Nathan Birnbaum
Encyclopedia
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Nathan Birnbaum (16 May 1864 – 2 April 1937) was an Austria
n writer and journalist, Jewish thinker and nationalist. His life had three main phases, representing a progression in his thinking: Zionist phase (ca. 1883 – ca. 1900); Jewish cultural autonomy phase (ca. 1900 – ca. 1914) which included the promotion of the Yiddish language; and religious phase (ca. 1914–1937), in which he also continued to promote Yiddish.
He married Rosa Korngut (1869 – 1934) and they had three sons: Solomon (Salomo) Birnbaum
(1891–1989), Menachem Birnbaum
(1893–1944), and Uriel Birnbaum
(1894–1956).
Nathan Birnbaum was born into an Eastern Europe
an Jewish family in Vienna
. He studied law
, philosophy and Near Eastern studies at the University of Vienna
from 1882 to 1886. In 1883, at the age of 19, he founded Kadimah, the first Jewish (Zionist) student association in Vienna, many years before Theodor Herzl
became the leading spokesman of the Zionist movement
. While still a student, he founded and published the periodical Selbstemanzipation! ("Self-Emancipation!" (1885–1894, with some interruptions, renamed 1894 "Juedische Volkszeitung"), often written in large part by Birnbaum himself. In it he coined the terms "Zionistic", "Zionist", "Zionism" (1890), and "political Zionism" (1892).
Birnbaum played a prominent part in the First Zionist Congress
(1897) where he was elected Secretary-General of the Zionist Organization. He was associated with and was one of the most important representatives of the cultural, rather than political, side of Zionism. However, he left the Zionist Organization not long after the Congress. He was unhappy with its negative view of Diaspora Jewry and the transformation of the Zionist ideals into a party machine.
His next phase was to advocate Jewish cultural autonomy, concentrating in particular on the Jews of eastern Europe. He advocated that the Jews be recognized as a people among the other peoples of the Austrian Empire, with Yiddish as their official language. To this end he ran (in Buczacz, eastern Galicia) on behalf of the Jews (and with the support of the local Ukrainians) as candidate for the Austrian parliament. Although gaining a majority of the votes, his election was thwarted by corruption of the electoral process by the local Polish faction.
He was chief convenor of the Conference for the Yiddish Language held in Czernowitz, August 30 – September 3, 1908. This was the first Yiddish language conference ever to take place.
From about 1912 onwards, Birnbaum became more and more interested in Orthodox Judaism, and became a fully observant Orthodox Jew in about 1916. He continued particularly to act as advocate for the Jews of eastern Europe and the Yiddish language. From 1919–1922 he was General Secretary of the Agudas Yisroel, a widely spread and influential Orthodox Jewish organization. He founded the society of the "Olim" (Hebrew for the "Ascenders"), a society with a specific program of action dedicated to the spiritual ascent of the Jewish people.
He continued to write and lecture. His most well-known publication of this period of his life was "Gottes Volk", 1918 (German) - "God's Folk", 1921 (Yiddish)—translated into Hebrew as "Am Hashem" (1948), and translated into English under the title "Confession" (1946, slightly abridged).
In 1933, at the time of the Nazi
rise to power, Birnbaum and his wife, together with their son Menachem (an artist) and family, who at that time were all living in Berlin, fled to the Netherlands. (Menachem and his family were later murdered by the Nazis). At the same time, their son Solomon (Professor of Yiddish and Hebrew paleography) and family fled from Hamburg to England. Their other son Uriel (artist and poet) and family fled from Vienna to the Netherlands in 1939.
Nathan Birnbaum died in Scheveningen in 1937 after a period of severe illness.
Nathan Birnbaum (16 May 1864 – 2 April 1937) was an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n writer and journalist, Jewish thinker and nationalist. His life had three main phases, representing a progression in his thinking: Zionist phase (ca. 1883 – ca. 1900); Jewish cultural autonomy phase (ca. 1900 – ca. 1914) which included the promotion of the Yiddish language; and religious phase (ca. 1914–1937), in which he also continued to promote Yiddish.
He married Rosa Korngut (1869 – 1934) and they had three sons: Solomon (Salomo) Birnbaum
Solomon Birnbaum
Solomon Birnbaum, also Salomo, Solomon A or Solomon Asher, was a Yiddish linguist and Hebrew paleographer.-Career:...
(1891–1989), Menachem Birnbaum
Menachem Birnbaum
Menachem Birnbaum , was an Austrian Jewish book illustrator and portrait painter.- Life :Birnbaum was the second son of the Jewish philosopher Nathan Birnbaum and his wife Rosa Korngut. Birnbaum later married Ernestine Esther Helfmann, with whom he had two children: Rafael Zwi and Hana...
(1893–1944), and Uriel Birnbaum
Uriel Birnbaum
Uriel Birnbaum was an Austrian painter, caricaturist, writer and poet....
