the transfer agreement and the boycott movement- a jewish dilemma on the eve of the holocaust...

8/9/2019 The Transfer Agreement and the Boycott Movement- A Jewish Dilemma on the Eve of the Holocaust Yf’Aat Weiss

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Shoah Resource Center, The International 1/33 School for Holocaust Studies

The Transfer Agreement and the Boycott o!ement" A #e$ish %ilemma on the &!e of the Holocaust

'f(aat )eissIn the summer of 1*33, the #e$ish Agency for +alestine, the erman -ionist.ederation, and the erman &conomics inistry drafted a lan meant to allo$erman #e$s emigrating to +alestine to retain some of the !alue of their roerty inermany 0y urchasing erman goods for the 'ishu!, $hich $ould redeem them in+alestine local currency This scheme, 2no$n as the Transfer Agreement or Ha’avarah, met the needs of all interested arties" erman #e$s, the ermaneconomy, and the andatory o!ernment and the 'ishu! in +alestine The Transfer Agreement has 0een the su0ect of ramified research literature1 any #e$s $erecritical of the Agreement from the !ery outset The negotiations 0et$een the -ionistmo!ement and official reresentati!es of 4a5i ermany e!o2ed much $rath In

retrosect, and in !ie$ of $hat $e 2no$ a0out the annihilation of &uroean #e$ry,these relations 0et$een the -ionist mo!ement and 4a5i ermany seem eseciallyro0lematic &!en then, ho$e!er, the negotiations and the agreement they sa$ned$ere rofoundly contro!ersial in 0road #e$ish circles .or this reason, until 1*36 the#e$ish Agency mas2ed its role in the Agreement and attemted to ass it off as aneconomic agreement 0et$een ri!ate arties7ne of the erman authorities( rincial goals in negotiating $ith the -ionistmo!ement $as to fragment the #e$ish 0oycott of erman goods Although inretrosect $e 2no$ the 0oycott had only a marginal effect on erman economic1 &liahu Ben8&lissar, La Diplomatie du IIIe Reich et les Juifs (1933-1939) 9+aris" #ulliard, 1*:*;, )erner .eilchenfeld, %olf ichaelis, ?ud$ig +inner, Haavara-Trasfer ach !al"stia ud

#i$aderu% deutscher Jude 1933-1939 9T@0ingen" #C ohr, 1*;> A!raham Bar2ai, ermanInterests in the Haa!ara8Transfer Agreement 1*3381*3*,D in &ear 'oo of the Leo 'aec Istitute,EEEF 91**G; =68::> &d$in Blac2, The Trasfer %reemet* The +told ,tor of the ,ecret %reemet .et$ee the Third Reich ad Je$ish !alestie/ 94e$ 'or2" acmillan, 1* 'oa! el0er, -ionist +olicy and the Transfer Agreement1*3381*36D 9He0re$;, &alut 6oreshet 1 9.e0ruary 1*=; 9el0er I;, *816, and 1< 94o!em0er 1*=; 9el0er II;, 381GG> %a!id 'israeli, The 7erma Reich ad !alestie* The !ro.lems of !alestie i 7erma !olic 1889-1945 9He0re$; 9Ramat an" Bar8Ilan ni!ersity, %et of eneralHistory, 1*=;, 18161 __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International /33 School for Holocaust Studiesde!eloment in the 1*3Gs, at the time it $as ercei!ed as a genuine threat

Corresondence 0et$een Heinrich )olff, the erman consul in +alestine, and theerman .oreign inistry sho$s that shattering the 0oycott $as a 2ey moti!e for theerman authorities in concluding the Transfer Agreement3 In the a0sence of reciseinformation concerning the 'ishu!(s standing in the international 0oycott mo!ement,some tended to 0elie!e that a considera0le economic imact could 0e achie!ed 0yconcluding a contract $ith the +alestinian 'ishu! 4o0ody dou0ted the moral $eightthat 0rea2ing the 0oycott in the 'ishu! $ould carry for $orld #e$ryThe #e$ish mo!ement to 0oycott erman goods $as foremost among the efforts of international #e$ish organi5ations on 0ehalf of erman #e$ry, and #e$ishcommunities $orld$ide, esecially in the nited States, .rance, and reat Britain,too2 art in it The 0oycott mo!ement in +oland $as articularly strong and 0ecomere8eminent in #e$ish actions against 4a5i ermany= In addition to the 0oycott,+olish #e$ry conducted a s$eeing ress camaign to turn u0lic oinion against


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ermany and offered acti!e assistance to erman #e$s $ho had fled to +oland insearch of refuge erman #e$s had mied feelings a0out these initiati!es, lest theyanger the erman authorities and cause their situation to $orsen The 0oycottmo!ement $as $idely ercei!ed as a threat to the interests of erman #e$s, for itmight cause the ermans to toughen their o$n anti8#e$ish economic 0oycott It $as

also considered a otential imediment to the Transfer Agreement, an arrangementthat ser!ed the 0asic interests of erman #e$ry $ith resect to economics andemigration6The e!ents of the 1*3Gs in ermany created a strong relationshi 0et$een ermanand +olish #e$ry, 0oth of $hich found themsel!es threatened 0y 4a5i oliciesHo$e!er, $hile erman #e$ry had to contend $ith the end of #e$ish emanciation inermany and the intrusion of the ne$ regime into e!ery asect of their li!es, +olish#e$s struggled $ith the direct and indirect imlications of 4a5i rule in ermany for the status of &uroean #e$ry in general and +olish #e$ry in articular Because they Bar2ai, erman Interests,D =


