Trudy Gold
The Case of Chaim Arlosoroff
Trudy Gold - The Case of Chaim Arlosoroff
- And before we get onto the topic of Haim Arlosoroff, which is a hugely controversial issue both then and now, it would be wrong not to say a few words about Yom HaShoah in Israel because as I’m sure you’re all aware, every country chooses its own day to remember. And it’s absolutely no accident that Israel has chosen the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Shoah itself, look, it is beyond a catastrophe. The lessons of it for many are still to be learnt for the world, for the Jewish people. But also, it has marked us. It has marked us in a way that has led to many, many divisions, even on how we commemorate the Shoah. And when I talk about Haim Arlosoroff, you’re going to see just how deep those divisions are. And of course, it’s no accident that Israel chose the day of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to commemorate Yom HaShoah because if you think back to the whole notion of Yohanan ben Zakkai, who is the hero of the Jewish people? Is it ben Zakkai who was smuggled out of Jerusalem in a coffin during the Roman occupation when Jerusalem was under siege, where he begged to be allowed to set up a study centre? And you can make the case that it was the wall of law and it was the bookishness of the Jewish people that kept them as a group. But what about Bar Kokhba with a flaming sword in his hand? Many of the young Zionists who reacted against the diaspora and the rise of anti-Semitism said, “We must again, become the people of Bar Kokhba.” And that thread is so strong in Israel. Now, the reason William isn’t lecturing tonight is our very, very sensitive lovely, William, felt that because it’s so near to HaShoah, he didn’t feel it was appropriate.
I quarrelled with him about it, I must admit, because I think he’s one of the loveliest, sensitive people I’ve ever known. But anyway, on terms of what happened within the Shoah, in terms of the horrific, even to use the notion facts and figures is somehow repellent, I don’t intend to go through it again. When the website is up, and I promise you it’s quite near now, I’ve been speaking to Wendy and colleagues in America and to Judy, and we’re probably a couple of months away. But then, we all have lectured on these issues. And of course, I have lectured on the Warsaw Ghetto and the Uprising. But I thought that it would be very wrong of me not to take us back to remember the different kind of heroes in the Warsaw Ghetto. Janusz Korczak, who of course, was one of the greatest educators in the world who went back into the ghetto to look after the Jewish orphanage, and went with his children to their deaths in Treblinka so that they shouldn’t be afraid. To Emanuel Ringelblum, the extraordinary archivist of the Warsaw ghetto who kept this incredible wealth of detail about what was happening, Oneg Shabbat. And they were buried in milk churns under the ghetto, and five of those milk churns have been discovered, and we now know many of the stories. For example, doctors monitoring the effect of starvation on their own bodies is still used in Oxfam to this day. Adam Czerniaków, who was head of the Judenrat who tried to negotiate with the Nazis. There were so many different responses. And it’s important to remember, nobody really knew the ultimate. And Czerniaków, who committed suicide when the order was given to deport the children.
And then the freedom fighters to the left and to the right. Do you think that they could even argue? Even in Warsaw ghetto, they argued over the proper response. People like Mordechai Anielewicz or Paweł Frenkiel who led the revisionists, Zevia Lu'betkin, Simcha Rotemsim, Marek Edelman. And I can go on and on and on. And also, bring your attention to Mordechai Anielewicz who was one of the two Jewish members of the Polish government in exile who committed suicide in London to bring the world’s attention to what was happening in the Warsaw ghetto. So it’s no accident that Israel commemorates the uprising. But never forget they rose up when they knew they were going to die. And in this whole issue of resistance and of rescue, I think it’s important to remember that they only really resisted as a body when they knew there was no hope. And if you think of family situations that we all have, in our families, we have the elderly, we have the young. And to actually imagine that someone hates you enough to murder the people you love most, it’s only when you realise it’s over, and they fought like lions, and they held out longer than the whole of Poland. And in fact, became the signal for the Warsaw Uprising itself, just as the Bielski Uprising in many ways became the signal for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. So I felt it important that we remember, that we honour, but also we kind of try and understand the terrible dilemmas. And as I said, because you have many lectures on Lockdown now that you’ll be able to get hold of when the website is completely finished, I chose not to again, give the actual facts, the events.
Besides, we’ve covered it in individual countries. And today, I want to look at one of the most controversial issues of all, and that is the story of Haim Arlosoroff. Can we see the first slide if you don’t mind, Judy? Now, Haim Arlosoroff, he was born in 1899 and he is assassinated on June the 14th, 1933 as he walked along the seafront in Tel Aviv. Who assassinated Arlosoroff? And this is a case that divides Israel right to this day. It is split right down the middle. The Revisionists on one side and the Labour left on the other. It’s no accident that when Begin became the first Revisionist prime minister of Israel, he opened the case again. And there is now fresh evidence from German scholars which give an even more sinister view of the murder of Arlosoroff. So who was this man who was very much the bright spark of the Revisionist party? He was one of those young , can we see the first slide please? He came from Romny in the Ukraine. And here, you see some postcards of what it was. He was the grandson of Rabbi Eliezer of Romny, who was a Talmud commentator. He came from a relatively wealthy background. He was called, Haim, after his maternal grandfather. And his other grandfather was active in the 1860 Revolt, and was imprisoned by the police. He was actually called, Vitaly, by his family. So he’s Haim, he’s Vitaly, or he’s Viktor. Now, his father, Saul, was a product of the Haskalah. He was a lumber merchant with international contacts. He was self-taught. And young Haim was fluent in Russian and German, as was his mother.
