In Conversation with Amit Levy: Linking History

Q: Can you describe the moment you discovered the book? What were your initial thoughts and feelings?

A: The discovery was exciting. While I anticipated finding copies of the book, printed in limited numbers, at the NLI since it was published in Jerusalem, opening it revealed evidence of its unique trajectory, highlighting the broader context linking Jerusalem, Berlin, and Jewish history.

Q: What prompted you to share the story and the photo of the book on Twitter?

A: I believed my discovery would captivate my friends and followers, many of whom are interested in Jewish, cultural and intellectual history. It was also a way to acquaint them with the complicated history of post-WWII Jewish cultural reconstruction.

Q: Why is this particular book significant in the context of the Berlin Higher Institute for Jewish Studies and Jewish history?

A: Despite being produced in Jerusalem, the book holds significance as a tribute to Josef Horovitz, a German-Jewish scholar with roots in fin-de-siècle Berlin. As a doctoral student closely connected to the Higher Institute’s academic community, he was in close contact with figures like Gotthold Weil, who later became prominent in Oriental Studies in Jerusalem—an area Horovitz played a key role in establishing.

Q: How did this book relate to your own research? Was this discovery incidental?

A: My search for this book was integral to my doctoral research on Zionist Oriental Studies and their German-Jewish origins. While aware of the book’s existence, I initially sought to simply extract biographical and bibliographical details from it.

Q: What kind of responses did you receive after posting the photo on social media? Were any of them particularly surprising or enlightening?

A: The photo garnered unexpectedly high interest. Individuals, much like myself, were impressed by how two seemingly ‘technical’ pages encapsulated a captivating story.

Q: Based on the provenance marks of that book, can you trace the journey of this book to the National Library of Israel?

A: Indeed. Printed in Jerusalem, the book was dispatched to Berlin by one of its authors, historian and ethnographer Shelomo Dov Goitein from the Hebrew University’s School of Oriental Studies—founded by Horovitz. The provenance marks indicate Goitein sent a copy to the Higher Instiute, then it was likely looted by the Nazis, and later salvaged by the JCR after the war. Subsequently, it was returned to Jerusalem.

Q: As a historian, what does it feel like to physically handle a book with such a storied past?

A: Primarily working with archival materials, the sensation of handling historically-loaded documents is not new to me. Yet, there was a humbling aspect to holding this copy with its unique history, contemplating the hands that had held it and the people who had read it before, in Jerusalem and Germany.

Q: What advice would you give to individuals interested in searching for the books that were looted by the Nazis?

A: Beyond books crucial for researchers in Jewish history and thought, it’s worthwhile to consider scholars connected to these circles in Berlin. Exploring works written about or in memory of individuals with a personal connection to the Higher Institute and its academic community could lead to interesting discoveries.