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$ell0eingthat the -ionist solution $ould ro!ide $ere t$o sides of one coin, had notanticiated As erman #e$ry $as 0eing destroyed, the -ionist mo!ement and the 'ishu!leadershi $ere engaged in an internal olitical o$er struggle 0et$een the ?a0or

mo!ement and the Re!isionists This struggle em0raced all sheres of #e$ish life in __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International =/33 School for Holocaust Studies+alestine and rested on olitical o$er struggles $ithin the %iasora communities,$hich ga!e the central -ionist institutions their contours %iscussion of the t$oalternati!es 8 0oycott or transfer 8 0ecame art of the struggle 0et$een theRe!isionists and the ?a0or mo!ement and clearly mirrored the fundamental attitudesof these t$o leading -ionist mo!ements to$ard the su0stance of -ionist oliticsThe transfer and the 0oycott, maor issues in #e$ish olitical life on the e!e of theHolocaust, stood at the crossroads of the contrasts 0et$een +olish and erman#e$ry,

the 'ishu! and the %iasora, and the ?a0or and Re!isionist mo!ements Thedecisionin fa!or of 0oycott or transfer $as the first of many decisions that the 'ishu! $ouldha!e to ma2e in su0seKuent years in !ie$ of the catastrohe that 0efell &uroean#e$ry This article s2etches the $e0 of moti!es, considerations, contradictions, andconflicts 0et$een these t$o maor alternati!es, 2eeing in mind that e!en at this earlystage of the Holocaust the limits of #e$ish olitical acti!ity are identifia0le $ithin themaelstrom

The Boycott and Traditional #e$ish Society+oland(s share in erman eorts $as negligi0le in comarison $ith the imortanceof these eorts for the +olish economy In the years receding the 4a5i accession,ermany $as a maor country of origin for +olish imorts 0ecause of geograhicalroimity and the $illingness of erman merchants to adat erman roducts to+olish mar2et conditions According to +olish statistics for 1*3, aroimatelyonefifthof +olish imorts originated in ermany The 0oycott mo!ement $as imortantin +oland only 0ecause of the central role of #e$s in trade in +oland #e$isheconomic organi5ations, foremost the association of #e$ish merchants, stood 0ehindthe initiati!e to organi5e the 0oycott mo!ement in +oland: and mo0ili5ed 0roadsectors of the #e$ish community to endorse and oin it Before the 0oycott, rotractedefforts $ere made to find alternati!es to erman goods, so as to a!oid shortages in

themar2et and encroachment 0y cometitors In the middle of 1*3=, the #e$ish 0oycottorgani5ations encomassed some GG local committees that engaged in anti8ermanroaganda, regulation of erman goods in +oland, and rosecution of 0oycott: Alfred )islic2i, The #e$ish Boycott Camaign against 4a5i ermany and its Culmination in theHal0ers5tadt Trial,D in Antony +olons2y, &5ra endelsohn, and #er5y Tomas5e$s2i, eds, Je$s iIdepedet !olad 1918-1938 9?ondon" ?ittman ?i0rary, 1**=;,


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The mo!ement in +oland oerated alongside the nited #e$ish Committee for Aid toerman Refugees, art of the nited #e$ish Committee for Struggle against Anti8#e$ish +ersecution in ermany 9:edoco ;omitet do$si 2iesieia !omoc +chodcom 2imiec ; The etensi!e acti!ities of these organi5ations includedcommittee meetings, aers, solicitation of donations, and dissemination of leaflets*

+ractically sea2ing, their oerations fit into the &astern &uroean tradition of economic $arfare as a con!entional de!ice in interethnic strife .rom these!enteenthcentury on, #e$s and ur0an +oles had 0een em0roiled in a fierce economiccometition in !arious arts of the country1G In the a0sence of a central nation8state,struggles among !arious national minorities de!eloed into economic ri!alries meantto crush the oonent Since the nineteenth century, and articularly ust 0efore andafter )orld )ar I, +olish #e$s had 0een the erennial !ictims of a +olish economic0oycott olicy11 Although the 0oycott $as a mar2edly secular olitical underta2ing, the acti!ities of the 0oycott committees contained elements eculiar to traditional #udaism and, in

articular, +olish traditional #udaism Thus, for eamle, the 0oycott committees held The coalescence and modus oerandi of the committees are descri0ed in a reort resented 0y)ol2o$ic5 9Fereinigtes Comite )arschau; to the )orld #e$ish Congress in ene!a on August G83,1*3=, Central -ionist Archi!es 9C-A;, A1/1=G< elt5er, Je$ish ti-7erma 'ocott , 16 Statistics 0ased on data from the +olish Central Bureauof Statistics sho$ that 0et$een arch and August 1*33 erman eorts to +oland decreased 0y ercent and ermany(s share in total eorts to +oland declined from ercent to 1= ercent SeeLoel ?i0erman, Le 'ocotta%e #coomi -ydo$s2i Instytut Historyc5ny, )ars5a$a,:edoco ;omitet do$si 2iesieia +chodcom 2iemiec $e L$o$ie=1G Bernard )einry0, %ocuments on #e$ish History in +oland,D in Bernard )einry0, ,tudies ad ,ources o Je$ish Histor i the 6oder #ra 9He0re$; 9#erusalem" a2or , 1*:;, 1181:6,esecially, 131816> eir Bala0an, #e$s in +oland in the Siteenth Century and the .irst Half of the Se!enteenth Century,D in Israel Heilrin, ed, !olish Je$r from its >ri%is to its Destructio9He0re$;, !ol 1, 9#erusalem" 'outh %eartment of the )orld -ionist 7rgani5ation, 1*= and 'it5ha2 Schier, &conomic History of +olish and?ithuanian #e$ry from their 7rigins until the +artition,D i0id, 166816*11'israel utman, +olish Antisemitism Bet$een the )ars" An 7!er!ie$,D in 'israel utman, &5raendelsohn, #ehuda Reinhar5, and Chone Shmeru2, eds, The Je$s of !olad 'et$ee the T$o?orld ?ars 9Hano!er, 4H" ni!ersity +ress of 4e$ &ngland, 1*