Now what happens? Can we see the next slide please? You will know of course, that in the Revolution of 1905, no surprise, the Jews are blamed in the failed revolution, and pogroms breakout through the whole of Eastern Europe. These are the Tsarist pogroms, and the family flee to East Russia, then to Königsberg. By this time, he’s already fluent in Ukrainian, German, Russian, and Hebrew. Now, World War One, the family are threatened with deportation. But because his father was a useful merchant, and why was he threatened with deportation? Russia was against Germany. You know, this is one of the other canards of Jewish history. The Russians are persecuting the Jews, and yet, “Is he an enemy alien?” think the Germans. Ironically, this also happens to German and Austrian Jews, of course, in Britain at the time of the Second World War. Anyway, the father is finally realised to be a useful citizen. He’s given permission to return to Berlin but he has to go back to Ukraine on a business matter. And unfortunately, he’s trapped by the war and he dies of cholera. So when the family moved to Berlin, the bright young Haim, he has a sister as well, he is thrust into the world of German culture. In fact, when the war broke out, he was only 15 years old but he already thought about volunteering for the German army. His family mix in the intellectual circles of Berlin. Can we see the next slide please? There you see Berlin in 1900. How exciting it must have been for a young refugee from the Ukraine?
As I said, he’s of the Haskalah background, and of course, Berlin, like Vienna, like Paris, despite the undercurrents of anti-Semitism, was an extraordinary, interesting, important place to be. And he becomes acquainted with the ideas of Martin Buber. Now Martin, can we go on please, Judy? He’s attracted already to Mapai, the left-wing socialist movement. Not yet called that but he’s already attracted to Zionist ideas. He becomes acquainted with Martin Buber. Let’s have a look at a picture of Buber. But before that, sorry, it’s my fault, Judy. Go on to the poem first. Now this is what he writes at the time of the war. And he thinks he might need to join the German army but he writes this. “Germany’s flag you have loftily hoisted, "for Russia you rushed into war, "with French armies you set out into battle, "but whose is this war, "and for whom have you been killed and destroyed?” This is his poem to the Jewish war dead. This is before he even goes to university. He goes to the University of Berlin, of course, and he studies economics. He’s absolutely brilliant. And this is a letter whilst he’s a student that he writes to his professor. Can we see the letter please? “I am a Jew and I feel proud of my Jewishness. "I feel it in my bones that I am different from a German, "and it would never occur to me to deny this. "I feel how much the Orient is ingrained in me, "how much in my soul is a product of an inner rift "due to rootlessness, "and unknown to the racial German.” You know, this is so Jewish is it now? The rootlessness, where do we really ever belong? “On the other hand, "I recognise in myself many other things "which the Germans thinks are his sole property.
"My soul yearns for the unique ancient Hebrew culture "but I also like German culture, "and perhaps I am also afraid "to admit how great my love for it is.” And surely, this is the call of any Jew who feels part of the society in which they live. I mean, for Jews living in England, my early education was far better in English culture than it was in Jewish culture. And I’m sure that’s true for many of my generation. And also for many of you who live in America, in Canada, in South Africa, or wherever you’re coming from, you become rooted in the countries in which they live for good and for bad. But we do fall in love, if we come from a relatively stable place like Britain, we fall in love with its culture. And think about the Jews of France and French culture. And think about the Jews of Vienna and German culture. And the Jews of Berlin. And he goes on to say, “Moreover, sometimes it appears to me "that we the young Jews "who understand what national culture is, "and who are meant to be the bearer of such a culture, "realise more than many Germans "how deep are the treasures found in German culture.” And of course, this is very much the cry of so many German Jews. I’m sure I’ve already mentioned to you, many of my German friends who I was fortunate enough to meet because I was teaching in Hampstead. I mean, Klaus, who actually said, “I came to the land of Philistines "from the land of culture.” But this is what he says, this is Arlosoroff, “Yet Goethe and Schiller "never really touched my heart closely. "They filled me with awe and wonder.
"I get excited by them "as by a powerful and magnificent natural phenomenon "which reveals itself to me in all its sublime glory. "But I cannot live in them and for them.” So already, he’s doubly alienated. Of course, he’s left the persecutions of the Ukraine. Even in Germany which was such a hotbed of ideas. And he’s obviously an incredibly brilliant young man. He cannot root himself. But as I’ve already mentioned, and I think now we can see Buber’s picture. Can we go on please, Judy? He is close to Martin Buber, the great German-Jewish philosopher, and we will be having a special lecture on him from one of my colleagues. And also, it’s Buber who introduces Arlosoroff to the work of Aaron David Gordon. Can we see his face please? Aaron David Gordon was a fascinating man. He came from a very middle class Jewish family in Eastern Europe. His father was an estate manager, as was he. In his middle age, he goes off to Palestine, and he really is the mentor of Labour Zionism. He actually said, “I believe that every stick and stone in Palestine "must be turned by Jewish hands.” He was a great mentor to the Second Aliyah. Aaron David Gordon, a great figure. And he also becomes acquainted with another important character who I’ve already mentioned to you before. Can we see the next picture please? That’s Gustav Landauer who was an anarchist and a socialist, and was of course involved in the abortive Munich Revolutions. If you remember, there were three revolutions in Germany at the end of the First World War.
Nearly all the leaders of the revolution were Jews including Gustav Landauer who is a close acquaintance of Arlosoroff. With Gordon and Landauer, they both believed in a return to nature and to agriculture as a reaction against the violence of modern industrial and bureaucratic life. It’s really Aaron David Gordon who was the main inspiration behind the Kibbutz Movement. So if we go on, we’ll have a look at a picture of the University of Berlin. Yes and of course, here you see one of its greatest alumni. That’s a picture of Albert Einstein who not only was one of the greatest scholars in Germany, but don’t forget, he became one of the governors of the Hebrew University. The Hebrew University, the cornerstone was laid in 1923. And if you think about the Board, it was Einstein, Freud, Weizmann. It’s a gallery of the absolutely famous, extraordinary individuals. So at the University of Berlin, he studies economics. His articles appear next to those of Buber, Gordon, as well as excerpts from Mark’s . He’s really at the centre of an intellectual milieu. He publishes his first treatise, “Jewish People’s Socialism.” He’s actually offered an assistant professorship the minute he gets his PhD in economics. And so see him as the brilliant young man, the hope of the future. He turns it down because he decides to go to Palestine. And can we see a picture of Palestine in 1920s?
