Abstract
Since the Enlightenment, the image of East European Jews, Ostjuden, has played a crucial role in German Jews' self-definition. Jews from Eastern Europe were considered backward. This backwardness seemed to endanger the German Jews' integration into modern society. Therefore, they repudiated the Ostjuden. At the same time, there emerged a sense of collective responsibility for their "weaker brethren". At the start of the 20th century, a positive countermyth was established. The unspoiled nature of the Ostjuden was turned into a cult. These clichés revealed more about the self-understanding of the German Jews than the reality of the Ostjuden.
| Translated title of the contribution | Reflection, projection, distortion: East European Jews in Jewish culture in Germany |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 67-82 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Osteuropa |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 8-10 |
| State | Published - 2008 |