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7ne must emhasi5e that in )estern countries the ra00is ha!e no influenceo!er the #e$ish masses, 0ecause the #e$s there are assimilated and attach nogreat !alue to $hat the ra00is reach to them It is Kuite different in the &ast,$here the #e$s ha!e firm confidence in the ra00is and $here ra00is ha!e agreat influence e!en o!er their ri!ate li!es The 0oycott could assume so

acute a form recisely 0ecause the ra00is eercise such great o$er o!er the#e$s16Because they 0elie!ed the ra00is $ielded such a strong influence on the +olish0oycott mo!ement, the erman authorities s$iftly disatched Ra00i AsrielHildesheimer, a leader of erman 7rthodoy, to )arsa$ in order to re!ail uon#e$ish 0usinessmen to lift the 0oycott -alman Ru0asho! 9Sha5ar; descri0es ho$themission fared" The #e$s of )arsa$ acted correctly 0y 0odily remo!ing Ra00iHildesheimer from the synagogue and telling him to go homeD1: Aart from thera00is( traditional leadershi function in the 0oycott mo!ement, !arious racticesattested to the eistence of traditional religious atterns that affected the nature of

olitical actions ta2en 0y +olish #e$ry The erman em0assy in )arsa$ reorted1 erman &m0assy, )arsa$, to .oreign inistry, Berlin, =1*36, +olitisches Archi! desaus$Mrtigen Amtes 9+A;, R **6313 Anschrift 5u # 4r


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fifth national con!ention in +oland that 0reaching the 0oycott $as tantamount togra!e 0etrayal of the !ital interests of #e$ryDG The 0oycott committee in Lielceurged #e$ish comanies that sold erman goods not to ruture #e$ish solidarity,and$arned them that in the e!ent of non8comliance it $ould consider itself forced to

turn to #e$ish u0lic oinion,D $hich $ould surely udge those indi!iduals $ho1 erman &m0assy, )arsa$, to .oreign inistry, Berlin, 111*3=, +A, R **631< I0id> elt5er,D#e$ish Anti8erman BoycottD, 16*1* )islic2i, The #e$ish Boycott,D


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osition and freedom of action of the mo!ement in ermany In the sring of 1*33,after meeting $ith #e$ish leaders in ermany, the -ionist &ecuti!e in reat Britain0egan to formulate a decision against articiation in the 0oycott mo!ement Theyalso urged other #e$ish leaders to moderate their stance and refrain from suortingthe 0oycott o!ertly6 Lurt Blumenfeld, in a meeting of the Histadrut &ecuti!e

Committee in 7cto0er 1*33, eressed himself 0luntly" The 0oycott harms erman#e$s first and foremost The 0oycott has no fa!ora0le results for usD:#ust as there $as concern that the 0oycott mo!ement $ould 2indle the rage ofermanofficialdom against erman #e$s and eose them to economic 0oycott measures,theTransfer Agreement endangered the status of +olish #e$ry This agreement, #e$ishleaders feared, $as couched in general terms that might attract suorters in &astern&uroe %uring the 1*3Gs, many #e$ish leaders $ere a$are of the contagiousinfluence of erman antisemitism on &astern &uroean antisemitism Some 0elie!edthat the anti8erman 0oycott $ould ha!e a deterrent effect on antisemitic elements in

neigh0oring countries any more, ho$e!er, 0elie!ed that the Transfer Agreementcould ro!ide an eamle and a standard for all layers in search of a $ay to eel#e$s from their countriesIn Setem0er 1*33, $hen the )orld #e$ish Congress con!ened in ene!a, theissueescalated into a direct confrontation 0et$een ad!ocates of the different aroachesThe +olish #e$ish delegates esoused the 0oycott and summarily reected theTransfer Agreement &liahu a5ur of Agudath Israel, head of the )arsa$ ehilla at the time,read out a etition from his community" +olish #e$ry $ill not rest until the ci!ilrights of erman #e$s are restored in fullD< Ch Rasner, another delegate from+oland, so2e out e!en more acridly"It is not only the affair of the erman #e$s, 0ecause Hitlerism threatens tostri2e out at other countries NO The +olish .ascists are starting to reare to6 el0er I, 1G, 1G:: &ecuti!e Committee, 7cto0er , 1*33,


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and resurface in countries $here #e$s had already achie!ed fully eKual rights Theadamancy of +olish #e$ry in its struggle to restore the ci!il rights of erman #e$s,and in this contet the community(s oosition to the Transfer Agreement, $assimly an echo of the traditional )estern #e$ish attitude to$ard antisemitism in oneart of the $orld as a menace to #e$ry e!ery$here else, esecially $hen the matter

concerned neigh0oring countries such as ermany and +oland+olish #e$ry had good reason to fear that the +olish o!ernment $ould !ie$ theTransfer Agreement as a model +oland had already tried its hand at contracts of this2ind" during the emigration of #e$s from +oland to +alestine in the mid81*Gs 9thefourth aliyaD;, financial arrangements 0ased on a rincile similar to the Transfer Agreement had 0een made The +olish emigrants had transferred their assets to aninstitution that financed imorts to +alestine, and the Anglo8+alestine Ban2 creditedthese sums to them uon their arri!al in +alestine3G +oland in the 1*3Gs $assearching fe!erishly for a solution to its demograhic ro0lems It $as the generalconsensus, shared 0y some #e$s, that something had to 0e done a0out the ecessoulation in +oland In the immediate aftermath of Hitler(s accession, mass

emigration as a solution to the ro0lem of +olish #e$ry $as esoused 0y grous onthe far right, articularly the national oosition arty under Roman %mo$s2i 8 the* I0id, Ch Rasner, :