So he visits Palestine and he’s there for the riots, the Haganah. In 1920, the Hajj Amin al-Husseini, who I’m lecturing on next week, he actually called the Arabs to riot. There were massacres, the Haganah was created as a way of putting it all down, and he is there for the riots. He decides to go to Palestine, and in Palestine, he immediately becomes very important and active in left-wing movements. He becomes close to Weizmann and Ben-Gurion. You see this brilliant young, sophisticated German-Jew comes to Palestine to fight for, if you like, the left-wing. He’s behind the creation of Mapai, and he wants very much to create a socialist Jewish state in Palestine. So that’s where he is. He goes back to Germany to complete his doctoral thesis. It’s on the Marxist concept of the class war. But remember, he declines this assistant professorship which is unheard of for a man of his age, and he goes to Palestine. Can we see the next slide please? Here you see the Arab riots in Mandatory Palestine. It makes a huge impact on him. And there he is, already right in the thick of Zionist politics. He and Weizmann got on very well. He was a brilliant chess player, as was Weizmann. And gradually, he’s singled out for potential leadership. Can we go on please? Here you see Palestine in 1924 because this is when he settles there.
And this is of course, before the German-Jewish immigration. I just thought I’d show you that wonderful postcard from Jerusalem. And I’d like to thank Romi for helping me get all these slides together. Of course, what was the Mandate like? There were under 215,000 Jews in Palestine at this period. The cornerstone of Tel Aviv, of course, had been laid in 1909. And Jerusalem, of course, is now becoming more of a Jewish city. But basically, the majority of the Jewish world are not answering the call of Zionism at this stage. Now in 1926, can we see the next slide please? Arlosoroff along with Meir Dizengoff, and also, Joshua Yevin, sorry, the Rabbi B. Z. Uziel, they are delegates to the League of Nations for Zionism. And here you see Arlosoroff with Meir Dizengoff. And here you see a picture of Dizengoff with Arthur Balfour. And that other picture is B. Z. Uziel. He is the Sephardi rabbi. So Arlosoroff, Uziel and Dizengoff are sent off to the League of Nations to put the Zionist case. And here you see Dizengoff, later the mayor of Tel Aviv. And of course, both Arlosoroff and Dizengoff have two of the longest streets in Tel Aviv. Don’t forget that the streets in Tel Aviv were very much named for Labour Zionist heroes. And it was only after the Revisionists finally take power with Begin that you have their leadership coming to the fore in the street names of Tel Aviv. I always find it rather interesting. Those of you who live in Israel, I know many of you are very well acquainted with the biographies of the characters. But it is so fascinating that you could actually teach many courses on the streets of Jerusalem and the streets of Tel Aviv.
And so these are the three characters chosen by the Yishuv in Palestine, the left-wing Yishuv. Remember, the leadership of the Yishuv is very left-wing. Under Ben-Gurion, the Revisionists by this time under the leadership of Jabotinsky, they have created the World Zionist Revisionist organisation. And what does Revisionist mean? They wanted land both sides of the Jordan, whereas the Labour Zionists, their main mantra was, “Let’s get the Jews to Palestine. "Let us build up the land.” So you have two contradictory viewpoints, but both of them wanted Jewish settlement in Palestine, and both of them wanted to save the Jewish people. I was talking to my son-in-law about this because he will be lecturing later on in the next couple of weeks. And we’ve been discussing this whole controversy between the right and the left of Israel. And he came up with an idea which is not new, but I thought he put it so concisely, and basically, he was saying one is body and one is soul but which is which? And in the end, you need both to create the Jewish people and to create the state of Israel, you needed the body and you needed the soul. And I think that’s going to become more and more apparent as we come into more and more controversial figures. So bear in mind that he is already an important member of the Zionist organisation. He goes to the League of Nations.
He’s close to both Weizmann and Ben-Gurion. And I should mention that after 1929 and the Arab riots of 1920, no longer allowed into Palestine. So basically, the people who take up his cause in Palestine tend to be more extreme than the great old leader who tragically dies in 1940. So can we go on please? Now here, you see Rabbi Ben-Zion, the other great leader who was sent by the and the Yishuv to the League of Nations to put the Jewish cause. Because even by 1926, what is British policy in Palestine? And I will be talking about that over the next couple of weeks. Can we go on please? Haavara. Okay. And now we come to the nightmare. Okay, let me first say that the Arab rights of 1929, what happened? Arlosoroff had already very much published his impressions of what was happening in the mandates. He also had a lot to say about the Arab riots of which led to terrible troubles and massacres. What happened was this, a British officer noticed that a mechitza had been put up at the Western wall. He was very much pro-Arab and he had told the Arabs, the Arab leadership under the mufti, who would counter, no, he wanted no Jewish immigration into Palestine at all. He said it was a desecration of an Arab holy place. Meanwhile, the Revisionists under their leader, who I’m going to talk about later, they were very much stirring up trouble. And it led to terrible Arab riots which led to murders of Jews in both Jerusalem and in Hebron. Now Arlosoroff actually wrote an article where he blamed the Revisionists for provoking the Arabs at the Temple Mount. And bearing in mind that by 1930 when Mapai is finally created out of all these various left-wing groups, he’s one of the party leaders and the spokesman.
He was a very much a strong supporter of Weizmann. He was elected as a member of the Zionist and Jewish Agency Executive. And by 1931, he was made head of its political division at the 17th Zionist Congress in 1931. Now, he’s still very young. Look, he was born in 1898 so he is still a very young man, and already, he’s basically number two to Ben-Gurion. He also had a very close relationship with Sir Arthur Wauchope who was the British High Commissioner. He worked very hard on him. Arlosoroff would engage him in games of chess. And he was quite close to the British members of the mandate authorities which made the Revisionists very suspicious of him. He did hope, despite Hajj Amin al-Husseini, that there could be peace with the Arabs. But actually, in a letter to Weizmann in June, 1932, which wasn’t published till 1949, he discussed the possibility of an interim revolutionary period in which the Jewish minority developed the country to save as many Jews as possible. And because he was worried that external forces might prevent the realisation of Zionism, he was acutely aware of what was going on in the world. Look, June, 1932, the Nazi party was already the biggest party in Germany. He was aware of the anti-Semitism that was sweeping Europe. Look, after the Wall Street Crash, I don’t have to tell you what happened. There was economic, social, and political unrest. There was fear of immigration.
