In a book by Dr. E. F. Podach which has just appeared and which deals with the insanity of Friedrich Nietzsche, famous German philosopher-poet, letters and documents appear which show how Nietzsche was angered over the anti-Semitism displayed by his near relatives. In these letters he is especially bitter towards his sister, Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche, who taunted him because of his association with Jews, like the late Georg Brandes, the Danish-Jewish critic, who was among the first to recognize Nietzsche’s greatness.
Although Nietzsche in his writings often displayed hostility towards the philosophy, the teachings and the precepts of Judaism, he was nevertheless a strong opponent of anti-Semitism. His quarrel with Richard Wagner was in great part also due to Wagner’s anti-Semitic leanings.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.