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+olish #e$ry in the mid83Gs $ere as different as could 0e from those of erman#e$s Although erman #e$ry had 0een drained of much of its $ealth uon Hitler(saccession to o$er, it $as still an affluent community Its caital $as the 0asis on31 Harry Ra0ino$ic5, The Le%ac of !olish Je$r= The Histor of !olish Je$s i the Iter-?ar

&ears 1919-1939 94e$ 'or2" T 'oseloff, 1*:6;, 63ff3 A0raham B %u2er, The ,ituatio of the Je$s i !olad 94e$ 'or2" American #e$ish Congress;,1*3:,


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Je$s for ,ale, 1G3 %iner, %ie Latastrohe,D 1633< ruen0aum to oldmann, #uly , 1*36, C-A, ?/G1 A further disute 0et$een ruen0aum andBen8urion too2 lace during the #e$ish Agency &ecuti!e meeting of 4o!em0er 13, 1*36ruen0aum argued that 4a5ism should 0e fought concurrently $ith the transfer, in order to constrainits contagious influence Sherto2 and Ben8urion critici5ed this roosal acridly, seeing no ossi0ility

of an effecti!e struggle against 4a5ism inutes of meetings of the #e$ish Agency &ecuti!e,4o!em0er 3, 1*36, C-A __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International 13/33 School for Holocaust StudiesIn 1*36, ruen0aum eressed reser!ations a0out the Transfer Agreement,regardingit as e!idence of the $illingness of #e$ry to accet eulsion and there0y offer itsconsent to an eodus,D as he ut it But $hereas ruen0aum oosed the Transfer Agreement out of concern that rulers in &astern &uroe, esecially +oland, $ouldconsider it an eemlary $ay to instigate an eodus of #e$s, some fa!ored the Agreement for these !ery reasons argulies, manager of the Ha(a!arah ?tdD

comany in +alestine on 0ehalf of the Anglo8+alestine Ban2, $as enraged 0y theirresolution of the -ionist mo!ement concerning the Transfer Agreement In asharly $orded letter to Ruin, the head of the erman des2 at the #e$ish Agency,he $rote".or the first time, the situation that Her5l redicted 8 the collase of the%iasora 8 has come to ass, and for the first time -ionism has an oortunityto fulfill Her5l(s !ision concerning the mass liKuidation of this situation Itmust 0e said that the -ionist mo!ement has not ro!ed itself fit to underta2ethis mission Her5lian -ionism, 0ased on the thesis that all eoles areantisemitic, instructed us to reare in ad!ance for the eodus, so $e $ould 0eready $hen the time came )hen the time came, all the -ionist mo!ement did

$as act incensed at the fulfillment of its redictions3*Su0seKuently, in 1*3:, ruen0aum himself 0ecame con!inced that eodus $as theonly solution to the redicament of +olish #e$ry=G After$ards, ruen0aum e!endenied that there $as a contradiction 0et$een recognition of the economic andstructural necessity of a #e$ish dearture from +oland and continued struggle for eKual rights in +oland )ith ruen0aum(s change of outloo2 and his full recognitionof the need to lea!e +oland, his initial oosition to the Transfer Agreement 0ecamemeaningless Another ardent suorter of mass #e$ish emigration from +oland $as the leader of the Re!isionist mo!ement, Fladimir #a0otins2y In the mid81*3Gs, through hiscontacts $ith the +olish .oreign inistry, he $or2ed out an e!acuationD lan in the

hoe that +oland could influence the andatory o!ernment to modify its olicy on3* See el0er II, =3=G 'i5ha2 ruen0aum, &!acuation and %earture,D in 'i5ha2 ruen0aum, ed, The ?ars of !olishJe$r 1913-194E 9He0re$; 9Tel A!i!" Ha!erim,D 1*=1;, =G8=6 __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International 1=/33 School for Holocaust Studies#e$ish immigration to +alestine=1 #a0otins2y $as a staunch oonent of the Transfer Agreement and a leading suorter of the 0oycott Imortantly, the Transfer Agreement reflected the sirit of aai, $hich fa!ored gradual, controlled #e$ishimmigration that too2 care to 2ee the num0er of immigrants and the 'ishu!(sfinancial resources 8 alia and the economic a0sortion caa0ilities of +alestine 8 in

0alance nder such circumstances, #a0otins2y(s e!acuation lan did not stand achance The andatory o!ernment oosed mass #e$ish immigration, as did


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aai, the ruling olitical o$er in the 'ishu! #a0otins2y interreted the reectionof his e!acuation lan as yet another manifestation of aai(s efforts to cur0 thealiaof the lo$er8middle class, lest such immigration sa0otage its lan to 0uild a socialistsociety in +alestine=

