2026-04-29T11:51:19Z https://jewish-textual-architectures.online/oai

oai:jta:source-7.en 2025-01-10T00:00:00Z

en Siegfried Lehmann, The idea and its realization https://jewish-textual-architectures.online/source/jta:source-7 Siegfried Lehmann Institute for the History of the German Jews Online Ressource “Utopia” is a short story whose author, place and year of publication are unknown. The story was probably first printed in 1925, presumably in German. It was used to promote Siegfried Lehmann´s plan to establish an agricultural youth settlement in Palestine. With its educational description of the upbringing and training of young immigrants in Palestine based on Zionist ideas, the text is part of Jewish cultural heritage. “Utopia” also focuses on an agricultural settlement, a village, in the pre-state era of Israel. The text thus emphasizes the importance of rural areas, which were of great (Zionist) ideological interest but were rarely described in terms of their actual design at the time. The settlement planned by Lehmann – Ben Schemen – was finally founded in 1927. Four years after his death, a Hebrew collection of his writings was published in 1962. Although the editors included “Utopia” in “The Idea and its Realization ” Lehmann´s authorship is questionable: the style of the narrative differs significantly from other texts he wrote during the same period. A diary entry written at around the same time as “Utopia” with a sketch of the planned youth settlement can be clearly attributed to Lehmann: “The Idea and its Realization”, the English translation of the collection of texts, was finally published in 1978 on the 20th anniversary of Lehmann’s death as a private print. “Utopia” describes a visit by a group of adults to a Palestinian youth village. The visitors get to know the village, including its residential buildings, educational facilities, and workshops. They attend church service, school lessons and a celebration. In conversations, they learn a lot about community life and the origins of the young villagers. The guests later hear from Jewish settlers who have been living in the country for a long time that the presence of the children and young people motivates and encourages the settlers themselves. After their visit, the group must return to Europe. “Utopia” concludes with an appeal to readers to support the realization of a youth village like the one described. 2025-01-10