Tobias Grill - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tobias Grill

BIOS – Zeitschrift für Biographieforschung, Oral History und Lebensverlaufsanalysen, 2017

Auch die in London erscheinende Jewish Quarterly widmete in ihrer Frühjahrsausgabe von 1957 dem v... more Auch die in London erscheinende Jewish Quarterly widmete in ihrer Frühjahrsausgabe von 1957 dem verstorbenen Isaac Steinberg einen Nachruf, aus dem ausschnittsweise zitiert wird: Everyone who knew him in the prime of life must have seen a certain resemblance of the late Dr. Steinberg to the traditional portraits of Jesus, particular that of the painter Hoffmann. […] In a sense Dr. Steinberg was a man of destiny. There have been many Jewish leaders in our time, but few have so impressed people as did the head of Freeland League. […] In his later years he could be taken for a publicist turned statesman-a composite European in physique and physiognomy, yet he was an Orthodox Jew in creed and observance.[…] Dr. Steinberg was destined early in life to play an important part in human affairs; for at the age of 29 he became Commissar of Justice in Lenin's Cabinet, but his own conception of justice stemming from the Prophets was so remote from that of the Bolsheviks that he soon found himself in conflict with the powerful Soviet leader, and was imprisoned. […] His escape to Germany, and after Hitler's deadly machinations, to England; his cultural activities in South Africa and socio-political explorations in Australia, his later residence in the United States, and frequent excursions to Mexico and Canada are sufficient to give one a glimpse of the mercurial spirit which activated the man.

Als Reaktion auf die Formierung des politischen Zionismus als 'internationalem Nationalismus&... more Als Reaktion auf die Formierung des politischen Zionismus als 'internationalem Nationalismus' gegen Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts bildete sich im europaischen Judentum auch eine inter- und transnationale Ablehnungsfront heraus. Insbesondere innerhalb des liberalen und des orthodoxen Judentums waren die Vorbehalte gegenuber der neuen Bewegung derart gros, dass Organisationen entstanden, die sich als Hauptziel die Bekampfung des Zionismus auf die Fahne schrieben. Wahrend der Antizionismus liberaler Juden vor allem auf der Furcht grundete, dass der judische Nationalismus die Integration in die nichtjudische Gesellschaft gefahrden und dem Antisemitismus neuen Auftrieb geben konnte, lehnten antizionistische orthodoxe Juden in der Regel den Zionismus nicht nur wegen seiner sakularen Grundtendenz, sondern auch wegen seines Versuches ab, das messianische Zeitalter durch menschliches Eingreifen vorwegzunehmen.

Deutsches Judentum und jüdische Bildungsreform in Osteuropa (1783-1939), 2013

Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe, Sep 24, 2018

When the Great War broke out in the summer of 1914, large portions of German Jewry were as enthus... more When the Great War broke out in the summer of 1914, large portions of German Jewry were as enthusiastic as many of their non-Jewish compatriots. 1 While one reason for this was their unabated patriotism, another reason many German Jews welcomed the war was their hope that their East European brethren would be liberated from the Tsarist yoke and be restored to a higher cultural level. About two months after the beginning of the war, Professor Ludwig Stein 2 (1859-1930) gave a talk at the Association for Jewish History and Literature of the Jews, stating that of the eleven million Jews in Eastern Europe, ten million spoke Jewish-German (Yiddish) as their vernacular: Maybe it was the plan of providence that the Jews were prohibited to settle in St. Petersburg, in order to remain pioneers of Germanness (Deutschtum) and to become once again Germans. Our soldiers are outside of Warsaw. That is the latest news. If it will be of success to drive Russia, where it belongs, to Asia, then it is not impossible that we will lead the Russian Jews back to German culture and civilization. 3 About the same time, Carlernst Donner published in the central organ of the Centralverein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens (Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith) a contribution called The Russian Jews as Pioneers of Germanness in the East where he explained the following: The Jew plays in his Russian environment the role of a cultural carrier, and his German vernacular […] is of great importance for us Germans, this all the more, since it is not a newly acquired language. Is it therefore not necessary to speak of these Russian Jews, who despite the atrocious persecutions in and the expulsion from Germany, retained the German language, as pioneers of Germanness in the East? Especially these Jews will be, wherever the Germans will get to, not to be underestimated supporters of Germanness. After 600 years in a newly occupied territory our troops are encountering Germans-and even conservative

Der Westen im Osten, 2013

Culture and Legacy of the Russian Revolution Rhetoric and Performance – Religious Semantics – Impact on Asia, 2020

Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the... more Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the Russian revolutionary movement, so far no concentrated research has been devoted to the question of religious semantics in the revolutionary rhetoric of Jewish socialists. In my paper I will discuss the questions why a remarkable number of Jews joined the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire, what attitude towards religion they harbored, and last but not least the significance of religious motifs and imagery in their propaganda.

Part of the new booklet on Israel, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszen... more Part of the new booklet on Israel, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb)
For the whole booklet see: http://www.bpb.de/izpb/268885/israel

Abstract: Shortly after the October Revolution, the Left Social Revolutionary, Isaac Steinberg (1... more Abstract: Shortly after the October Revolution, the Left Social Revolutionary, Isaac Steinberg (1888–1957), a leading member of his party, held the post of Peoples’ Commissar of Justice in a coalition government with the Bolsheviks; he did so in order to set up a council system in Russia with them. Approximately three months later, this unequal coalition broke up following the ‘separate peace’ of Brest-Litovsk. Subsequently, Steinberg became a bitter opponent of the Bolsheviks. As a representative of ethical socialism, the construction of a socialist society by means of violence and terror, fundamentally contradicted his political self-understanding. With his ruthless criticism of Bolshevik terrorism in the 1920s and 1930s, Steinberg deliberately distinguished himself from Western intellectuals whose solidarity with the Soviet Union, in his opinion, trivialized the crimes of the Bolsheviks and thus challenged not only the fundamental commitment of socialism to humanity, but ultimately threatened the existence of the socialist movement. Steinbergʼs significance lies in the fact that he was one of the few socialists in the 1930s to interprete Stalinism and National Socialism as equally totalitarian and, thus, he urged the German and British public to take up an uncompromising fight against both regimes. At the same time, however, he never abandoned the goal of social revolution and the realization of the ideals of Red October. Based on Steinbergʼs political and journalistic work, the present contribution focuses on the existence of a ‘third way’ between Bolshevism and social democracy, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. The fact that the October Revolution could well have taken a different course is illustrated by the examination of Steinbergʼs alternative path, which promoted ethical, anti-statist and revolutionary socialism.

Protestantismus, Antijudaismus, Antisemitismus Konvergenzen und Konfrontationen in ihren Kontexten Herausgegeben von Dorothea Wendebourg, Andreas Stegmann und Martin Ohst, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2017

