Spiritual Sources for Zion: Gershom Scholem and the Salvage of Looted Books and Manuscripts after the Holocaust

Elisabeth Gallas

Jump to Content

Chapter 13 Spiritual Sources for Zion: Gershom Scholem and the Salvage of Looted Books and Manuscripts after the Holocaust

In: Scholar and Kabbalist: The Life and Work of Gershom Scholem

Author:

Elisabeth Gallas

Elisabeth Gallas
Search for other papers by Elisabeth Gallas in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 272–291

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004387409_014

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

Between 1944 and 1952, Gershom Scholem was involved in an unprecedented political endeavor: the rescue of nearly a million Jewish books, documents, and ritual objects that had been seized by the Nazis. As emissary of the Hebrew University and later Israeli representative of the officially authorized Jewish trustee organization called Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc., Scholem helped to transfer large parts of the precious cultural property to Israel. This essay sheds light on Scholem’s commitment and discusses his perception of postwar Europe, the Holocaust, and the role of the Yishuv/Israel at the time. His engagement for the salvaging of books can be linked to his scholarly attempts to reassess forgotten Jewish religious and cultural traditions, and it played a pivotal role in his vision of cultural nation-building in Israel as well as in his fight for Jewish survival and continuity after the Holocaust.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/edcoll/9789004387409/BP000017.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

Scholar and Kabbalist: The Life and Work of Gershom Scholem

Series: IJS Studies in Judaica, Volume: 19

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004387409

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 18 Sep 2018

Subjects
- History
  - Jewish History & Culture
- Jewish Studies
  - Philosophy, Theology & Science
  - Jewish Mysticism

Front Matter

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	691	219	24
Full Text Views	69	7	0
PDF Views & Downloads	47	7	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 13 Spiritual Sources for Zion: Gershom Scholem and the Salvage of Looted Books and Manuscripts after the Holocaust

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

Scholar and Kabbalist: The Life and Work of Gershom Scholem

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics