Antisemitism in the German Women's Movement 1865-1933

Table of Contents

1. Antisemitism, an Explanation of the Concept

2. Research on Antisemitism in the German Women's Movement

3. Research Method: Reading between the Lines (and chronology of antisemitic incidents)

4. A Classification Scheme

I. The Moderate Liberal Women's Movement

1. The General German Women's Association

a) From the Women's Education Organization to the General German Women's Association

b) Jewish Women in the General German Women's Association

c) Ignoring, a Form of an Antisemitic Attitude

d) Silence in the Face of Anti-Jewish Attacks

e) The Humanistic Ideal as a Christian Value?

2. German Teachers' Organizations

a) The Founding of Residences and Organizations for Women Teachers

b) The Israelite Women Teachers' Home Association

c) Institutional and Religious Exclusion of Jewish Women Teachers?

d) Reactions to Legal Discrimination against Jewish Teaching Staff

3. Nurses' Associations

a) A Short Overview of the History and Development of the Nursing Profession

b) The German Union of Jewish Nurses' Associations

c) The Red Cross: Friendly or Hostile to Jews?

d) Sister Agnes Karll: Ignorant or Antisemitic?

II. The Patriotic-Nationalist Women's Movement

1) The Patriotic Women's Associations

a) Historical Background, Foundation and Organization

b) Christian, Patriotic and Not at All Antisemitic?

c) Antisemitic "Tactlessness"

2) The National Women's Service

a) Development of the National Women's Service (NFD)

b) Jewish Women in the NFD

c) "Patriotism is not enough"

d) Self-Confident Jewish Women not wanted

III. The Nationalist-Imperialistic Women's Movement

1) The Women's League of the German Colonial Society

a) Beginning and Development

b) Nationalism and Racism as Eligibility Criteria

c) Antisemites among Colonialist Women?

2) The Naval League of German Women

a) Foundation and Political Objectives

b) Free of Antisemitic Attitudes?

IV. The Religious Women's Movement

1. The German Protestant Women's League

a) From the Protestant Social Women's Group to the Establishment of the German Protestant Women's League (DEF)

b) Antisemitic Sponsors of the DEF

c) Christian Chauvinism

d) Antisemitism within the German Protestant Women's League

2. The Catholic Women's League

a) The Development of the Catholic Women's League

b) Catholic Worldview as Demarcation Line

c) "Christian Superiority"

d) Relations with the Jewish Women's Movement

3. The Jewish Women's League

a) Founding and Development of the Jewish Women's League

b) The Fight against Antisemitism as Goal and Objective of the JFB

c) How did Jewish Feminists Experience Antisemitism in the German Women's Movement?

V. The Radical Liberal Women's Movement

1. The German Association for Women's Suffrage

a) Development and Tasks

b) Jewish Women and the Women's Suffrage

c) The Case of Käthe Schirmacher

d) A Resolution against Ritual Slaughter: Antisemitism or Animal Protection?

e) Reaction of the German Federation for Women's Suffrage

2. The Federation for the Protection of Motherhood

a) Eugenics and its Reception by the German Women's Movement

b) Founding and Goals of the Federation for the Protection of Motherhood

c) New Ethics for the Improvement of the "Race"

d) Did the BfM Members Help Pave the Way to National Socialism?

VI. The Socialist Women's Movement

1. Working Women's Associations in Berlin

a) History and Development

b) Collaboration between Socialist Women and Adolf Stoecker?

2. SPD Women's Organizations

a) Integration of the Socialist Women's Movement into the SPD

b) Antisemitism in the SPD

c) Anti-Jewish Trends in the Socialist Theory of Emancipation?

d) Anti-Jewish Symbols Maintain their Power

VII. An Umbrella Organization: The Federation of German Women's Organizations

a) An Umbrella Organization for All Women's Associations?

b) A Shift to the Political Right

c) The Eighth General Assembly in Breslau 1908

d) "Jewified Liberalism"

e) Further Antisemitic Incidents

VIII. Brief Overview: Women's Associations in the Weimar Republic

a) From Kaiserreich to Weimar Republic

b) New Women's Associations of the Weimar Republic

Objectives and Research Themes

This work provides the first comprehensive historical overview of the German women's movement between 1865 and 1933, specifically investigating the manifestations, forms, and expressions of antisemitism within its various branches. The primary research objective is to document how anti-Jewish attitudes were integrated into the ideological foundations and daily practices of diverse feminist organizations, moving beyond the simple classification of these groups as "emancipatory."