Für den russländisch-jüdischen Juristen, Politiker, Publizisten und Kulturschaffenden Isaak Nachm... more Für den russländisch-jüdischen Juristen, Politiker, Publizisten und Kulturschaffenden Isaak Nachman Steinberg (1888–1957) blieben die Zeitenwende der Russischen Revolution und die Jahre 1917 bis 1920 sein Leben lang von zentraler Bedeutung. Dies lag nicht nur daran, dass er schon als junger Student aktiv für die Revolution gekämpft und sie herbeigesehnt hatte, sondern vor allem auch daran, dass er während der Revolution zu einem ihrer heraus-ragenden Aktivisten avancierte und kurzzeitig zum Volkskommissar für Justiz aufstieg. Was für Steinberg zunächst wie der Anbruch einer neuen Weltepoche oder die " Welterlösung " aussah, an der er unmittelbar mitwirkte, entpuppte sich schon bald als Chimäre. Anstel-le eines radikalen Bruchs mit der Welt des Ancien Régime restaurierten die Bolschewiki nach Ansicht Steinbergs diese unter sozialistischem Vorzeichen. Dass die Oktoberrevolu-tion von den Bolschewiki pervertiert wurde und Revolutionäre wie Steinberg schließlich im Gefängnis landeten oder zur Emigration gezwungen wurden, war sicherlich eine der tragischsten Erfahrungen, die Steinberg sowie auch andere russische Sozialrevolutionäre und Sozialisten in ihrem Leben machen mussten. Die einschneidende Bedeutung, welche die russische Revolutionszeit für Steinbergs Biografie hatte, wird nicht zuletzt an seinen zahlreichen diesbezüglichen Veröffentlichungen deutlich, die über mehrere Jahrzehnte in verschiedenen Sprachen erschienen. Während im ersten Teil des vorliegenden Aufsatzes Steinbergs politisches Engagement während der Russischen Revolution rekonstruiert werden soll, wird im zweiten Teil sein späteres publizistisches und literarisches Werk herangezogen, um zu analysieren, welche Schlussfolgerungen er aus seinen persönlichen Erfahrungen in der Revolutionszeit zog, inwiefern er die Russische Revolution als eine Zäsur wahrnahm und welche Bedeutung diese für seinen weiteren Lebensweg hatte. Im Zentrum steht dabei die grundsätzliche Frage nach Steinbergs Rechtsverständnis und seinem Verhältnis zur Legitimität von Gewalt und Terror in Zeiten eines revolutionären Umbruchs und bei der Etablierung einer sozialistischen Gesellschaft.

BIOS – Zeitschrift für Biographieforschung, Oral History und Lebensverlaufsanalysen, 2017

Auch die in London erscheinende Jewish Quarterly widmete in ihrer Frühjahrsausgabe von 1957 dem v... more Auch die in London erscheinende Jewish Quarterly widmete in ihrer Frühjahrsausgabe von 1957 dem verstorbenen Isaac Steinberg einen Nachruf, aus dem ausschnittsweise zitiert wird: Everyone who knew him in the prime of life must have seen a certain resemblance of the late Dr. Steinberg to the traditional portraits of Jesus, particular that of the painter Hoffmann. […] In a sense Dr. Steinberg was a man of destiny. There have been many Jewish leaders in our time, but few have so impressed people as did the head of Freeland League. […] In his later years he could be taken for a publicist turned statesman-a composite European in physique and physiognomy, yet he was an Orthodox Jew in creed and observance.[…] Dr. Steinberg was destined early in life to play an important part in human affairs; for at the age of 29 he became Commissar of Justice in Lenin's Cabinet, but his own conception of justice stemming from the Prophets was so remote from that of the Bolsheviks that he soon found himself in conflict with the powerful Soviet leader, and was imprisoned. […] His escape to Germany, and after Hitler's deadly machinations, to England; his cultural activities in South Africa and socio-political explorations in Australia, his later residence in the United States, and frequent excursions to Mexico and Canada are sufficient to give one a glimpse of the mercurial spirit which activated the man.

Als Reaktion auf die Formierung des politischen Zionismus als 'internationalem Nationalismus&... more Als Reaktion auf die Formierung des politischen Zionismus als 'internationalem Nationalismus' gegen Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts bildete sich im europaischen Judentum auch eine inter- und transnationale Ablehnungsfront heraus. Insbesondere innerhalb des liberalen und des orthodoxen Judentums waren die Vorbehalte gegenuber der neuen Bewegung derart gros, dass Organisationen entstanden, die sich als Hauptziel die Bekampfung des Zionismus auf die Fahne schrieben. Wahrend der Antizionismus liberaler Juden vor allem auf der Furcht grundete, dass der judische Nationalismus die Integration in die nichtjudische Gesellschaft gefahrden und dem Antisemitismus neuen Auftrieb geben konnte, lehnten antizionistische orthodoxe Juden in der Regel den Zionismus nicht nur wegen seiner sakularen Grundtendenz, sondern auch wegen seines Versuches ab, das messianische Zeitalter durch menschliches Eingreifen vorwegzunehmen.

