Ignaz Maybaum
Encyclopedia
Ignaz Maybaum was a rabbi
and 20th century liberal Jewish theologian
.
, where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1926. He took rabbinic posts in Bingen, Frankfurt-am-der-Oder and Berlin. He was a disciple of Franz Rosenzweig
.
In 1935 he was arrested by the Gestapo
, spending six weeks in prison before being released. In 1939 he left Germany on a Kindertransport
and went to London, England. His mother and sisters were killed in the Holocaust.
In 1949 he became rabbi of the Edgware and District Reform Synagogue. From 1956 until his retirement in 1963, he lectured in homiletics and theology at Leo Baeck College
. He was also active in inter-religious dialogue. His students include Nicholas de Lange
.
, Christianity
, the Holocaust
and Zionism
. He also wrote on Islam
. He is most frequently remembered for his controversial view in The Face of God After Auschwitz (1965) that the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust was vicarious atonement
for the sin
s of the rest of the world. He was connecting the Jewish people to the figure of the "suffering servant" of Isaiah
52 and 53 in the Tanakh
(the Christian Old Testament
. In the same work he employed Christian imagery, speaking of Auschwitz
as the new Golgotha and the gas chambers as replacing the cross.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and 20th century liberal Jewish theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.
Life
He was born in Vienna in 1897. He studied in Berlin at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des JudentumsHochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums
The Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, or Higher Institute for Jewish Studies, was a rabbinical seminary, established in Berlin in 1872 destroyed by the Nazi government of Germany in 1942...
, where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1926. He took rabbinic posts in Bingen, Frankfurt-am-der-Oder and Berlin. He was a disciple of Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig
Franz Rosenzweig was an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher.-Early life:Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany to a middle-class, minimally observant Jewish family...
.
In 1935 he was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, spending six weeks in prison before being released. In 1939 he left Germany on a Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
and went to London, England. His mother and sisters were killed in the Holocaust.
In 1949 he became rabbi of the Edgware and District Reform Synagogue. From 1956 until his retirement in 1963, he lectured in homiletics and theology at Leo Baeck College
Leo Baeck College
Leo Baeck College is a rabbinical college and centre for Jewish education located in north London. As well as being the smallest academic college in England, it is also the largest Jewish Progressive University and Rabbinic College in Europe....
. He was also active in inter-religious dialogue. His students include Nicholas de Lange
Nicholas de Lange
Nicholas Robert Michael de Lange is Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Cambridge and is an ordained Reform rabbi...
.
Holocaust theology
Maybaum wrote many reflections on JudaismJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. He also wrote on Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He is most frequently remembered for his controversial view in The Face of God After Auschwitz (1965) that the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust was vicarious atonement
Atonement in Judaism
Atonement in Judaism is the process of causing a transgression to be forgiven or pardoned.- In Rabbinic Judaism :In Rabbinic Judaism, atonement is achieved through some combination of*repentance*Temple service Atonement in Judaism is the process of causing a transgression to be forgiven or...
for the sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s of the rest of the world. He was connecting the Jewish people to the figure of the "suffering servant" of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
52 and 53 in the Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
(the Christian Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. In the same work he employed Christian imagery, speaking of Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
as the new Golgotha and the gas chambers as replacing the cross.
Works
- Parteibefreites Judentum (1935)
- Neue Jugend und Alter Glaube (1936)
- Man and Catastrophe (1941)
- Synagogue and Society: Jewish-Christian Collaboration in the Defence of Western Civilization (1944)
- The Jewish Home (1945)
- The Jewish Mission (1949)
- Jewish Existence (1960)
- The Faith of the Jewish Diaspora (1962)
- The Face of God After Auschwitz (1965)
- Trialogue Between Jew, Christian, and Muslim (1973)
- Happiness Outside the State (1980)
- Ignaz Maybaum: A Reader, Nicholas de Lange (ed.), (New York: Berghahn Books.)