#ust as #a0otins2y suorted the e!acuation lan for +olish #e$ry, the leader of the-ionist8Re!isionist arty in ermany, eorg Lares2i, fa!ored the emigration of all of erman #e$ry To accomlish this, Lares2i urged $orld #e$ry to urchase ermangoods in order to facilitate the successful emigration of #e$s from ermany=3 TheRe!isionist mo!ement in ermany and its arty, the #e$ish State +arty, foundthemsel!es in an esecially sensiti!e and comle situation 7n the one hand, themo!ement had no interest in harming its relations $ith the authorities and thereforecould not oose the Transfer Agreement, as the Re!isionist mo!ement in +olanddid7n the other hand, it $as e!en more emhatically enoined from suorting the0oycott mo!ement, 0ecause such suort conflicted $ith the osture of the erman

authorities Lares2i e!en tried !ainly to ersuade #a0otins2y and the -ionistRe!isionist 7rgani5ation to deny the international #e$ish 0oycott their suort&!idently, he managed to con!ince the erman authorities for se!eral years that hehad no 0inding relationshi $ith Re!isionist grous outside ermany, and this $as amaor factor in his olitical sur!i!al Lares2i(s suort for mass #e$ish emigrationfrom ermany also coincided $ith the aims of the ermans, $ho attemted to helLares2i consolidate his osition in the #e$ish institutional constellation 8 anastounding story in its o$n right .rom late 1*3 on, the authorities too2 a dimmer =1 'aaco! Sha!it, Ja.otis ad the Revisioist 6ovemet 19A5-1948 9?ondon" .ran2 Cass, 1*


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the4a5is in disregard of rofit considerations as e!idence that the 0oycott $as the truenational resonseDThe su0seKuent train of e!ents ro!ed that the initiators of the economic 0oycottcould 0ecome its rincial !ictims .rom the erman ersecti!e, the #e$ish action

in organi5ing the 0oycott unco!ered the mythological $orld #e$ish consiracyD of $hich 4a5i ideology had 0een $arning for years=6 The 4a5i leadershi $as soagitated 0y the 0oycott that the nature of the #e$ish action 8 a resonse to a ermananti8#e$ish olicy rather than an indeendent #e$ish initiati!e 8 $as e!identlyforgotten at times The interretation of the 0oycott in erman ruling echelons also0linded them to the negligi0le damage that the 0oycott actually caused the ermaneconomy &conomic antisemitism, a common henomenon in &astern &uroeancountries, eloited the #e$ish 0oycott mo!ement to reoen the de0ate on the #e$s(== &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*33, 6, ?a!on Institute=6 %aniel .ran2el, > the #d%e of the .ss* ioist !olic ad the Fuestio of 7erma Je$r/ 1933-1938 9He0re$; 9#erusalem" agnes, 1**=;, =68=: 9.ran2el, > the #d%e of the .ss; __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International 1:/33 School for Holocaust Studiescentrality to the economy in general and trade in articular In 1*33, the ermanress reorted a rotest 0y the ?ithuanian go!ernment and merchants against the0oycott that #e$ish 0usinesses had laced on erman goods in ?ithuania Accordingto these reorts, the ?ithuanian merchants( association resol!ed to launch acamaignagainst the dominance of #e$s in the ?ithuanian economy=: In Romania, the ermandilomatic mission lanned to acti!ate the erman minority and ress in Romania tofoment an anti8#e$ish 0oycott mo!ement= Rumors from +oland so2e of aneconomic 0oycott that +oles had imosed on #e$ish merchants in rural areas of that

country=< This 0oycott eanded to trou0ling roortions in the second half of the1*3Gs, em0racing many +olish cities and to$ns It attracted the suort of manylocalauthorities> the central administration treated it $ith symathetic neutrality=*)hether there $as a direct connection 0et$een the #e$ish 0oycott on ermangoodsand the economic 0oycott against #e$s, or $hether 4a5i roaganda stressed suchalin2age for its o$n uroses, the anti8erman 0oycott eacted a hea!y rice from itsarticiants In this sense, the rumors and reorts of an imending economicagreement 0et$een 4a5i ermany and the 'ishu!, under the ausices of the #e$ish

Agency, dealt the initiators of and articiants in the 0oycott an etremely hea!ymoral 0lo$ As soon as details of the agreement 0ecame 2no$n, it 0ecame difficult toersuade #e$ish merchants to oin the 0oycott and assume its economic ris2s andhardshis The Transfer Agreement destroyed the moral 0ase for demanding aneconomic rice from +olish #e$ry, $hich $as in any case imo!erished The erman.oreign inistry monitored the conflict of interest 0et$een erman and +olish #e$s$ith great interest .or eamle, the erman em0assy in )arsa$ reorted that the0oycott committees $ere under ressure to use their funds on 0ehalf of local +olish#e$s and not for #e$ish refugees from ermany, as $as the ractice6G The em0assyalso reorted on the o$ner of a #e$ish 0an2 in )arsa$, $ho $as sreading his=: Staatsarchi! A0teilung ersse0urg, StA ersse0urg, Re , Tit


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**63G= erman Consulate in Timisoara to .oreign inistry, Berlin, 61*33, BA+ G*G3 LonsulatTemes!ar A2t *


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oc2et0oo2 Being an honest man, I do not li2e to decei!e others 0ecause Icannot decei!e myself If the American #e$ish Congress feels that it hasneither the $ill nor the o$er to conduct the 0oycott as the oor +olish #e$sdid, or as the Belgian or &gytian do for that matter, then let us 0e honest $ithoursel!es and admit it I, for one, refuse to head a committee that has 0een

gi!en the shado$ of o$er $ithout the means of o$er to eecute itsmandate6:&!en from the #e$ish8American ersecti!e, al0eit that of &astern &uroean #e$s,the$illingness of +olish #e$s to ma2e sacrifices left a dee imressionThe more institutionali5ed the Transfer Agreement 0ecame, the more loudly its criticseressed themsel!es in dra$ing clear distinctions 0et$een the economic sacrificereKuired of $orld #e$ry and sa!ing the assets of erman #e$s In the Aril of 1*36meeting of the -ionist eneral Council in #erusalem, the Re!isionist delegatesemhasi5ed this oint Ben8Horin considered the Transfer Agreement a sentiment of comassion for our 0rothers in ermany, $hom $e must sa!e,D $hereas there are

many countries $here #e$s are much $orse off than are erman #e$s, yet $e ha!ene!er heard that $e ha!e to yield on matters ertaining to the dignity of oureoleD6 At the same meeting, Hoffman as2ed ho$ it $as ossi0le to urge %iasora #e$s toincur losses and se!er longstanding trade relations $ith ermany $hile the 'ishu!$as !iolating the 0oycott6