After 1929, the countries of the world had very much closed up on immigration. I’m going to be talking about that tomorrow actually, the crisis of Jewish immigration between ‘33 and '41, and how the West dealt with it, how the countries of the free world dealt with it because if I say to you, German and Austrian Jewry could have been saved in their entirety if countries had opened their doors. And I’m going to stand by that point. So basically, Arlosoroff is so aware. Look, he’s an economist, he’s got a brilliant mind. He’s a sophisticated Jew who’d been brought up in Berlin. He plays around with ideas. Can we make an accommodation with the Arabs? Is it possible? Can I do a deal with the British? Remember, he plays chess with the high commissioner. He’s close to Weizmann. Weizmann also believed in trying to negotiate with the British, but he was terrified that external forces might prevent the realisation of Zionism. It had been he in the foundation of Mapai that had been instrumental in uniting Poale Zion and Hapoel Hatsair. And any of you who know about Jewish internal politics know just how difficult it is to bring any Jews together. So this is his story when something absolutely extraordinary happened. And that is the Havaara Agreement. Now, what is the Havaara Agreement? Now, the Havaara Agreement, believe it or not, is an agreement between the Zionist organisation and the Jews of Palestine, really, the directive of the Jewish Agency in Palestine, and the economic authorities in Nazi Germany. Now, we come to the crux of it. Does one deal with the devil? This is Haim Arlosoroff. In the end, he was the major figure on the need for Havaara.
Havaara means transfer. And what it enabled to happen, it was an agreement enabling Jews persecuted in Germany to transfer some portion of their assets to British Mandate Palestine. Immigrants could sell their assets in Germany to pay for essential goods that they would take with them manufactured in Germany. And involved in the negotiations was the Hanotea Planter which was a citrus company in Netanya established in 1929. In a deal with the Reich Economic Ministry, it would unfreeze the German-Jewish bank accounts of prospective immigrants, and funds because of course, Jewish bank accounts had been frozen by the Nazis, and these bank accounts could be unlocked, and funds used to buy agricultural German goods. These goods, along with the immigrants, would be shipped to Palestine, and in return, the immigrants would be granted a house and buy the company to the same value of the goods that would be transferred to them. The company’s director, Sam Cohen, was in direct negotiation with the Nazis. And in May, 1933, he petitioned successfully to transfer capital from Germany to Palestine. That is what led to agreement. The agreement would provide, remember, Germany is short of currency. Schacht, the Reichsminister, was completely in favour of it. The agreement would provide a substantial export market for Nazi Germany. In fact, between November '33 and December '37, $22 million, the equivalent of in 1938 currency, was exported to Jewish business in Palestine under the programme. Immigrants with a capital of 1,000 pounds per head, which is about $5,000 in 1930s value, could move to Palestine despite the restrictions. And under the agreement, 39% of immigrant’s funds given to the Jewish communal development projects, the immigrants received about 45% of the funds. So let’s unpack this.
The Haavara Agreement which was called by the Revisionists, “A deal with the devil,” because how did one respond to the Nazis? And here, we come back to the horror story. Does one deal with the devil? In 1933, did we really know the shape of the devil? I’m trying to look at this from every angle. I’m not going to come down on one side or another. I leave that to you, ladies and gentlemen. My own personal feeling is if I thought I could save my children and grandchildren, I’m sure I would’ve dealt with the devil. But there are others who wouldn’t. And the point is, Haim Arlosoroff, the brilliant young economist, was prepared to negotiate. At this time, remember, the Germans are prepared to let Jews out. The whole process between '33 and '41 is the social, economic, and legal exclusion of the Jews, the humiliation of the Jews, the torturing of the Jews, robbing the Jews blind. But at this stage, there is no plan for wholesale murder. Palestine needed immigrants, they needed Jews, this was the whole purpose. One of the main pillars of Zionism was in the end, and remember the words of Leon Pinsker, “Anti-Semitism is a psychic aberration. "It’s a 2000-year-old disease. "It is incurable.” For people like Pinsker, who was of course, completely disillusioned with any hope of enlightenment in Russia. In 1882, he writes, “Auto-Emancipation.” He says, “Those of you who are going to America "are kidding yourselves. "What we need is to have a Jewish homeland.” And to people like Jabotinsky, already, that should be a state. In 1929, Jabotinsky said, “I want a state. "State is the normal condition of the people.” Arlosoroff and Weizmann were going along more with the British view, “Let’s call it a homeland.” Of course, what they wanted was a state eventually.
Ben-Gurion, “Let’s build up the state. "Let’s actually create the infrastructure of the state "so we have something there.” Do we deal with the devil? So at this stage, yes, you’re dealing with a monster. Hitler wasn’t involved in this at all. He allowed it to happen because at that stage, he wants Jews out of Germany. It’s only when he goes for global war that we go for the final solution. So again, with the Warsaw ghetto which we’re commemorating tonight, it’s no accident that Israel chooses that day. Who is the hero of the Jew? Arlosoroff was prepared to support it. And he says, this is what he writes, “The liquidation of the immigrants’ business "and realisation of their capital, "currency and transfer regulations make it very difficult "for the immigrants to realise their capital "in order to invest in Palestine. "I believe that this problem will not find its solution "without negotiation and agreement "with the German government. "Such negotiation would doubt enjoy the support of public "in various countries. "And a solution must be found on concessions "and advantages for both sides. "It may be necessary "to increase German exports to Palestine, "or to establish a guarantor company "to ensure the liquidation of immigrants’ business "over a long period.” So basically, this is what he says. And the regulations are made. In fact, the final deal is signed on the 25th of August, 1933. It’s finalised by the Zionists Federation of Germany, the Anglo-Palestine bank, under the direction of the Jewish Agency. So just to encapsulate, Jews could leave Germany and transfer some portion of their assets with them. And it was a real, real contention. The man behind it in Germany.
