Summary
Horticulture, agriculture and landscape architecture as self-evident elements of Jewish life in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have been largely neglected by research to date. In connection with National Socialism, research has long focused on the Holocaust. To the extent that the everyday history of Jewish life came into the focus of research, however, horticulture and agriculture tended to be ignored - an exception is undoubtedly the Israelite horticultural school in Ahlem, which has been studied in more detail over the past 15 years with regard to its activities and influence in Germany and also Israel. The research project is dedicated to this specific aspect, the horticultural and agricultural education in Germany for Jewish people in the early 20th century. One focus is on the hachshara training centres, i.e. places where training was specifically designed for emigration to Palestine, but other training centres will also be included.
The research in Israel on the part of the Technion will focus on the contributions of those trained at the hachshara centers in Germany to the development of settlement, horticulture and agriculture and the corresponding educational system as well as landscape architecture in Israel.
Authors:
Prof. Dr. Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn, Leibniz University, Hanover
Prof. Dr. Tal Alon-Mozes, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
This joint research project is financially supported by the State of Lower Saxony.