Deutsches Judentum und jüdische Bildungsreform in Osteuropa (1783-1939), 2013

Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe, Sep 24, 2018

When the Great War broke out in the summer of 1914, large portions of German Jewry were as enthus... more When the Great War broke out in the summer of 1914, large portions of German Jewry were as enthusiastic as many of their non-Jewish compatriots. 1 While one reason for this was their unabated patriotism, another reason many German Jews welcomed the war was their hope that their East European brethren would be liberated from the Tsarist yoke and be restored to a higher cultural level. About two months after the beginning of the war, Professor Ludwig Stein 2 (1859-1930) gave a talk at the Association for Jewish History and Literature of the Jews, stating that of the eleven million Jews in Eastern Europe, ten million spoke Jewish-German (Yiddish) as their vernacular: Maybe it was the plan of providence that the Jews were prohibited to settle in St. Petersburg, in order to remain pioneers of Germanness (Deutschtum) and to become once again Germans. Our soldiers are outside of Warsaw. That is the latest news. If it will be of success to drive Russia, where it belongs, to Asia, then it is not impossible that we will lead the Russian Jews back to German culture and civilization. 3 About the same time, Carlernst Donner published in the central organ of the Centralverein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens (Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith) a contribution called The Russian Jews as Pioneers of Germanness in the East where he explained the following: The Jew plays in his Russian environment the role of a cultural carrier, and his German vernacular […] is of great importance for us Germans, this all the more, since it is not a newly acquired language. Is it therefore not necessary to speak of these Russian Jews, who despite the atrocious persecutions in and the expulsion from Germany, retained the German language, as pioneers of Germanness in the East? Especially these Jews will be, wherever the Germans will get to, not to be underestimated supporters of Germanness. After 600 years in a newly occupied territory our troops are encountering Germans-and even conservative

Der Westen im Osten, 2013

Culture and Legacy of the Russian Revolution Rhetoric and Performance – Religious Semantics – Impact on Asia, 2020

Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the... more Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the Russian revolutionary movement, so far no concentrated research has been devoted to the question of religious semantics in the revolutionary rhetoric of Jewish socialists. In my paper I will discuss the questions why a remarkable number of Jews joined the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire, what attitude towards religion they harbored, and last but not least the significance of religious motifs and imagery in their propaganda.

Part of the new booklet on Israel, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszen... more Part of the new booklet on Israel, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb)
For the whole booklet see: http://www.bpb.de/izpb/268885/israel

Abstract: Shortly after the October Revolution, the Left Social Revolutionary, Isaac Steinberg (1... more Abstract: Shortly after the October Revolution, the Left Social Revolutionary, Isaac Steinberg (1888–1957), a leading member of his party, held the post of Peoples’ Commissar of Justice in a coalition government with the Bolsheviks; he did so in order to set up a council system in Russia with them. Approximately three months later, this unequal coalition broke up following the ‘separate peace’ of Brest-Litovsk. Subsequently, Steinberg became a bitter opponent of the Bolsheviks. As a representative of ethical socialism, the construction of a socialist society by means of violence and terror, fundamentally contradicted his political self-understanding. With his ruthless criticism of Bolshevik terrorism in the 1920s and 1930s, Steinberg deliberately distinguished himself from Western intellectuals whose solidarity with the Soviet Union, in his opinion, trivialized the crimes of the Bolsheviks and thus challenged not only the fundamental commitment of socialism to humanity, but ultimately threatened the existence of the socialist movement. Steinbergʼs significance lies in the fact that he was one of the few socialists in the 1930s to interprete Stalinism and National Socialism as equally totalitarian and, thus, he urged the German and British public to take up an uncompromising fight against both regimes. At the same time, however, he never abandoned the goal of social revolution and the realization of the ideals of Red October. Based on Steinbergʼs political and journalistic work, the present contribution focuses on the existence of a ‘third way’ between Bolshevism and social democracy, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. The fact that the October Revolution could well have taken a different course is illustrated by the examination of Steinbergʼs alternative path, which promoted ethical, anti-statist and revolutionary socialism.