(1894–1956).
Nathan Birnbaum was born into an Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an Jewish family in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, philosophy and Near Eastern studies at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
from 1882 to 1886. In 1883, at the age of 19, he founded Kadimah, the first Jewish (Zionist) student association in Vienna, many years before Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
became the leading spokesman of the Zionist movement
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...
. While still a student, he founded and published the periodical Selbstemanzipation! ("Self-Emancipation!" (1885–1894, with some interruptions, renamed 1894 "Juedische Volkszeitung"), often written in large part by Birnbaum himself. In it he coined the terms "Zionistic", "Zionist", "Zionism" (1890), and "political Zionism" (1892).
Birnbaum played a prominent part in the First Zionist Congress
First Zionist Congress
The First Zionist Congress was the inaugural congress of the Zionist Organization held in Basel , Switzerland, from August 29 to August 31, 1897. It was convened and chaired by Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism movement...
(1897) where he was elected Secretary-General of the Zionist Organization. He was associated with and was one of the most important representatives of the cultural, rather than political, side of Zionism. However, he left the Zionist Organization not long after the Congress. He was unhappy with its negative view of Diaspora Jewry and the transformation of the Zionist ideals into a party machine.
His next phase was to advocate Jewish cultural autonomy, concentrating in particular on the Jews of eastern Europe. He advocated that the Jews be recognized as a people among the other peoples of the Austrian Empire, with Yiddish as their official language. To this end he ran (in Buczacz, eastern Galicia) on behalf of the Jews (and with the support of the local Ukrainians) as candidate for the Austrian parliament. Although gaining a majority of the votes, his election was thwarted by corruption of the electoral process by the local Polish faction.
He was chief convenor of the Conference for the Yiddish Language held in Czernowitz, August 30 – September 3, 1908. This was the first Yiddish language conference ever to take place.
From about 1912 onwards, Birnbaum became more and more interested in Orthodox Judaism, and became a fully observant Orthodox Jew in about 1916. He continued particularly to act as advocate for the Jews of eastern Europe and the Yiddish language. From 1919–1922 he was General Secretary of the Agudas Yisroel, a widely spread and influential Orthodox Jewish organization. He founded the society of the "Olim" (Hebrew for the "Ascenders"), a society with a specific program of action dedicated to the spiritual ascent of the Jewish people.
He continued to write and lecture. His most well-known publication of this period of his life was "Gottes Volk", 1918 (German) - "God's Folk", 1921 (Yiddish)—translated into Hebrew as "Am Hashem" (1948), and translated into English under the title "Confession" (1946, slightly abridged).
In 1933, at the time of the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
rise to power, Birnbaum and his wife, together with their son Menachem (an artist) and family, who at that time were all living in Berlin, fled to the Netherlands. (Menachem and his family were later murdered by the Nazis). At the same time, their son Solomon (Professor of Yiddish and Hebrew paleography) and family fled from Hamburg to England. Their other son Uriel (artist and poet) and family fled from Vienna to the Netherlands in 1939.
Nathan Birnbaum died in Scheveningen in 1937 after a period of severe illness.
Works
- Selbstemanzipation! Periodical. Vienna, 1885-1894. (ed., numerous articles). See above in text.
- Die jüdische Moderne; (Schulze) Leipzig, 1896,
- Ausgewählte Schriften zur jüdischen Frage, 2 Bände, 1910.
- Den Ostjuden Ihr Recht!; (Löwit) Vienna, 1915,
- Gottes Volk; (Löwit) Vienna, 1918,
- Um die Ewigkeit. Jüdische Essays; (Welt) Berlin, 1920,
- Im Dienste der Verheissung, Frankfurt 1927.
- Der Aufstieg (periodical); Berlin and Vienna, Jan. 1930 - Dec. 1932.
- Solomon A. BirnbaumSolomon BirnbaumSolomon Birnbaum, also Salomo, Solomon A or Solomon Asher, was a Yiddish linguist and Hebrew paleographer.-Career:...
(ed): The Bridge, London, 1956. - Confession, New York, 1946. Translation (abridged) of Gottes Volk.
- From Freethinker to Believer in: Lucy Dawidowicz: The Golden Tradition, New York, 1967. Translation of Vom Freigeist zum Glaubigen, Zürich, 1919.
- Shloimy Birnboim (ed) Ais Laasys - Giklibene Ksuvim fun Nusn Birnboim, Lodz, 1939. (Yiddish). Selected essays.
- Die Freistatt (periodical). Eschweiler, 1913-1914. Numerous articles.
- An'iberblik iber maan lebn in: Orlean, Y.L. and Hasofer, N. (eds):Yubileyum Bukh zum zektsiktn Giburtstug fun Dr. Nusn Birnboim. Yeshurun, Warsaw, 1925. Yiddish.