Zionist Icon or Iconoclast?
Buch, Englisch, 364 Seiten, Format (B × H): 164 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 663 g
ISBN: 978-0-691-14412-2
Verlag: Princeton University Press
Albert Einstein was initially skeptical and even disdainful of the Zionist movement, yet he affiliated himself with this controversial political ideology and today is widely seen as an outspoken advocate for a modern Jewish homeland in Palestine. What enticed this renowned scientist and humanitarian, who repeatedly condemned nationalism of all forms, to radically change his views? Was he in fact a Zionist? Einstein Before Israel traces Einstein's involvement with Zionism from his initial contacts with the movement at the end of World War I to his emigration from Germany in 1933 in the wake of Hitler's rise to power. Drawing on a wealth of rare archival evidence--much of it never before published--this book offers the most nuanced picture yet of Einstein's complex and sometimes stormy relationship with Jewish nationalism. Ze'ev Rosenkranz sheds new light on Einstein's encounters with prominent Zionist leaders, and reveals exactly what Einstein did and didn't like about Zionist beliefs, objectives, and methods. He looks at the personal, cultural, and political factors that led Einstein to support certain goals of Jewish nationalism; his role in the birth of the Hebrew University; his impressions of the emerging Jewish settlements in Palestine; and his reaction to mounting violence in the Arab-Jewish conflict. Rosenkranz explores a host of fascinating questions, such as whether Zionists sought to silence Einstein's criticism of their movement, whether Einstein was the real manipulator, and whether this Zionist icon was indeed a committed believer in Zionism or an iconoclast beholden to no one.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Human- und Sozialwissenschaften
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik
- Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien
- Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein
- Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte
Weitere Infos & Material
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: "A Vivid Sense of Strangeness" 9
Einstein's Path to the Zionist Movement
Chapter 2: A Different Kind of Nationalism 46
Einstein's Induction and Mobilization into the Zionist Movement
Chapter 3: The "Prize-Winning Ox" in "Dollaria" 86
Einstein's Fundraising Trip to the United States in 1921
Chapter 4: S ecular Pilgrim or Zionist Tourist? 139
Einstein's Tour of Palestine in 1923
Chapter 5: The "Botched University" 181
Einstein's Involvement in the Hebrew University, 1924-1929
Chapter 6: "A Genuine Symbiosis" 209
Einstein on the 1929 Clashes in Palestine
Chapter 7: The "Bug-Infested House" 230
Einstein's Involvement in the Hebrew University, 1930-1933
Conclusion 252
Epilogue 270
Notes 275
Bibliography 313
Index 337
