Bourgeois Lifestyle, Jewishness, and Consumer Culture in Weimar Germany

Abstract

The discourse on Jewish economics has continued primarily from a manufacturer or even capitalist perspective. Research has shown that it is difficult to find an area of the modern market economy devoid of a "Jewish contribution." Jews were not only moneymakers, but also money-spenders. Only recently have scholars begun to acknowledge the importance of consumption in Jewish history. This article seeks to further advance this approach. It suggests that in order to comprehend the evolution of a distinctive sense of Jewishness in modern times, we should also consider broader social processes such as the emergence of modern consumer culture that go beyond the process of emancipation, antisemitism, or the search for Jewish authenticity. The discussion will focus on the distinctive period between the First World War and rise of National Socialism to power in Germany. This period of political radicalization and continuing economic distress is considered a milestone in the history of modern consumer culture. By assuming a “consumerist” approach to the Jewish experience, this article will demonstrate how German Jews would have been able to develop a self-understanding drawn from a diversity of cultural representations and practices that were both modern and German, and at the same time Jewish.