Arthur Ruppin and the Production of Pre-Israeli Culture Studies in Jewish History and Culture Edited by Giuseppe Veltri VOLUME 31 Arthur Ruppin and the Production of Pre-Israeli Culture By Etan Bloom LEIDEN (cid:129) BOSTON 2011 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bloom, Etan. Arthur Ruppin and the production of pre-Israeli culture / edited by Etan Bloom. p. cm. -- (Studies in Jewish history and culture ; v. 31) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-90-04-20379-2 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Ruppin, Arthur, 1876-1943. 2. Ruppin, Arthur, 1876-1943--Political and social views. 3. Zionism--Palestine--History--20th century. 4. Jews--Colonization--Palestine--History--20th century. 5. Zionists--Germany--Biography. 6. Zionists--Palestine--Biography. 7. Politics and culture--Palestine. I. Title. II. Series. DS151.R75B56 2011 320.54095694092--dc22 2011000173 ISSN 1568-5004 ISBN 978-90-04-20379-2 Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The CopyrightClearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. For my beloved Sharon and Lili CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................ix Introduction ........................................................................................1 Chapter One Cultural Identity ....................................................19 Chapter Two Weltanschauung .........................................................41 Chapter Three The German Nexus ............................................111 Chapter Four Practice ...............................................................147 Chapter Five Ruppin and Nazi-Zionist Relations ....................333 Conclusion ......................................................................................359 Bibliography ....................................................................................369 Index ...............................................................................................393 Plates ...............................................................................................401 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank those people who helped me write this work. My thanks fi rst go to Prof. Itamar Even-Zohar, who has been my mentor ever since I began my studies at the University of Tel Aviv. I am indebted to him not only for inspiring, amazing and amusing me with his vast knowledge and wisdom, but also for demonstrating to me the practice of intellectual integrity. Similarly, my deep appreciation goes to Prof. Sander L. Gilman for providing me a new vivid critical perspective of Jewish history and identity and for his invaluable advice and support throughout all the stages of my research. I thank him for the many fertile insights along the crossroads of my journey. My thanks go wholeheartedly to the most inspiring Dr. Magdalena Drexl, for her hospitality, constructive criticism, and for her resurrecting transcription of Ruppin’s German handwriting. I would also like to thank my linguistic editors, Mrs. Aliza El-Dror, Ms. Bella Ruth Richard and Ms. Chantal Osterreicher for their patience and professional work. Ever since I started my research work, Mr. Menashe Ida and Dr. Yuval Amit were always there to lend a helpful ear and to offer their highly valuable comments. Special thanks go to these dear friends. Those who have helped me over the years in bringing my research to fruition are too numerous to mention, although I also would like to acknowledge Prof. Yehuda Nini for his wise hints and encouragements, Prof. John Milfull for his valuable comments and friendly corres- pondence, and Dr. Snait B. Gissis for her constant support and encouragement. I am obliged to Prof. Dan Diner for the unforgettable stay at the Simon Institute for Jewish History and Culture, as well as to the most hospitable University of Leipzig and to the IQN-Program of DAAD, for enabling me to study and research for almost three years in Leipzig, Berlin, Bochum and Amsterdam. I wish to thank Dr. Stephan Wendehorst (Deputy to the Director) for his most kind help, as well as the SDI fac- ulty, staff and guest scholars, among them Dr. Veronika Lipphardt, Dr. Miriam Ruerup, Dr. Tobias Brinkmann, Dr. Omry Kaplan- Feuereisen, Dr. Omar Kamil, Prof. Yechiam Weitz, Mr. Kelvin Crombie and Prof. Todd M. Endelman. I am thankful for the multifarious assistance of the following colleagues and friends: Ms. Astrid Gottwald, x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mr. Herzl Schubert, Mr. Jörg Eckhardt, Dr. Benjamin Baader, Dr. Uwe Hossfeld, Dr. Amnon Raz-Karkotzkin, Dr. Ari Barell, Prof. Raphael Falk, Dr. Denis Sweeney, Dr. Yitzhak Laor, Mr. Yosef El-Dror, Prof. Gideon Toury, Prof. Rakefet Sela-Sheffy, Dr. Eran Rolnik, Dr. Ofer Nur, Dr. Boaz Neumann, Dr. Dafna Hirsch, Mr. Haggai Ravid, Mr. Doron Ashkenazi, Prof. Luisa Passerini, Prof. Mitchell B. Hart, Prof. Derek Penslar, Prof. Richard Whatmore, Prof. Todd Presner, Prof. Ruth Pierson, Prof. Steven E. Aschheim, Ms. Jennifer Pavelko, Ms. Katelyn Chin and Prof. Giuseppe Veltri. I am perpetually grateful to my father, Yehuda (Leon) Bloom, who was always the fi rst reader and linguistic editor of each draft, and to my mother Alegria, for her immense love and support. Finally, I want to warmly acknowledge my sister, Limor, and my beloved brothers, Gadi, Ilan, and Gilad. Etan Bloom, January 2011.