Well, can we see the next slide please? Werner Otto von Hentig. Now, he was a very interesting character. He came from an upper class German family. He was very much an adventurer. When he was 25 years old, he was sent by the Kaiser to lead an expedition in the uncharted territories of Central Asia. He joined the German army in 1909. He was part of the German mission to Beijing. Later, he was in Istanbul. He was part of the German mission in Tehran. In World War One, he led an expedition to Kabul to enlist the Afghan army’s support for the central powers against the British in India. In the interwar period, he was in the diplomatic regime. He was quite critical of the Nazis but he was so this aristocrat who was so useful to them. He’d met Chaim Weizmann. He was impressed by him. He admired Zionism, and he prepared a memorandum to the German government. There were advantages to Germany in the establishment of a Jewish state. And in fact, he did help save Jews. He believed that Jews could not be Germans. But he did believe that what is wrong with them having their own state and being Jews in Germany? He actually managed to save 20,000 young Jews through Yugoslavia and through the Greek ports. However, it was the British who stopped this particular idea of saving Jews because they realised by this time, once the war is on, they want to appease the Arabs. There is that memo of 1938.
Someone asked me, ‘cause I just gave you the memo last time without quoting, it’s a man called, George, at the Foreign Office. In 1938, he actually said, “In any future war, "it’s going to be in the interests of the British "to support the Arabs "because the Jews are going to support us anyway.” So very ironically, he was pro-Zionist. And after World War Two, he becomes the German ambassador to Indonesia. He lived to 1984. He was a fascinating man. So can we go on? Because of course, what happens is this. Haim Arlosoroff returns from Germany. He had been negotiating. He comes back on the night of June the 14th, 1933, unexpectedly early. He’s walking along the seafront with his wife, Sima, when he is assassinated. And the story is who killed Haim Arlosoroff? And there were many, many contenders. His wife pointed the finger at two young Revisionists. Those Revisionists were Abraham Stavsky and his colleague, oh my goodness, my brain isn’t working today. I’ll come off with his name in a minute. Rosenblatt, yes. Stavsky and Rosenblatt, two young Revisionists, who were accused of killing Arlosoroff by his wife. Immediately, Ben-Gurion, remember, he’s his number two, he’s the bright young spark of the left-wing Zionists, immediately, Ben-Gurion points the finger at the Revisionists and their leader in Palestine, a fascinating young man called, Abba Ahimeir. Can we please see some pictures, Judy? This is a Abraham Stavsky. Abraham Stavsky is to some people, one of the great heroes of the Revisionist movement. He was later acquitted of killing Arlosoroff. He was a Revisionist. In the war, he was instrumental in getting young Jews out of Germany to Palestine. He was a great hero of the Revisionists.
And what happens to him in the end, tragically, this is where I know that we’re all going to get ourselves into a lot of division because he is on the boat, he is actually on the boat, the Altalena. During the post-war, he runs many boats into Palestine including one called the Ben Hecht. After Ben Hecht, the great American screenwriter who was a great supporter of the Revisionists in America. He is on board. He captains a ship called the Altalena. The Altalena was the pen name of Jabotinsky, the great mentor of the Zionist Revisionists who died in 1940 in America. All these lectures are on Lockdown, but I will be referring to them in other cases in the next few weeks because it’s very important you understand all this. So that you understand the terrible divisions. Abraham Stavsky, acquitted of the murder of Arlosoroff, is on board the Altalena. Begin, who is the leader in Palestine of the Revisionists by this time, there’s a wonderful story told that in 1937 at a Revisionist conference in Kraków where Jabotinsky is speaking to his followers at the Saski Hotel. My friend was there, and he told me the story that Begin made an interesting speech, and Jabotinsky laid his hands on Begin’s shoulders and said, “You are my future.” And of course, Begin, who in the war, he’d actually fought for the British, he left the regiment, and in Palestine became head of the Irgun, and rejoined the war against the British. I’ll be talking about that in a couple of lectures quite soon. He joined Stavsky on the ship. The ship was full of supplies and arms for the Revisionists mainly donated by the American gangsters such as Meyer Lansky.
Another extraordinary story. By this time, Israel has been created. This is August, 1948, and Ben-Gurion, beg your pardon, June '48, Ben-Gurion gives the order to fire on the ship. They make Begin jump overboard but Stavsky is killed. He goes down with the ship. And there is a memorial today to the assassination of Arlosoroff. But there is also a memorial to the Altalena. They’re not far from each other on the seafront. And this is the soul of Israel if you think about it. Begin then ordered the Irgun to join the IDF. According to the Revisionists, he prevented civil war. And you see, these divisions are still with us in Israel. How do we respond to the tragedy of the Shoah? How do we respond to the outside world? How do we respond to the Arab problem? So all these issues that I’m touching on today are so central to Israel, to its body and to its soul. Because of course, the prime minister today is Benjamin Netanyahu, whose father was Jabotinsky’s secretary in America. So you see how it all comes together. But going on, the other character who was the one who was whipping up against Stavsky and Rosenblatt was a very strange young man called, Abba Ahimeir. His real name was Abba Shaul Gaisinovich who was born in Babruysk in Belarus. He very early came to Palestine. He was at the Herzliya Gymnasium in Tel Aviv. And when war broke out, he completed his education in Russia. In 1917, at the Russian Zionism conference in Petrograd, he trained with Joseph Trumpeldor, another great hero of Zionism. He left Russia in 1920, and he changed his name to honour his brother who had died during a pogrom against a pogrom fighting the polls in 1920.
