Michael Moritz grew up in Wales as the son of Jews who left Germany in the 1930s but many of whose relatives did not escape the holocaust. He was diagnosed with a genetic form of cancer whose risk is greater for male Ashkenazi Jews. This perhaps concentrated his interest in the experiences and emotional life of his parents, which he had little considered when he was growing up. The book is an investigation of his history and life as a Jew.
There is a good extract at Granta.
The threat that so rapidly materialized in 1930s Germany is reflected for Moritz in Trump’s America. What he had heard as a young boy whenever his parents sensed disturbing political trends:
If it did happen, it can happen.
If it did happen, it will happen.
If it did happen somewhere, it can happen here.
It will happen here.
He is applying for German citizenship. One reason is the increasing anti-semitism in the UK, another the access to other EU countries he enjoyed before Brexit.
Part of it reminded me of Uwe Wittstock, Februar 33. Der Winter der Literatur, which shows how the literary life of Germany in Weimar was aggressively attacked in a period of a few weeks.
Thank you for the reference to the book and the extract.
It is important not to overlook that antisemitism has also increased here in Germany over the last decade. The number of antisemitic incidents has risen, and Jewish life here, too, faces growing pressure – from the far-right, but especially from Islamist milieus. And there has recently been that really strange alliance between left-wing and Islamist antisemitism that is hardly ever addressed openly.
Moritz’ application for German citizenship comes at a time when the safety and normalcy for Jews in Germany can no longer be taken for granted. There are warning signs. We are reminded yet again how deceptive a sense of cultural stability can be.
Thank you. Yes, I suppose that is true. I don’t remember what he wrote about that point (have returned the book to the library alas). But he did mention the accessibility of all EU countries and he does have a house in Italy too – and of course I presume he does not want to stay in the USA. I don’t know or understand enough about the German situation in this respect.