Felix Eduard Hirsch (
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, 7 February 1902 – 12 December 1982
Newtown, Pennsylvania) was a journalist for the ''
Berliner Tageblatt'' and latterly, historian, librarian and professor at
Bard College
Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
in
New York.
[ As a journalist in Berlin, Hirsch was involved in the infamous libel case of Kurt Soelling.]
Biography
Early life
Hirsch studied history at the University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
where he graduated under German historian and political journalist, Hermann Oncken in 1924.[Hirsch,1946] After university, Hirsch moved to Berlin to pursue a career in journalism at the ''Berliner Tagelblatt'' and later became the editor at the '' Achtuhr Abendblatt''. Following the rise of Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, Hirsch went into exile in America, and completed a librarian degree at Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1936. He subsequently moved to Bard College, where he would teach history and expand the library.
Kurt Soelling controversy
On 18 May 1932, Judge Kurt Soelling (born ''Seligsohn''), the chairman of the Berlin District Court
District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy.
These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...
, brought a libel action against Hirsch for an article he wrote in the ''Achtuhr Abendblatt'' that revealed Soelling's Jewish identity. Soelling was born into a Jewish family, but baptised a Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in later life. He had been a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...
but in 1931, declared himself a monarchist
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. C ...
and became a prominent supporter of the burgeoning Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. Hirsch's article not only revealed the judge's Jewish identity, but alleged that he had converted to Protestantism to further his judicial career. Hirsch denounced Soelling as a "dishonest politician".[
The case concluded on 19 May 1932, with Soelling admitting that he was of Jewish descent, but that he had converted out of conviction. He explained his activities within the Nazi Party as an attempt to understand the organisation, and justified his use of the Nazi salute by the fact that everyone else at the rallies he attended had used it. Hirsch lost the libel case, and was ordered to pay damages of 500 ]Reichsmark
The (; sign: ℛ︁ℳ︁; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, and in the American, British and French occupied zones of Germany, until 20 June 1948. The Reichsmark was then replace ...
.[
According to a dispatch issued by the ]Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) is an international news agency and wire service that primarily covers Judaism- and Jewish-related topics and news. Described as the "Associated Press of the Jewish media", JTA serves Jewish and non-Jewish news ...
regarding the intriguing proceedings:
There was something of a sensation in court when it came out in the course of the proceedings that Judge Soelling is the son of the lay head of the Romberg Jewish Community, and that he had held over his baptism until after the death of a rich uncle who was a strictly observant Jew, so that he should not be cut out of his will, and that he had been baptised only after he had received the legacy.
Justice Soelling was eventually disbarred and forbidden to practice law in Germany as a result of the Nazis' anti-Semitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
reforms of 1933.
Marriage and children
Hirsch married long-term friend, academic Elisabeth Feist in 1938, and they had two children together. Towards the end of his life, he suffered from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
. He died in 1982, at a retirement home in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Notes
References
* Mosse, W. E. (1965). ''Entscheidungsjahr 1932 e neunzehnhundertzweiunddreissig zur Judenfrage in der Endphase der Weimarer Republik'' (Vol. 13). Mohr Siebeck.
* Hirsch, F. E. (1946). "Hermann Oncken and the End of an Era". ''The Journal of Modern History
''The Journal of Modern History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering European intellectual, political, and cultural history, published by the University of Chicago Press. Established in 1929, the journal covers events from appro ...
'', 18 (2), 148-159.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Felix
1902 births
1982 deaths
Journalists from Berlin
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
Jewish historians
Columbia University School of Library Service alumni
German male journalists
20th-century German journalists
Berliner Tageblatt people
20th-century German historians
Bard College faculty
Heidelberg University alumni