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The 'ishu! leaders also considered the 0oycott a voG populi All of #e$ry isenthusiastic a0out the 0oycott,D said -alman Aharono$it5 9Aranne; A $orld$ide$ar on Hitlerism is 0eing organi5ed through the 0oycott,D claimed &liahu olom0, amainstay of the Hagana, and &lie5er Lalan, a mem0er of the #e$ish Agency&ecuti!e and the director of the Agency(s .inance %eartment, added, I admire this

sontaneous out0urst from 0oth the olitical and the educational standointsD:3Indeed, the #e$ish 0oycott $as an act of great sym0olic !alue that underscored the#e$s( un$illingness to 0o$ to fate and resign themsel!es to the 4a5is( antisemiticolicies 4e!ertheless, its economic logic and olitical $eight $ere du0ious Amongits ad!ocates, one of the main factors $as the reser!ation of #e$ish dignity,$hereas6* #e$ish Telegrahic Agency, +rague, #ahrgang III, 4r G3, Setem0er 6, 1*36, Reich inistry for +u0lic &nlightenment and +roaganda, BA+, 4r 116 for the record, the -ionist mo!ement refrained from

adoting any fundamental osition on the issue: As the &ighteenth -ionist Congressaroached, there $ere initiati!es to ostone the Congress or refrain from a generaloen de0ate on the issue of erman #e$ry 4ahum oldmann e!en suggested thatthe 0oycott not 0e discussed at the -ionist Congress at all, 0ecause it $as notsecifically a -ionist matter 0ut of concern to all of #e$ry &!entually, $hen it $asdecided that an issue as imortant as the situation of erman #e$ry could not 0eshel!ed, a committee $as formed to reare the de0ate at the Congress%isagreements among the committee mem0ers th$arted their efforts to reach aconsensus on a draft resolution At the end of the de0ate, the maority of articiantsresol!ed to rotest sharly the attac2s on erman #e$s and to stress the role of -ionism and +alestine in sol!ing the #e$ish ro0lem> the Re!isionist minorityroosed a resolution eressing uneKui!ocal -ionist suort for the 0oycott:= !rotocole, a5ur, :> Rasner, :*


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:6 I0id, 6:: #e$ish Agency &ecuti!e, Aril *, 1*33, C-A: el0er I, 1:81


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could there0y grease the $heels of erman industry, $hich had 0een slo$ed 0y the0oycott mo!ement1The sa!age incitement in Re!isionist circles surrounding Arlosoroff(s mission, androaganda concerning the unsol!ed assassination, created an immediate dramaticdimension in the struggle 0et$een the Re!isionists and aai o!er the transfer

issueSta!s2i, a mem0er of 'rit ha-'iroim, $as accused of the assassination 0utacKuittedaroimately one year later for lac2 of e!idence Arlosoroff(s murder occurred inthe midst of the elections receding the &ighteenth -ionist Congress The ?a0or mo!ement and the Re!isionists $ere 0attling each other fiercely throughout +olandatthis time, and 0oth Ben8urion and #a0otins2y camaigned !igorously there Ben8urion feared that aai(s accusation against Sta!s2i and 'rit ha-'iroim, and theclaim that they had murdered Arlosoroff, $ould 0e construed 0y +olish #e$ry as a0lood li0el concocted 0y aai and $ould clash $ith aai(s interests At the end of

the election camaign, this fear ro!ed groundless" the ?a0or mo!ement $on 13<outof 31< mandates 8 == ercent of the !otes cast 8 and there0y 0olstered its o$er inthe-ionist mo!ement aai mem0ers $ere also elected to 2ey ositions in the #e$ish Agency" Ben8urion as Chairman of the #e$ish Agency &ecuti!e, oshe Sherto29Sharett; as head of the +olitical %eartment, and &lie5er Lalan as Treasurer ntilthe election results $ere in, ho$e!er, the ?a0or mo!ement constantly feared that theRe!isionists $ould eloit the camaign to ro!e their claim that the +alestinian?a0or mo!ement concerned itself solely $ith the 'ishu!(s needs and $as o0li!ious tothe light of %iasora #e$ry37ne reason for the Re!isionists( oosition to the Transfer Agreement $as their susicion that it $ould 0e of secial utility in strengthening the Histadrut economic1 el0er I, 1G8111 Sha!it, rom 6a:orit to ,tate, 833 Sha!it, Ja.otis/ 33 the #d%e of the .ss, 6 __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International 3/33 School for Holocaust Studiesemire= Comanies o$ned 0y the Histadrut and those 0elonging to the so8called

ci!ilian 0locD !ied for the Kuotas offered under the Transfer Agreement6 Acomromise $as $or2ed out in the struggle 0et$een the ci!ilianD Hanote(a ?td, andthe Histadrut8o$ned 4ir and 'a2hin, 0ut the Transfer Agreement fundamentallyaltered the nature of #e$ish Agency in!ol!ement in the economic life of the 'ishu!The agreement, initially the roduct of a ri!ate economic initiati!e, under$ent anationali5ationD rocess, and through it the #e$ish Agency 0ecame a mediator 0et$een in!estors in the 'ishu! and transferers of caital in ermany In thiscontet, the #e$ish Agency &conomic %eartment 0ecame a consultant for theseerman #e$s 0y handling imorts from ermany The ?a0or mo!ement had aninterest in gi!ing the 4ational Institutions this central role in economicde!eloment>: such a de!eloment did not ser!e the needs of the Re!isionistmo!ement, $hich held minority status in the 'ishu!The Histadrut, for its art, found it difficult in 1*3381*3: to $or2 out an uneKui!ocal


