GHDI - Document

Walther Rathenau, "Hear, O Israel!" (1897) Walter Rathenau (1867-1922), the son of the founder of the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft [General Electric Company (AEG)], was one of the most important German Jews of his generation. With this article, published in 1897 in the journal Die Zukunft [The Future], Rathenau sought to encourage Jews to assimilate more actively into German society. Reacting to a new wave of anti-Semitism that arose during the economic hard times of the 1890s, Rathenau focused on the failure of Jews to integrate – despite what he perceived as the many similarities between enlightened Judaism and German Protestantism. An important official during World War I and a prominent cabinet member in the Weimar Republic, he was assassinated by two radical nationalists in 1922. print version return to document list previous document next document page 1 of 4 I want to profess straight off that I am a Jew. Does it require justification if I write in a

Walther Rathenau, "Hear, O Israel!" (1897) Walter Rathenau (1867-1922), the son of the founder of the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft [General Electric Company (AEG)], was one of the most important German Jews of his generation. With this article, published in 1897 in the journal Die Zukunft [The Future], Rathenau sought to encourage Jews to assimilate more actively into German society. Reacting to a new wave of anti-Semitism that arose during the economic hard times of the 1890s, Rathenau focused on the failure of Jews to integrate – despite what he perceived as the many similarities be