Antisemitic stereotypes of Jews as Capitalist have paralyzed research into the economic dimension of the Jewish past. The figure of the Geldjude haunted the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But the economy has been central to Jewish life and the Jewish image in the world. Jews were not only moneymakers but also money-spenders. Aim of this presentation is to offer an insight into this crucial and neglected axis of consumption, identity, and Jewish history in Europe. It will show how the advances of modernization and secularization in the modern period increased the importance of consumption in Jewish life, making it to a significant factor in the process of re-defining Jewishness.
Gideon Reuveni studied history, philosophy and political science at the Hebrew University Jerusalem. He is the author of Reading Germany: Literature and Consumer Culture in Germany before 1933 (2006) and co-editor of several other books on different aspects of Jewish history. His current area of research is the intersection of Jewish history and economics. Presently he is working on a book on consumer culture and the making of modern Jewish identity in Europe.
Moderation: Dr. Christian Suhm