Attitudes towards German culture and language in the Interview with Dr. Nurit Gillath

 

Daniel Mahla

 

 

“I am Israeli, but the funny thing is that I feel at home in Germany.” This short quote from Dr. Nurit Gillath opens the podcast episode in which she talks to students about her life. In addition to Dr. Gillath’s interesting and multifaceted life story, in which she recounts how she enlisted in the Israeli army at a young age, went on to study and earn a Ph.D., and became a committed feminist fighting for equal rights for women in Israeli society, the interview focuses primarily on her relationship to Germany and German culture. 

Dr. Gillath recounts how her parents fled from Germany to Paris in 1933 and from there took a ship to Palestine. She talks about the difficulties of migration, which included learning Hebrew and adapting to local mentalities and customs.

She was born in Jerusalem in 1934. Although she grew up with a strong attachment to the German language and culture, she has spent her entire life in Israel. Nevertheless, she feels a “funny” sense of home in Germany, as she says in the opening quote. In fact, this preoccupation with Germany is a not untypical phenomenon among Yekkes’ children. They often grew up in an atmosphere heavily influenced by the German language and culture. Some did not learn Hebrew until they entered kindergarten or even elementary school. At the same time, the surrounding culture was Hebrew, and their consciousness and identity was distinctly Israeli.

The interview with Dr. Gillath illustrates such realities. She tells us that she speaks German fluently and even used to dream in German. When she came to Germany for the first time in 1966, she immediately felt at home. The Germans thought she was a compatriot. Over the years, she has developed deep friendships with Germans.

At the same time, she is deeply rooted in Israeli society, as evidenced by her military service and civic activities. While she reports that her parents continued to feel German despite the severe rupture, she herself had no doubts about her Israeliness. Her husband’s family came from Syria.

When asked about German influences on her identity, she first thinks of punctuality, a virtue she associates with Germany and which is less common in Israel. The strict upbringing and good education she enjoyed are also German values in her eyes.

Such aspects of intergenerational transmission are also interesting in relation to her children. She made sure that they received a good education as well. She was also able to pass on the virtue of punctuality. Beyond that, she does not tell us anything about other ties her children might have to the German language or culture. It would not be surprising, however, if such ties were rather weak. Typically, the third and subsequent generations barely speak German and otherwise have only a loose connections to their German-Jewish background – especially since, as in the case of Dr. Gillath’s children, they often no longer come from purely Yekke households, but as products of Israeli immigration society have diverse cultural connections.

Listen in for more fascinating details: LINK