He then went to back to Europe. He studied philosophy at Liège University, then completed his thesis at the University of Vienna, Spengler’s, “The Decline of the West.” What you need to know is these young characters to the right or to the left, they were young, idealistic intellectuals. He migrated to Palestine, makes his decision to live there, he becomes active in Labour Zionism, and actually in Hapoel Hatzair. He served as a librarian for the Cultural Committee of the General Workers Organisation. He was a teacher on a kibbutz at Zikhron Ya'akov, and at Kibutz Geva. He regularly published articles in Haaretz and Davar. But he also began to criticise the political situation. And in 1928, along with Yehoshua Yevin and the poet, Uri Zvi Grinberg, he became disillusioned with Labour Zionism because he viewed them as too passive. He believed by this time that there was going to have to be a fight. And he founded the Revisionist Labour Bloc as part of Jabotinsky’s movement. However, at first, he was regarded as an implant by the suspicious Revisionists. And they believed he was far too Marxist. However, after the 1929 riots, he created an extremist group called, the Sicarii. He called the British a foreign regime and referred to them as the occupiers, and began to lead revolts against the British. So he has completely switched now, and he sees the British, because after the Wall Street Crash, remember what’s happening in Europe.
So in the 1st of October, 1930, he’s arrested in Tel Aviv for leading protests against the undersecretary of state. And in 1933 though, he turns his activities mainly against the Germans. He campaigns to remove swastika’s from the flagpoles of the German consulate in Jerusalem and Jaffa, he organised a boycott of German goods. You see, this is the problem. Stephen Wise, back in '33, had called for a boycott of all German goods. That led to that terrible day of action against the Jews only lasting for one day. If you remember, on 27th of March, 1933, Joseph Goebbels had ordered a boycott of all Jewish shops. In America, as a response to that, Rabbi Stephen Wise ordered a rally which called for a boycott of all German goods. It didn’t happen. The British Board of Deputies were against the boycott, along with many other Jewish organisations because they said it would make the situation worse for the Jews. How do you deal with this terrible situation? You have Abba Ahimeir in Palestine wanting a boycott. He’s violently against Haavara. You do not trade with the devil. He was actually arrested at the time of the murder of Arlosoroff because he had spoken out against him. He had said that the man should be murdered. But he has nothing to do with the murder, and he is let free. And later on, he was convicted of organising a clandestine organisation. He was later imprisoned by the British, and he’s arrested again in '37. And of course, he is put in Acre Jail along with many Revisionists. He did describe himself actually, as a fascist.
He angered Jabotinsky. Jabotinsky felt he’d gone far too far because remember, Jabotinsky after 1930, was not allowed back into Palestine. And he said this, “Such men, even in the maximalist and activist factions, "number no more than two or three. "And even with this two or three, "it is mere phraseology, "not a world view.” So he asked that Jabotinsky take the title of Il Duce. He was completely at the edge of the Zionist movement, the Sicarii. But this is to give you the atmosphere. Look, the bulk of the Jews in Palestine were Labour Zionists. They deeply mourned the death of Arlosoroff. So going onto the case itself, of course, it was a British judge. It was a British trial. And at the trial, what happens is Rosenblatt is acquitted. He was actually somewhere else at the same time. There were three judges. Two found Stavsky guilty but on appeal, he was later released. There was a dissenting judge at the time of the first accusation. Meanwhile, there had been roundups, Sima, Arlosoroff’s wife, did she really see him? Meanwhile, another Arab who was already in jail for another crime, he admitted to the murder. But there was always a mystery. Who really killed Arlosoroff? The fact that nobody knew that he was going to be in Palestine that evening, walking along the seafront, could the Revisionists really have planned it? Isn’t it more likely that it was a random killing? But then to make it even more complicated, can we go on please? What on earth has Joseph Goebbels to do with this? Joseph Goebbels, the evil propaganda genius of the Third Reich, who Professor lectured on so brilliantly the other day. Okay, can we see the next slide, please?
Magda Quandt Ritschel, who on earth is she? Believe it or not, Magda Ritschel had a very close friend in Berlin, the sister of Haim Arlosoroff. Her mother had married the industrialist, Quandt. She later had an affair with Arlosoroff, and even went to Zionist meetings with him. She was one of those creatures who mirrored. Whoever she was with, she took on their views. What then happened was that, of course, Arlosoroff goes off to Palestine, and she becomes a socialite in Berlin. And later on, she marries the industrious Quandt. She divorces him. And by the time Arlosoroff comes back to Berlin to negotiate the deal, he tries to look up his old girlfriend who by this time is Mrs. Goebbels. That appalling creature who later on, they were so in love with Adolf Hitler that she and her husband killed their children in the bunker before they committed suicide after the death of Adolf Hitler. So the latest research that comes out of Germany is that the far more likely culprit, because remember, there were Nazi spies all over the place. We know, for example, that Adolf Eichmann visited Palestine.
The latest research coming out of Germany is that can you imagine what would’ve happened if the news had been leaked anywhere? That Magda Goebbels, the pure wife of the Minister of Propaganda, had actually had a love affair with a Jew. So in 1982, can we see the next slide please? Begin, when Prime Minister of Israel opened up the case, and again, Stavsky and Rosenblatt were completely exonerated. Who killed Arlosoroff? Probably the Arabs. But that was before the Arab couple who were found guilty of another crime, or the latest German research. And I want to finish on a slide of the Altalena, the Altalena Affair. It’s such a tragic story, Jew against Jew. But I think what it illustrates to me more than anything else that this was the most desperate situation. A third of all the Jews of the world were murdered by this time. Back in Arlosoroff’s day, did you talk to the devil? You know, on a much more mild level, the Board of Deputies, the British Jews were against the boycott. In the East End, the radicals were saying, “We must boycott German goods.” If it saved lives, who’s side would you have been on? But really, this is Israel isn’t it? Never forget that the take their oath of allegiance at Masada. Who is the Jew of today? Is it the bookish Jew of the diaspora? Or is it the bronzed, young Israeli soldier? What is the legacy of all of this? So I thought that today, because today is a day of reflection, why not bring up the case of Haim Arlosoroff? So let me stop there. I know I’ve posed more questions than answers but that is Jewish history. And let’s have a look at the questions.