Protestantismus, Antijudaismus, Antisemitismus Konvergenzen und Konfrontationen in ihren Kontexten Herausgegeben von Dorothea Wendebourg, Andreas Stegmann und Martin Ohst, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2017

Für den russländisch-jüdischen Juristen, Politiker, Publizisten und Kulturschaffenden Isaak Nachm... more Für den russländisch-jüdischen Juristen, Politiker, Publizisten und Kulturschaffenden Isaak Nachman Steinberg (1888–1957) blieben die Zeitenwende der Russischen Revolution und die Jahre 1917 bis 1920 sein Leben lang von zentraler Bedeutung. Dies lag nicht nur daran, dass er schon als junger Student aktiv für die Revolution gekämpft und sie herbeigesehnt hatte, sondern vor allem auch daran, dass er während der Revolution zu einem ihrer heraus-ragenden Aktivisten avancierte und kurzzeitig zum Volkskommissar für Justiz aufstieg. Was für Steinberg zunächst wie der Anbruch einer neuen Weltepoche oder die " Welterlösung " aussah, an der er unmittelbar mitwirkte, entpuppte sich schon bald als Chimäre. Anstel-le eines radikalen Bruchs mit der Welt des Ancien Régime restaurierten die Bolschewiki nach Ansicht Steinbergs diese unter sozialistischem Vorzeichen. Dass die Oktoberrevolu-tion von den Bolschewiki pervertiert wurde und Revolutionäre wie Steinberg schließlich im Gefängnis landeten oder zur Emigration gezwungen wurden, war sicherlich eine der tragischsten Erfahrungen, die Steinberg sowie auch andere russische Sozialrevolutionäre und Sozialisten in ihrem Leben machen mussten. Die einschneidende Bedeutung, welche die russische Revolutionszeit für Steinbergs Biografie hatte, wird nicht zuletzt an seinen zahlreichen diesbezüglichen Veröffentlichungen deutlich, die über mehrere Jahrzehnte in verschiedenen Sprachen erschienen. Während im ersten Teil des vorliegenden Aufsatzes Steinbergs politisches Engagement während der Russischen Revolution rekonstruiert werden soll, wird im zweiten Teil sein späteres publizistisches und literarisches Werk herangezogen, um zu analysieren, welche Schlussfolgerungen er aus seinen persönlichen Erfahrungen in der Revolutionszeit zog, inwiefern er die Russische Revolution als eine Zäsur wahrnahm und welche Bedeutung diese für seinen weiteren Lebensweg hatte. Im Zentrum steht dabei die grundsätzliche Frage nach Steinbergs Rechtsverständnis und seinem Verhältnis zur Legitimität von Gewalt und Terror in Zeiten eines revolutionären Umbruchs und bei der Etablierung einer sozialistischen Gesellschaft.

For many centuries Jews and Germans were economically and culturally of significant importance in... more For many centuries Jews and Germans were economically and culturally of significant importance in East-Central and Eastern Europe. Since both groups had a very similar background of origin (Central Europe) and spoke languages which are related to each other (German/Yiddish), the question arises to what extent Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe share common historical developments and experiences. This volume aims to explore not only entanglements and interdependences of Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe from the late middle ages to the 20th century, but also comparative aspects of these two communities. Moreover, the perception of Jews as Germans in this region is also discussed in detail.

Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the Russian revo... more Even though Jews and individuals with Jewish background played a crucial role in the Russian revolutionary movement, so far no concentrated research has been devoted to the question of religious semantics in the revolutionary rhetoric of Jewish socialists. In my paper I will discuss the questions why a remarkable number of Jews joined the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire, what attitude towards religion they harbored, and last but not least the significance of religious motifs and imagery in their propaganda.