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Franz Kafka (Archives)
Last update - 14:39 18/08/2008
'Kafka's lifelong dream was to make aliyah'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Franz Kafka, Max Brod 

The recent discovery of some of Franz Kafka's writings in a Tel Aviv apartment have prompted a resurgence of speculation into the writer's connection to his Jewish heritage and his allegiance to Zionism.

The New York Times this week cites a 1949 letter from Kafka's last lover Dora Diament to his close friend Max Brod, in which she claims that writer had always wanted "to make aliyah and come to Israel."

As reported last month in Haaretz, remnants of Kafka's estate can be found in a small apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv that belonged to Esther Hoffe, Brod's former secretary.
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Last year, Hoffe died and the material was inherited by her two daughters, who are now are considering selling it.

The story of the lost estate was covered widely in the international media, and as a result the Archive of German Literature in Marbach, which possesses a selection of Kafka's letters, is now seeking to obtain the fragments of material from Israel.

Israel's state archivist, however, has said that "no material that is of importance to the history of the Jewish people will leave the State of Israel... We will not permit the materials' removal without fulfilling the law."

Kafka scholar Mark Gelber, a professor at Ben Gurion University told New York Times that the writer's "intimate connections to Zionism and Jews" was among the prime reasons his lost writings should remain in Israel.

"This material belongs in Jerusalem," he was quoted as saying. "Brod became a Zionist before the First World War, lived and worked here and is buried here. Less well known is the fact that Kafka was a totally engaged Jewish personality and writer with many intimate connections to Zionism and Jews."

But in his new book, "The Tremendous World I Have Inside My Head: Franz Kafka: A Biographical Essay," Louis Begley posits that despite the writer's preoccupation with his Jewish identity, he was neither a Zionist nor an active member of the Jewish community.

"I admire Zionism and am nauseated by it," Mr. Begley quotes from Kafka.

Gelber and other Kafka scholars say, however, that Kafka was not only devoted to Zionism and the study of Hebrew, but possessed a life-long dream to move to Israel.

Those arguing on behalf of Kafka's devotion to Judaism hope his works will stay in Israel to be included in the Zionist archives, but as of yet, the fate of this piece of his legacy remains unresolved.

Related articles:
  • Bidding war erupts over Kafka's Tel Aviv legacy
  • Kafka's mysterious heir snapped for first time - in Tel Aviv
  • T.A. flat may hold key to holes in Kafka bio
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      1.   Which Israel? 18:07  |  Axel 18/08/08
      2.   What if not ... 18:44  |  Axel 18/08/08
      3.   Name of the place 19:33  |  Dave 18/08/08
      4.   The criminal behavior of the hoarders 20:36  |  Shalom Freedman 18/08/08
      5.   To Axel: Then every Opera manuscript should belong to Italy 22:08  |  Alain 18/08/08
      6.   Axel, if the Germans were so hot to trot about Kafka, why . . . 22:10  |  Zev Davis 18/08/08
      7.   Axel, Kafka is 100% Judaism 00:23  |  HS 19/08/08
      8.   Fellows... 02:04  |  Ariel 19/08/08
      9.   Kafka`s Hebrew notebooks are in NY 02:18  |  Bob 19/08/08
      10.   Publish in Israel 09:06  |  Motic 19/08/08
      11.   Interesting, can Haaretz print the articles..... 10:13  |  The Archives 19/08/08
      12.   read kafka`s diaries 10:29  |  Raymond Deane 19/08/08
      13.   Axel 1 12:00  |  ChanahS 19/08/08
      14.   Axel 1 12:00  |  ChanahS 19/08/08
      15.   Seeding Ignorance 14:08  |  FOX 19/08/08
      16.   To editor of Haaretz service - Typos in article 14:23  |  Shlomo 19/08/08
      17.   Franz Kafka`s opinions... 14:40  |  Radka 19/08/08
      18.   Every Jew is a Zionist. 16:26  |  Akram Zekaria 19/08/08
      19.   Very simple solution 17:46  |  Axel 19/08/08
      20.   #6 Zev Davis. I agree 18:10  |  Tom Sobota 19/08/08
      21.   # 6 zev 21:57  |  Axel 19/08/08
      22.   #19Axel - ridiculous pretension 22:25  |  HS 19/08/08
      23.   19# Axel (and if not we make one of him). 22:26  |  Akram Zekaria. 19/08/08
      24.   Axel, you may be correct, but his "Fatherland" was not Germany 22:47  |  Zev Davis 19/08/08
      25.   #8 Amen 05:28  |  Rab Burns 20/08/08
      26.   19# Axel "(and if not we make one of him)". 2nd try. 13:17  |  Akram Zekaria 20/08/08
      27.   # 22 hs 17:40  |  Axel 20/08/08
      28.   # 26 akram 17:44  |  Axel 20/08/08
      29.   Axel: the woman wrote this letter in 49. 19:01  |  Milena 20/08/08
      30.   #27 German not more "lingua franca" 19:06  |  HS 20/08/08
      31.   # 30 hs 19:44  |  Axel 20/08/08
      32.   28# Alex I must be right when I suspected .. 20:32  |  Akram Zekaria 20/08/08
      33.   Axel 21:50  |  Ehud 20/08/08
      34.   # 33 ehud 00:23  |  Axel 21/08/08
      35.   # 32 akram 00:33  |  Axel 21/08/08
      36.   Ehud, Kafka spoke Yiddish?! 10:18  |  Zev Davis 21/08/08
      37.   actually Axel 21:15  |  cool 21/08/08
      38.   Hey cool, be cool #37 11:21  |  FOX 22/08/08
      39.   35# Axel. Irony ? ! (2nd try- 3 days after) 01:07  |  Akram Zekaria 23/08/08
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