Return-Path: Delivered-To: alumni.princeton.edu%david90@alumni.princeton.edu Received: (cpmta 8125 invoked from network); 22 Sep 2001 02:18:55 -0700 Received: from bbaer.muenster.de (195.202.32.20) by smtp.c007.snv.cp.net (209.228.33.205) with SMTP; 22 Sep 2001 02:18:55 -0700 X-Received: 22 Sep 2001 09:18:55 GMT Received: from wlrichards (mueasc-wan117.publikom.de [192.168.169.117]) by bbaer.muenster.de (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id LAA11687 for ; Sat, 22 Sep 2001 11:18:50 +0200 X-Authentication-Warning: bbaer.muenster.de: Host mueasc-wan117.publikom.de [192.168.169.117] claimed to be wlrichards Message-ID: <017401c14347$a7ac23e0$1904c384@lingu.uniwuppertal.de> From: "E. J. Richards" To: Subject: one Princeton grad '74 to another Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 10:55:22 +0200 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_015F_01C14355.13E2DB00" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Status: U X-UIDL: O6xXgNHkIc0fwgE This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_015F_01C14355.13E2DB00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Dear David, Your message posted on the Jewish Genealogical List was very, very = moving, as in, men don't cry, except in cases like this. I graduated from Princeton in 1974, stayed on for graduate work in Comp = Lit, got my Ph.D. in 1978, and then have moved on, though I have been = back in the last few years to lecture there. You may know that = Princeton has a website devoted to victims, missing and survivors of the = terrorist attack. It seems as though graduates from the last fifteen of = so years were the worst hit. =20 You also might know that Princeton was something of a center for refugee = German Jewish intellectuals -- many of whom I knew as very old men and = women in the 1970s. I catalogued the books in the library of Erich = Kahler who wrote some still very important works such as The Jews among = the Nations. Meeting and knowing his widow Lily Kahler was one of the = high points of my eight years in Princeton. On the other hand, = Princeton's president in the Second World War, a man named Harold Dodds = (whom I also met as a very old man) led the US delegation to the Bermuda = conference in 1942 in which the US refused to raise its quotas for = Eastern European Jews (described in David Wyman, The Abandonment of the = Jews). At some point Princeton needs to face up to its historical = record and come clean. This means more than confessing to upper-class = WASP anti-Semitism, but I better get off my soapbox. =20 Only recently in the course of lots of genealogical research did I = discover that I had Jewish ancestors, and I hope that it turns out that = I am distant cousins with Bertha Pappenheim. Anyway, there is a beautiful book on Post-Holocaust theology that I, = ever the professor, just wanted to recommend, in case you don't know it. = It is by Emil Fackenheim, called To Mend The World, and I thought it = might be consoling to you. =20 I am still a babe in the woods in genealogical research, but I would = suspect that there are substantial German-language archives on German = branches of your family. To the best of my knowledge, and I am really a = beginner at this, there were lists of Jews or the heads of Jewish = families maintained rather carefully over the centuries. Many of these = lists survive in regional archives. The medieval German emperors saw = themselves as the legal successors to the Roman emperors and so -- at = least in theory, we know sadly too much about the practice -- saw = themselves as the protectors of the Jews. But this meant that there are = substantial archival materials for medieval courts where Jews brought = legal action to protect what few legal rights they had. The other = reason that lists were maintained is that Jewish population was = rigorously controlled, and when the numbers of Jews exceeded the set = quota, Jews were forced to move elsewhere. Like I said, I am beginner = at this and I also have a day job and a family to keep me busy, but I = just wanted to assure you that there are records out there. And if you = knew all of this, then, well, sorry. By the way, the Leo Baeck = Institute in Manhattan is supposed to have extensive archival materials = on German Jews, and you might get some help from them. I have never = worked with them directly, though I have heard that they tend to be, uh, = not always as forthcoming as one might hope. Feel free to ask me for any advice on German related questions. My = field itself is French and Italian literature, but I teach and write in = German at the university, so I can help out if you need it. Best of luck for the future and for the new year. Sincerely yours, Jeff Richards Muenster, Germany ------=_NextPart_000_015F_01C14355.13E2DB00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Dear David,
 
Your message posted on the Jewish = Genealogical List was=20 very, very moving, as in, men don't cry, except in cases like=20 this.
I graduated from Princeton in 1974, stayed on = for=20 graduate work in Comp Lit, got my Ph.D. in 1978, and then have moved on, = though=20 I have been back in the last few years to lecture there.  You may = know that=20 Princeton has a website devoted to victims, missing and survivors of the = terrorist attack.  It seems as though graduates from the last = fifteen of so=20 years were the worst hit. 
You also might know that Princeton was = something of a=20 center for refugee German Jewish intellectuals -- many of whom I knew as = very=20 old men and women in the 1970s.  I catalogued the books in the = library of=20 Erich Kahler who wrote some still very important works such as The = Jews=20 among the Nations.  Meeting and knowing his widow Lily Kahler = was one=20 of the high points of my eight years in Princeton.  On the other = hand,=20 Princeton's president in the Second World War, a man named Harold Dodds = (whom I=20 also met as a very old man) led the US delegation to the Bermuda = conference in=20 1942 in which the US refused to raise its quotas for Eastern European = Jews=20 (described in David Wyman, The Abandonment of the Jews).  = At some=20 point Princeton needs to face up to its historical record and come = clean. =20 This means more than confessing to upper-class WASP anti-Semitism, but I = better=20 get off my soapbox. 
Only recently in the course of lots of = genealogical=20 research did I discover that I had Jewish ancestors, and I hope that it = turns=20 out that I am distant cousins with Bertha Pappenheim.
Anyway, there is a beautiful book on = Post-Holocaust=20 theology that I, ever the professor, just wanted to recommend, in = case you=20 don't know it.  It is by Emil Fackenheim, called To Mend The=20 World, and I thought it might be consoling to you.  =
I am still a babe in the woods in = genealogical=20 research, but I would suspect that there are substantial German-language = archives on German branches of your family.  To the best of my = knowledge,=20 and I am really a beginner at this, there were lists of Jews or the = heads of=20 Jewish families maintained rather carefully over the centuries.  = Many of=20 these lists survive in regional archives.  The medieval German = emperors saw=20 themselves as the legal successors to the Roman emperors and so -- at = least in=20 theory, we know sadly too much about the practice -- saw themselves as = the=20 protectors of the Jews.  But this meant that there are substantial = archival=20 materials for medieval courts where Jews brought legal action to protect = what=20 few legal rights they had.  The other reason that lists were = maintained is=20 that Jewish population was rigorously controlled, and when the numbers = of Jews=20 exceeded the set quota, Jews were forced to move elsewhere.  Like I = said, I=20 am beginner at this and I also have a day job and a family to keep me = busy, but=20 I just wanted to assure you that there are records out there.  And = if you=20 knew all of this, then, well, sorry.  By the way, the Leo Baeck = Institute=20 in Manhattan is supposed to have extensive archival materials on German = Jews,=20 and you might get some help from them.  I have never worked with = them=20 directly, though I have heard that they tend to be, uh, not always as=20 forthcoming as one might hope.
Feel free to ask me for any advice on German = related=20 questions.  My field itself is French and Italian literature, but I = teach=20 and write in German at the university, so I can help out if you need=20 it.
Best of luck for the future and for the new=20 year.
 
Sincerely yours,
Jeff Richards
Muenster, Germany
 
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