Q&A and Comments:
Oh, this is from Nikki talking about Anita Lasker-Wallfisch who I interviewed. And obviously, she found it very difficult to be interviewed. Sometimes she does. What Nikki’s saying is, “I went when it was empty "and found it shockingly beautiful.” Yes, those of you who haven’t been to the Jewish museum in Berlin, it’s full of artefacts now. But Libeskind was a genius when he devised that museum, and you really get a picture of the unevenness.
And this is from Emilie, “My whole family was exterminated from Treblinka. "I really appreciate you sharing it. "My grandfather was in America at that moment. "He could never talk about this. "Only tears came out of his eyes. "I went to Treblinka to say Kaddish.”
Tim, this is Tim. “In relation to what you’re saying "about Jews from other countries, "I’m from Ireland. "I always regard myself as Irish as well as Jew.” Yes, of course. You’re back to that old canard, Tim, what does it mean to be a Jew? If you are religious, your definition is simple. I’m not saying it’s simple to be a religious Jew, but what I’m saying is your definition is simple. If you are a cultural Jew, what if you’re not religious? What if you are more at home in British culture than in Jewish culture? What if you are a Zionist? You can be a Zionist in the diaspora as well can’t you? You support and maintain the existence of the state of Israel but you choose to live in the diaspora. Or never forget that when Netanyahu went to Paris at the time of those terrible massacres, what did he say to the audience? To the Jewish audience he said, “Come home.” You see, to Zionists, really, to many Zionists in Israel, the diaspora should empty. We still are a people, a people. Remember what Elias Canetti said? “There are no people more difficult to understand "than the Jews.”
Rose is saying, “In fact, many of the Shoah is imperative.” Thank you.
Joan is saying, “Once again, "you cannot know what you would do "if you’re in this situation. "I know who got to Palestine with the capitalist visa. "No one knew what would after 1939, "These visas save people who couldn’t get Zionist visas, "or into another country.” Yes, one of my closest friends, he’s unfortunately died now, his father was a wealthy businessman in Berlin who had a righteous partner. When his business was aryanized, his partner was righteous, and he transferred money to another country which enabled my friend’s father and mother and his sister to make it to Palestine. He said the reason his father decided to go was that his father was an , and he saw the bully boys in Berlin. But his mother was steeped in Goethe and Schiller, and she said, “It can’t happen.” But by the way, when he got to Palestine, he actually joined the Igaru. So complicated.
Susan, “I met Stavsky’s wife years ago in New York. "She was then married to Jacob Weintraub, the art dealer. "She insisted that Stavsky was innocent.” I think most people do now think that Stavsky was innocent. And of course, Ben Hecht, in his very difficult to read book, “Perfidy,” he blames the Labour Zionists. And this is another terrible, terrible canard. I hope you’ll bear with me but later on in the course, I am going to give a lecture on what I call the most obscene libel, “The Nazification of Israel,” in inverted commas. Let me say this very carefully, it’s a libel. But there are certain elements, it comes out of Russia actually, and I want to trace it with you, just as I needed to trace the protocols with you. It begins with Stalin’s Russia, the use of Nazi imagery against the Jewish state. And they point to the so-called, wait for it, collusion of Jews with Nazis. That chokes in my throat. Don’t misunderstand me. But the notion like the Haavara Agreement and also the Kasztner Agreement. The fact that Kasztner negotiated to get Jews out of Hungary. As I said to you, I know I would trade with the devil to save my family.
But you know there are others who feel, for example, at the Eichmann trial, a Hungarian Jew actually tried to attack some of the Hungarian leadership who survived because when you are in hell, who do you blame? I’m going to be talking about what the allies didn’t do. But they were not the murderers. So what we’re in now, and because it is Yom HaShoah, maybe this is the time to talk about these issues. These terrible, terrible dilemmas that I think mark every Jew who in any way is committed to being a Jew, and certainly mark Israel. Israel, if you think about it, Israel does see existential threats to its existence in a way that I don’t think other countries can ever really envisage because no other country has had a third of its population wiped out for no reason except that they were Jews. Yes, of course, other people have undergone the most appalling catastrophes in their history. I’m not saying otherwise. But I’m talking about a modern crime, the Shoah, perpetrated by the most sophisticated, educated nation in the world. Is it surprising that there are strong reactions?
Q: “What does it mean to be a Revisionist?”
A: Oh okay, what the Revisionists believed in was land. In this case, it means land both sides of the Jordan because Jabotinsky believed in the end that the diaspora should empty, and you’d need land both sides.
Q: “Why did they kill Arlosoroff?”
A: Because of the Haavara Agreement. Because that’s what he was accused of doing. Now, he was accused of making a deal with the devil. That’s why the Revisionists were accused. But the latest evidence, it was either at the time, another Arab already in jail confessed then retracted the confession. And then you’ve got the Goebbels evidence. Wouldn’t it make an extraordinary film?
Carol, “It may be worth showing "the brilliant English dedication "in his remarkable, 'Haggadah,’ "to the then current British monarch, "George the Sixth, "when the famous artist, Arthur Szyk, "not only added an imagery of himself "dressed in crazy military uniform with palette and brush "as his weapons plus his inscription, ”‘I humbly lay these works of my hand “'showing forth for the afflictions of my people in Israel.’ "Perhaps this is relevant to your next lecture, "his magnificent painting, ‘The Warsaw Ghetto,’ in 1939. "Then living in England, "put aside his work and became a propagandist "for the democracies. "I realised not part of this lecture.” Thank you, that is very important information, Carol. Thank you.
“Arthur Szyk was a great Zionist to work with Ben Hecht.” Yes, you see Ben Hecht, he went for many far too far in his criticism of Labour Zionism. You see, no, I’ll talk about this when I talk about the allied responses in Zionism. “Arlosoroff is buried in the Trumpeldor Cemetery.” Yes.
