The Passion Of Max Von Oppenheim: Archaeology And Intrigue In The Middle East From Wilhelm Ii To Hitler
by Lionel Gossman /
2013 / English / PDF
13.3 MB Download
Born into a prominent German Jewish banking family, Baron Max von
Oppenheim (1860-1946) was a keen amateur archaeologist and
ethnologist. His discovery and excavation of Tell Halaf in Syria
marked an important contribution to knowledge of the ancient Middle
East, while his massive study of the Bedouins is still consulted by
scholars today. He was also an ardent German patriot, eager to
support his country's pursuit of its "place in the sun". Excluded
by his part-Jewish ancestry from the regular diplomatic service,
Oppenheim earned a reputation as "the Kaiser's spy" because of his
intriguing against the British in Cairo, as well as his plan, at
the start of the First World War, to incite Muslims under British,
French and Russian rule to a jihad against the colonial powers.
After 1933, despite being half-Jewish according to the Nuremberg
Laws, Oppenheim was not persecuted by the Nazis. In fact, he placed
his knowledge of the Middle East and his connections with Muslim
leaders at the service of the regime. Ranging widely over many
fields - from war studies to archaeology and banking history - 'The
Passion of Max von Oppenheim' tells the gripping and at times
unsettling story of one part-Jewish man's passion for his country
in the face of persistent and, in his later years, genocidal
anti-Semitism.
Born into a prominent German Jewish banking family, Baron Max von
Oppenheim (1860-1946) was a keen amateur archaeologist and
ethnologist. His discovery and excavation of Tell Halaf in Syria
marked an important contribution to knowledge of the ancient Middle
East, while his massive study of the Bedouins is still consulted by
scholars today. He was also an ardent German patriot, eager to
support his country's pursuit of its "place in the sun". Excluded
by his part-Jewish ancestry from the regular diplomatic service,
Oppenheim earned a reputation as "the Kaiser's spy" because of his
intriguing against the British in Cairo, as well as his plan, at
the start of the First World War, to incite Muslims under British,
French and Russian rule to a jihad against the colonial powers.
After 1933, despite being half-Jewish according to the Nuremberg
Laws, Oppenheim was not persecuted by the Nazis. In fact, he placed
his knowledge of the Middle East and his connections with Muslim
leaders at the service of the regime. Ranging widely over many
fields - from war studies to archaeology and banking history - 'The
Passion of Max von Oppenheim' tells the gripping and at times
unsettling story of one part-Jewish man's passion for his country
in the face of persistent and, in his later years, genocidal
anti-Semitism.