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osition in the transfer80oycott disute or, alternati!ely, in the clash 0et$een theneeds of the 'ishu! and those of the %iasora The Histadrut(s $e0 of !acillationsstemmed from the condition of the 'ishu!, the status of the Histadrut in the 'ishu!,the condition of %iasora #e$ry, and the stature of the ?a0or mo!ement among%iasora #e$s The Transfer Agreement 0rought the ?a0or mo!ement and the

'ishu! into conflict $ith %iasora #e$ry, most of $hich fa!ored the 0oycottTherefore, there $as no oint in suorting it ecet under circumstances in $hichthere $as a 'ishu! interestD and it could 0e eloited as a 'ishu! instrumentD Asfor the economic ad!antages of the Transfer Agreement, it $as difficult to arri!e at anuneKui!ocal osition 0ecause of t$o concerns" that massi!e imorts from ermany$ould eose the fledgling industrial sector of +alestine to serious cometition, andthat it $ould 0e difficult to control the imort of goods and restrict them to thosestiulated in the Transfer Agreement<= 'aa2o! oldstein and 'aa2o! Sha!it, ?ithout Compromise* The 'e-7urio-Ja.otis %reemetB ad its ailure 1934-1935 9He0re$; 9Tel A!i!" 'ari! Hadar, 1**;, 1=81:6 el0er II, 3G: %an Horo$it5 and oshe ?issa2, rom &ishuv to ,tate* The Je$s of !alestie i the 'ritish6adate !eriod as a !olitical Commuit 9He0re$; 9Tel A!i!" Am 7!ed, 1*;, :8:


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* %o! Ho5, &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*33, =, ?a!on Institute


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the articiants in this discussion $ere !isi0ly tired of this o!ert contradiction, $ishedto sto aologi5ing, and sought to eress the 'ishu!(s riorities clearly I intend to0ring the de0ate to a certain oint so that $e no longer need to stammer on !ariousoccasions,D


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osition that !erged on 0elligerency In the meeting of the -ionist eneral Council in#erusalem in Aril 1*36, Sherto2 again assailed the 0oycott* He summari5ed the%iasora(s resonse to the trou0les in $hich it is immersedD as martyrdom,D arotest mo!ement,D and the inescaa0le outcome of assimilationD In this sirit, heattac2ed 0oycottismD and stated that it is -ionism(s fate to 0e cruel to$ard the

%iasora at times NO $hen this is necessary in order to 0uild the countryD As0efore, ruen0aum and oldmann reected any attemt to construct a +alestine8%iasora dichotomy, and oldmann lucidly argued, There is no rimacy of +alestine, there is only rimacy of the #e$ish eoleD*< The matter came to a clear,uneKui!ocal 0oil at the 4ineteenth -ionist Congress in Setem0er 1*36 oldaeyerson of aai eressed her arty(s suort of the Transfer Agreement"*= !rotocole, 36*6 oshe Sherto2, &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*33, , ?a!on Institute*: Aharono$it5, &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*33, =, ?a!on Institute* eeting of the -ionist eneral Council in #erusalem, Aril =, 1*36, 6G, C-A*< I0id, 6= __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International


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** The 4ineteenth -ionist Congress and the .ourth #e$ish Agency Council, ?ucerne, August G8Setem0er :, 1*36, tyescrit reort, #erusalem, ==Gff1GG olom0, &ecuti!e Committee, 4o!em0er =, 1*36> Reme5, &ecuti!e Committee, %ecem0er 1,1*36, ?a!on Institute1G1 eeting of the -ionist &ecuti!e, #erusalem, Aril =, 1*36, =*, C-A __________________________________________________________________________

Shoah Resource Center, The International */33 School for Holocaust Studies At the le!el of rincile, the -ionist mo!ement had freKuently $arned %iasora #e$ryof the danger it faced, e!en though it did not ma2e ractical decisions in the light of this a$areness Although the -ionists often $arned of antisemitism and thedeteriorating situation of %iasora #e$ry, they associated these henomena $ith thestatus of #e$s in &astern &uroe, and this undou0tedly made it difficult for them toconfront #e$ish realities in ost81*3 ermany7ne of the dramatic e!ents that shaed the -ionist consciousness in those years$asthe fate of So!iet #e$s after the Bolshe!i2 re!olution ntil the re!olution, Russian#e$ry had 0een considered the !ery core of &uroean #e$ry, and its ost8re!olution