This is a very profound thought from my friend, Joan. “The founding generation is gone. "Their children are in their 70s. "What happens to Israel when this first time memory "is no longer relevant to the general population?” I do think it will always be relevant. Whilst we commemorate Yom HaShoah, it will always be relevant, Joan. I do believe this. Look, whatever the vicissitudes of Israel, I still believe, as did my friend, Robert, who was not a religious man but he was a spiritual man. I do believe in the eternal of the Jewish people even when for some of us, there is a wrong turning. For others, there isn’t, but for some of us, there is. I still believe that we are the people of the book.
Sandra Levy is pointing to Yakov, a Jewish scientist, and published in one of leaders politzein. I met him in the 50s and Toronto. There are so many of these amazing characters. And you know what I love about Lockdown? So many of you tell me stories.
Q: “What percentage of the family’s wealth "could be transferred to Israel?”
A: Oh, I can’t remember. I’ll find that for you next week but not a huge amount. Thank you.
Q: I remember Ronald Macon. Was he killed because he was hated by the Revisionists?
A: Honey, the latest evidence, well, you see, this is the point. He was felt an Israeli judiciary under Begin’s direction. But remember, the judiciary is meant to be, this is what it’s all about, is meant to be independent. They did find Stavsky and Rosenblatt innocent. Ben-Gurion hated. There was a huge hatred between Ben-Gurion and Begin. You know, it’s interesting. At the time of the ‘67 war, the two of them really sat down. And I think if they’d known each other better because look, Begin is called by the British, number one terrorist. It was his orders that led to the blowing up of the King David Hotel. Desperate times, desperate solutions. But in the end, for many, Begin is one of the great heroes who finally made peace with Egypt. It’s complex, isn’t it? I don’t know if Abba Ahimeir is related to the Israeli. I don’t know.
Q: “So what does the latest German research suggest?”
A: That he was murdered Rosemary, he was murdered on the orders of Joseph Goebbels. Thank you.
“The religious definition says, honey, "is the Jew who’s born of a Jewish mother "or converted by Orthodox rules.” Yes, of course. But I am Jewish and I admit it. I hope I have a spirituality but I’m not particularly religious. Yes, of course, I have a , and yes, I keep the but I’m not a totally observant Jew. But I am imbued with Jewish culture and I feel Jewish to my bones. Let me give you another definition to make you smile, my mother’s definition. She said it’s heart cardiac. It’s easy, it’s cardiac. For my kids, I sometimes think it’s chicken soup.
“At the Berlin Holocaust Museum, "I was curious about the young guides working there. "They told me they were part of a museum guide programme "but had to specifically request work at the museum. "I thought that was interesting and revealing.” Yes. Yeah. I mean, there’s all sorts of brilliant programmes in Germany. It’s complicated.
Monty, “A Jew was stopped in Belfast. "Said when asked that he was a Jew. "But are you a Catholic Jew or a Protestant Jew?” Lovely.
Hilton, “Yad Vasehm is releasing the book of names "containing 4,000,800 names.” Yes, Hilton. I’ve been having some very interesting correspondence from one of our Lockdown people who’s also presented, David, and he is asking a very, very big question. You know, whole lines of descent were wiped out. There were the black books of course, but to record, somebody needs to be alive in that town or village. How many unnamed, unknown will there always be? Maybe there were more who were murdered than 6 million.
“Magda’s mother,” this is Robert, “Married a Jew, Richard Friedländer. "Some believed she was his daughter "so she might have been Jewish. "Go figure.” Yeah, exactly. Go figure. And can you imagine a mother putting down, killing her children?
Nanette’s going to the memorial. “I saw somewhere there were new images discovered in Poland "which offer a never-before-seen perspective "of the Uprising.
Yes, yes, Vivian. Yes, one of our Lockdown people sent them to me. I think they are on display. I will get back to you on that. I will have to go to my friend who has sent me those images. Oh yeah.
Q: "Can you tell us a book that deals with this period?”
A: I’m afraid there are so many. There were many, many books that deal with this period. I can’t recommend one. You see for this lecture, I think I’ve referred to at least 20.
Now Colin, “Please clarify the King David Hotel "was the British military headquarters in Palestine, "not a hotel.” Yes, of course, Colin. I’m sorry, do you see, Colin, just how emotive this is? Yes, it was the British military headquarters in Palestine. Yes, of course it was. I hope I didn’t give you, I presume that most of you, I should have said it clearly. Yes, yes, of course it was. And I know Colin, you were there. Obviously, I’m going to presuppose, and don’t forget there was a warning. There was a warning. Begin’s people gave a warning. They gave a warning to the French embassy and also to the newspapers and also, they phoned the military headquarters and told them. Now the British, the British man who received it, a man called, Shaw, who was interviewed, he said he never received it. But the woman who actually gave the message swore that she did. I tend to believe her. So it’s so complicated. If you were a British officer, how would you feel about 91 people being killed? Let me just make it even more difficult, Colin. Jews were killed as well. Look, it’s desperate times, desperate solutions. It’s after the Shoah. Who was right? Who was wrong? I don’t even want to use the words, right or wrong. I think my son-in-law is right in what he said, “The body and the soul.” We needed it all to create a Jewish state. “Quandt was the owner of BMW, "the company still owned largely by the family.”
Yes, Warren, thank you for that information. Anyway, thank you for bearing with me through this presentation. I’m going to admit it, it was terribly tough to do because it is so complex, and because I feel I want us all to be together as a group. And I know that I’m treading on eggshells with these kind of presentations but I try and steer a path as carefully as I can. So Tuesday, as I said, the reason I’m lecturing today is because William, and all power to him, although I disagree with him, he felt that as a gentile, he felt that it would not be correct. And William is everything. He is one of the most correct, wonderful men I’ve ever known. So on that, I wish you all goodnight, and I know many of you will be going to commemorations. And we must keep the flame alive though. That’s why I’m so glad that Anita did agree to speak. And it was 78 years ago when she was liberated. It’s extraordinary.
Anyway, take care all of you and I will see you tomorrow. And Judy again, thank you so much.