The Lion and the Star: Gentile-Jewish Relations in Three Hessian Towns, 1919-1945 [Hardcover]

Jonathan Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0813120438 | ISBN-13: 978-0813120430

" The Lion and the Star not only offers an informed glimpse into the intricacies of daily German life but also confirms the continuing danger of making sweeping generalizations about German Jews and non-Jews. In the aftermath of World War II, many viewed the Third Reich as an aberration in German history and laid blame with Hitler and his followers. Since the 1960s, historians have widened their focus, implicating "ordinary" Germans in the demise of German Jewry. Jonathan Friedman addresses this issue by investigation everyday relations between German Jews and their Gentile neighbors. Friedman examines three German communities of different sizes -- Frankfurt am Main, Giessen, and Geisenheim. Symbolized by the Hessian heraldic lion, these communities represent a cross-section of both Gentile and Jewish society in Germany during the Weimar and Nazi years. Researching in the United States, Germany, England, and Israel, he gleaned information from interviews, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspapers, church and synagogue records, censuses, government documents, and reports from Nazi and resistance organizations. Friedman's comparative analysis offers a balanced response to recent scholarly works condemning the entire German people for their complicity in the Holocaust.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Friedman's conclusion is sober and astute: most Germans has no interest in tormenting Jews, but the 'moderate' forms of Judeophobia that had helped make Hitler acceptable to them in the first place also opened them to complicity in genocide as the Nazi leaders eliminated one option after another." -- American Historical Review

"Friedman's well-written and thoroughly researched study gives readers a good sense of the complexities of Gentile-Jewish relations in Weimar and nazi Germany." -- Choice

"Uses a detailed examination of Gentile-Jewish relations in three quite different German localities to shed light on the still heavily contested issues of German Gentiles' attitudes toward Jews, Nazis, and Nazi anti-Jewish policy." -- Church History

"Evinces truly sound scholarly research." -- History

"Presents us with a wealth of statistical data, interviews, quotes from memoirs, diaries, letters, lengthy newspaper quotations, church and synagogues records, government documents and the reports of Nazi and Resistance organizations." -- Jerusalem Post Magazine

"Demonstrates a thoughtful mastery of the literature of twentieth-century German and German-Jewish history, a prudent incorporation of oral histories and memoirs and a solid familiarity with German archival material." -- Shofar

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (May 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813120438
• ISBN-13: 978-0813120430
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,526,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well documented, thorough examination, July 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lion and the Star: Gentile-Jewish Relations in Three Hessian Towns, 1919-1945 (Hardcover)

Even though much has already been written on the subject of German public opinion and the final solution, this book locates much of the problem of German antisemitism in everyday social relations between Jews and non-Jews. The focus on three communities is quite enriching.