dissociation from the rest of the #e$ish eole caused the #e$ish center in &uroe toshift radically1G The ossi0ility of an imosed dissociation affecting an entire #e$ishcommunity, including a 0an on #e$ish religious eression, 0ecame a nightmare anda eretual threat to the #e$ish leadershi in +alestine and the %iasora Thecondition and status of So!iet #e$ry $as a central issue at e!ery $orld #e$ishgathering, and they $ere mentioned in the same 0reath as the fate of erman #e$ryThus, for eamle, Beilinson $arned the -ionist mo!ement to distance itself from the0oycott on the grounds that"There is no fate $orse than that of Russian #e$ry, $hich is not allo$ed totra!el to +alestine NO Today this ossi0ility eists Nin ermany, edO, 0utonly 0ecause of our refusal to oin the 0oycott This is our only $eaonHitler is not concerned a0out assuring #e$ish emigration to +alestine> only our neutrality 8 certainly our o$erD is eaggerated 8 ma2es the -ionist enterriseossi0le A change in our osition $ould 0ring the entire -ionist enterrise,and articularly emigration from ermany, to a halt erman #e$s are not yetin the situation of Russian #e$s, and I do not $ant to 0ring them to such asituation1G3)erner %a!id Senator fa!ored the Transfer Agreement for the same reason"7ther$ise, erman #e$ry $ill 0e imrisoned ust as Russian #e$ry has 0een, and$ill 0e lost for the de!eloment of +alestineD1G= In !ie$ of the historical eerienceof So!iet #e$ry, many regarded the ruture of relations 0et$een #e$ish communities

as the greatest ossi0le threat 0oth to the #e$s themsel!es and the strength of#e$ry1G Lurt Blumenfeld, #rle.te Judefra%e= #i viertel:ahrhudert deutscher ioismus/ 9Stuttgart"%eutsche Ferlags8Anstalt, 1*:;, 111G3 Beilinson, &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*33, , ?a!on Institute1G= el0er II, :


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ruen0aum demanded that"no comarison N0e dra$nO 0et$een Hitler(s ermany and the struggleagainst C5arist Russia There, they $ere fighting against the most 0ac2$ardregime in the ci!ili5ed $orld, Na regimeO that did not $ish to grant #e$s eKualrights> $hereas here, $e ha!e a great cultured nation that $ants to deri!e

#e$s of rights granted them decades earlier In this resect, ermany $ishesto ser!e as an eamle to other &uroean countries, and therefore $e mustfight Hitler $ith all our strength1G6olom0 and others, in contrast, feared that erman #e$ry $ill descend to the statusof Russian #e$ry,D although he considered this to 0e a su0stanti!e danger only if our resonse to Hitlerism slac2ensD1G: Therefore, he 0elie!ed that only acti!e oositionto 4a5ism could stem the sread of the antisemitic rocessThe fate of So!iet #e$ry $as of Kuestiona0le rele!ance to the danger faced 0yerman #e$ry So!iet #e$ry encountered enormous difficulties in maintaining#e$ish religious life, 0ut only to the etent that the So!iet nion undermined religionin general Similarly, the SSR ga!e the #e$s no oortunity to eress their

nationality Ho$e!er, #e$s had eKual rights as So!iet citi5ens, and racism $asrohi0ited 0y la$ 4a5i ermany 0anned neither -ionism nor #udaism> on thecontrary, it actually ga!e free rein to isolationist #e$ish organi5ations and clearlyreferred them to assimilationist erman8#e$ish entities In ermany, the li!es of idividual #e$s $ere imeriled> as early as 1*33, #e$s as indi!iduals $ere 0eingeelled from erman life In the So!iet nion, in contrast, e!ery effort $as 0eingmade to assimilate #e$s as indi!iduals se of the So!iet model to ustify theTransfer Agreement or to mo0ili5e suort for the struggle against 4a5ism ise!idence of the concetual groing that characteri5ed -ionism in the first fe$ yearsafter 1*33 Ho$e!er, the -ionists $ere ustified in fearing the ossi0ility that an1G6 eeting of the -ionist &ecuti!e, #erusalem, Aril =, 1*36, 6=, C-A1G: olom0 in el0er II, : some o0ser!ers 2ne$ during the e!ents themsel!es that aneconomic0oycott $ould only 0enefit those against $hom it is directedD1G It $as some$hatnai!e on the art of $orld #e$ish organi5ations to thin2 that they could curtail, letalone o!er$helm, 4a5i ermany(s economic caa0ility any #e$s Kuic2ly reali5edthat it $as imossi0le to influence trade relations 0et$een !arious countries andermany if this clashed $ith these countries( economic interests The !ery 0elief thatthe #e$s ossessed such economic o$er $as an outgro$th of the o!er0lo$n


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antisemitic stereotye of #e$ish economic influence1G<The follo$ing incident illustrates the etreme anachronism that 0ede!iled the 0oycottsuorters( actions" The nited #e$ish Committee for Struggle against Anti8#e$ish+ersecution in ermany, 0ased in Bialysto2, collected money for #e$s $ho had fledermany The money $as raised 0y means of donations and fines imosed on

0oycott !iolators The committee chose to for$ard the sum raised, 1,GG 5loty, toChaim )ei5mann, for use in his caacity as director of the deartment that resettlederman #e$s in +alestine 7ther$ise, the committee reasoned, the matter $ille!entually 0e forgotten, the money $ill 0e used for continued unroducti!e localrelief, and the money $ill 0e $astedD1G* The de!otion of the heads of the Bialysto20oycott committee, $ho for$arded their 5lotys to the Settlement %eartment 81G Beilinson, &ecuti!e Committee, Setem0er 6, 1*3, , ?a!on Institute1G< This oint is raised in Bernard Lri2ler, Boycotting 4a5i ermany,D The ?ieer Li.rar 'ulleti,!ol EEIII, no = 91*:*;, :831G* -ionist 7rgani5ation in +oland, Bialysto2 0ranch, to the -ionist &ecuti!e in ?ondon, .e0ruary


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111 eeting of the -ionist &ecuti!e, #erusalem, Aril =, 1*36, 6=, C-A11 Aolinary Hartglas, The Struggles of +olish #e$ry for its Ci!il and 4ational Rights,D in Heilrin,ed, !olish Je$r from its >ri%is, 1=

the transfer agreement and the boycott movement- a jewish dilemma on the eve of the holocaust...

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