Title: Germany on Their Minds: German Jewish Refugees in the United States and Their Relationships with Germany, 1938–1988 by Anne C. Schenderlein
Abstract: Reviewed by: Germany on Their Minds: German Jewish Refugees in the United States and Their Relationships with Germany, 1938–1988 by Anne C. Schenderlein Sheer Ganor Anne C. Schenderlein . Germany on Their Minds: German Jewish Refugees in the United States and Their Relationships with Germany, 1938–1988 . New York : Berghahn , 2020 . 254 pp. doi:10.1017/S0364009420000616 Anne Schenderlein's engaging book examines closely how Jews displaced from Nazi Germany established a new life in the United States, and how it was informed by their German Jewish identity. Following a brief overview of German Jewish displacement in chapter 1, chapter 2 focuses on the years 1938–1941. Schenderlein argues that during this period German Jews performed a "gradual and selective Americanization" (32), signaling to the American state and public their commitment to the nation. These attitudes revealed more than gratitude, however. Embedded in them was anxiety that any perceived slight against the United States might endanger the lives of Jews stranded in Europe, as well as those already in the country. With their loyalties dually questioned as both Jews and Germans, leaders in the refugee community found it necessary to manage their public image with great caution. This concern became even more pronounced once the United States entered the war. In the third chapter, Schenderlein explores how the refugee population was affected by wartime measures, particularly enemy aliens classification. While German aliens were not targeted with the same vehemence as Japanese and Japanese Americans, Schenderlein shows that the existing literature on German Jewish refugees in the United States has downplayed the significance of enemy aliens policies. This is one area where Schenderlein's focus on the West Coast proves highly [End Page 201] fruitful. Proliferating xenophobia in the area, the presence of military bases, and the proximity of the Pacific theater brought about greater scrutiny of refugees, culminating in curfews, travel restrictions, and an overall atmosphere of distrust. While these conditions were unique to the West Coast, attitudes toward so-called enemy aliens across the United States compelled refugees to highlight their Jewishness and minimize, if not repudiate, any German affinity. The fourth chapter moves from the home front to the ranks of refugee soldiers in the US military. While expediting their integration into American society was an important factor for many enlistees, joining the battle against Nazi Germany was a common motivation. The majority of those whose service had brought them to Germany approached their former homeland with an American perspective, even adopting the habit of referring to the enemy population as "Krauts" (87). But their experiences serving in Germany differed markedly from those of their fellow American soldiers. Schenderlein highlights deep emotional responses that ranged from glee to sorrow, along with great frustration at German society's unwillingness to acknowledge its responsibility for the recent catastrophe. The fifth chapter discusses German Jews' participation in wartime public debates about Germany's future. As early as 1942, leading figures in the refugee community voiced their vision for postwar justice and demanded that the American government pay heed to their concerns. German Jews in the United States may have repeatedly emphasized that they had severed all ties to Germany, but the intensity of these debates indicates that they were very much engaged with the country and with German society. Many would have agreed that Germany was no longer in their hearts, in the words of one refugee, yet Schenderlein's treatment of this discussion shows that the former homeland was indeed very much on their minds. Moving to the postwar era, chapter 6 studies the reemerging ties between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and German Jewish communities abroad in the 1950s and 1960s. Schenderlein is less concerned with the question of whether the FRG's approach reflected a genuine interest in reconciliation or merely a public relations campaign. Instead, she studies how the exchange between the German government and the German Jewish community in the United States unfolded. The book depicts both sides' hopes and expectations and how the relationship evolved amid Cold War geopolitical developments and the establishment of the State of Israel. While both sides saw these links as advantageous (for different reasons), the contacts were "fraught with...
Publication Year: 2021
Publication Date: 2021-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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