• Documentation of antisemitic incidents across moderate, radical, religious, and socialist women's organizations.
• Analysis of the relationship between Christian identity and the conceptualization of the "Jewish other" within the movement.
• Evaluation of how antisemitism influenced the professional exclusion and marginalization of Jewish feminists.
• Assessment of the role of nationalist and colonialist ideologies in fostering anti-Jewish sentiments among German women.
• Critical examination of the failure of the women's movement to achieve effective solidarity against rising antisemitism before 1933.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

The Moderate Liberal Women's Movement: This section explores the foundational liberal-democratic goals of the movement and highlights the paradoxical exclusion and marginalization of Jewish members despite their active participation in leadership roles.

The Patriotic-Nationalist Women's Movement: This chapter analyzes how patriotic goals and loyalty to the monarchy prioritized national unity over the inclusion of Jewish women, leading to instances of social exclusion.

The Nationalist-Imperialistic Women's Movement: This part examines how colonialist and imperialist ideologies fostered racist and antisemitic frameworks, positioning "white" German identity against perceived outsiders.

The Religious Women's Movement: This chapter investigates how Christian religious identities, specifically within Protestant and Catholic leagues, created a sense of supremacy that fundamentally alienated and excluded Jewish feminists.

The Radical Liberal Women's Movement: This analysis focuses on the suffrage movement and exposes how even progressive, reformist circles failed to challenge, and at times actively promoted, antisemitic resolutions regarding ritual practices.

The Socialist Women's Movement: This section documents how the SPD-aligned women's movement, while theoretically universalist, relied on antisemitic metaphors and expectations of Jewish assimilation as the price for equality.

An Umbrella Organization: The Federation of German Women's Organizations: This chapter traces the BDF's trajectory from an inclusive potential toward an exclusionary, nationalist entity that struggled to reconcile its stated neutrality with the antisemitism of its affiliates.

Brief Overview: Women's Associations in the Weimar Republic: This final overview outlines the post-WWI radicalization of women's associations and their alignment with extreme right-wing and völkisch movements.

Keywords

Antisemitism, German women's movement, feminism, Jewish Women's League, Jüdischer Frauenbund, BDF, Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine, Christianization, nationalism, racism, eugenics, National Socialism, suffrage movement, assimilation, exclusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fundamental focus of this study?

This study focuses on the early German women's movement from 1865 to 1933 and documents the presence of anti-Jewish attitudes, stereotypes, and exclusionary practices within the various ideological branches of the movement.

Which central thematic areas are covered?

The book covers a diverse range of organizations, including moderate and radical liberal movements, religious leagues (Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish), nationalist-imperialistic groups, and the socialist women's movement.

What is the primary research goal?

The primary goal is to render visible the various, often subtle forms of antisemitism that persisted within an emancipatory movement and to analyze how Jewish feminists perceived and responded to these challenges.

Which scientific methodology does the author employ?

The author uses a methodology of "reading between the lines" of archival sources, published documents, and autobiographical narratives to detect hidden discrimination and bring the often ignored experiences of Jewish women to light.

What does the main body of the work treat?

The main body provides an in-depth chapter-by-chapter analysis of fifteen distinct women's organizations, detailing their ideological orientations, their relationship to Jewish feminists, and their responses to antisemitism during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic.

What characterizes the key keywords of the book?

Key terms such as "antisemitism," "emancipation," "nationalism," "Christian identity," and "exclusion" characterize the book, emphasizing the friction between feminist progress and societal prejudice.

How does the work address the role of Protestantism in the women's movement?

The work demonstrates how Protestant ethics and the claim of Christian moral superiority were utilized by organizations like the DEF to legitimize the exclusion of Jewish women from leadership and influence.

What conclusion does the author draw regarding the movement's relationship to National Socialism?

The author concludes that by adopting nationalist, eugenic, and racist ideologies, many women's organizations—despite their emancipatory slogans—indirectly helped prepare the social and ideological ground for the rise of National Socialism.