca- eyes."
in the course of the 19th Cen-
tion. I am really by nature
In another essay, offering tury they migrated back from
an artist. Ever since child-
hood, my secret hero has his reflections on his meet- Lithuania through Galicia
been Goethe. I would have ings with Freud, Prof. Brill into Germany-Austria.
liked to become a poet, and described how Freud resisted
"It may also be of interest
my whole life long I have any suggestion to leave to mention that soon after
Vienna
and
subsequently,
in
wanted to write novels. All
the advent of Hitler one of
my gifts — my school teach- a letter, stated to him: "I Freud's former followers, C.
ers, too, admitted it — were shall leave Vienna only if the G. Jung of Zurich, called
of a kind to lead me towards Nazis come hei-e."
Freud's psychology 'Jewish.'
literature. . But . when . you
"I n his autobiography A number of Aryans took
realize under what conditions Freud states: 'My parents strong exception to this state-
Austrian literature in the were Jews and I remained a ment. As Dr. Mauerhofer ex-
last quarter of the 19th. Cen- Jew.' And in a letter dated
pressed it, To speak of
tury had to exist, you will Feb. 26, 1925, which he had
understand my dilemma. My written to the editor of Jue- Freud's work as "Jewish psy-
family was poor, and poetry, d i s c he Presszentrale in chology" is crypto-anti-Sem-
on the testimony of the most Zurich, he states: `Ich kann itic. One may as well speak
of a Jewish physics, a Jewish
celebrated contemporaries, zagen das ich der juedischen mathematics, or a Jewish
brought in little or was re- Religion so ferne stehe wie
munerative too late. More- alien anderen Religionen, d.h. chemistry, expressions which
over I was a Jew which obvi- sie sind mir alle als gegen- are indefensible in science.'
ously put me in a condition stand wissenschaftliche In- Jung, himself, thereupon em-
of inferiority under an anti- tererre hoch bedeutsam, ge- phatically disavowed any
Semite monarchy. Heirie's fuehlmaessig bin ich an anti-Semitic implications in
exile and wretched end dis- ihnen nicht beteiligt. Dage- his peculiar term. Freud's
couraged me. Always under gen habe ich immer ein works also formed part of
Goethe's influence, I chose starkes Gefuhl von Zusam- Hitler's sacred pyre, but as
natural science. My temper- mengehorigkeit mit meinem the bulk of this pyre con-
ament, however, remained Volke and es auch bei mei- sisted of works of non-Jewish
romantic. In 1884, in my nen Kindern genahrt. Wir thinkers, it is quite evident
haste to join my fiancee a sind alle der Judischen Kon- that at least in this instance
day or two earlier---she was fession geblieben.' (I can say Hitler was bent more on the
a long way from Vienna — I that I am as little an adher- destruction of science in gen-
botched a work on the coca ent of the Jewish religion as eral rather than specific Jew-
and had others steal from me of any other religion, i.e., I ish sciences.
"Nevertheless, I feel that
the honor and profit of the consider them all most im-
Freud's Jewish descent—con-
48 Friday, August 10, 1973
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS stitution — and his later ex-
—
IDescribed as Rising from Bad Start
Kassem Zaid, writing in
the Israel daily Al Hamish-
mar, gave these observations
on Arab literary skills in
Israel:
Arab literature in Israel
went through a difficult
period until it reached a
suitable level. When the
state was established, most
Arab intellectuals left the
country, and the literary
movement suffered badly.
The change in status from
that of a majority to that of
a minority and the fact that
Israel's Arabs were cut off
from the sources of Arab
literature and culture also
had a detrimental effect on
the literary movement.
During the 1950s, the gen-
eral literary movement be-
gan to recover and three
currents emerged: the pre-
state poets and writers, the
Jewish poets and writers
who immigrated from Arab
countries, and the young
Arab poets and writers who
had grown up in Israel.
an active role in daily life.
They opposed the censorship
to which the Communist
poets were subjected and
joined forces with their Jew-
Apart from these, the ish colleagues in a success-
political and social changes ful struggle against it.
in Israel's Arab society led
to the creation of two dif-
ferent literary currents: the
Communist trend and the
moderate, human and social-
ist trend.
Poets of the Communist
trend received wide publicity
in the Arab world and their
poems were quoted on many
occasions. They were called
"poets of the revolution"
even though only a few of
them are considered poets,
whereas the others merely
raised political slogans in
order to excite the masses.
The Arab writers realized
that their literature played
Many of the political par-
ties began to publish periodi-
cals, catering to the need of
both Arab writers and read-
ers. Arab literature in Israel
reached a reasonable stan-
dard despite many difficul-
ties. The number of books
published by Israel's ib
writers — some 100 —'
greater than those published
in the West Bank, although
the population in the West
Bank is more than double
that of Israel's Arabs.
Lately some of these works
have been translated into
Hebrew and other languages.
Students from Arab countries visit Tel Aviv
University campus during summer visits.
periences — environment —
played a great part in the
moulding of his character,
and in directing his future
interests. Without going into
an analysis of his character
one can mention a few of his
outstanding qualities. He had
an inordinate curiosity for
knowledge and a stubborn
perseverance in the pursu-
ance of the same. Only those
thoroughly versed in his
works, who at the same time
possess a thorough knowl-
edge of the status of psychi-
atry before he came on the
scene, can fully appreciate
the magnitude of his achieve-
ments. To be sure, a strong
desire for knowledge is no
Jewish monopoly, but he did
come from a race who even
long before the diaspora
were wont to drum into their
male children's heads that
'Knowledge is better than
pearls.' And t h r o u g h the
thousands of years of perse-
cution when the Jew served and erratic doctor with a
as the scapegoat for so-called horror of blood, what dis-
civilized Europe, he held on tinguishes him from the
to learning with grim deter- hundreds we know just like
mination. It is my feeling him, is the strength that
that the Jew was the first to came out of his weakness. If
recognize the great value of Freud foolishly idem'
'knowledge for knowledge's himself with the Macc,,
sake.' Moreover, Freud tells he nevertheless showed '4,ra-
us that despite his father's self fearless in every en-
meager finances, he was free counter with the anti-Se -mites.
to follow whatever vocation The card - playing somehow
he himself selected."
left him enough time to mas-
Scores of other comments ter Latin and Greek, French
are included in these essays and. E n g l i s h, Italian and
about Freud. An additional Spanish, besides Hebrew, Yid-
example is the 1954 essay dish and German."
"Freud and Boas: Secular
As human beings, as Jew,
Rabbis?" in which Stanley as the founder of a great
Edgar Hyman wrote with re- school of medical science —
gard to Freud and Franz Freud emerges from this
Boas:
Ruitenbeek - edited collection
"Jones (Ernest) has of important recollections as
spared us few of Freud's fail- one of the most fascinating
ings and weaknesses . . . personalities of this century.
What is remarkable about The WSU Press product adds
this good Jewish bourgeois magnificently to an under-
with his card games and his standing of Freud and
Bnai Brith, this ambitiOusi Freudian ideas.