Werner Scholem
Encyclopedia
Werner Scholem was a member of the German Reichstag
in 1924-1928 and a leading member of the Communist Party of Germany
.
was his brother.
In their very youth Werner Scholem and his Brother Gerhard (later Gershom) were members of the Zionist youth-movement "Jung Juda". But shortly before the outbreak of World War I Werner Scholem joined the socialist working youth. During the war both brothers had an intense debate about the conflicts and common grounds of Zionism and socialism.
From the age of 16 he was also involved in journalism. In 1917 he joined the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), and was temporarily detained for insulting the Emperor and anti-war activities. From 1919 he earned his living in Halle (Saale)
, as editor of the Volksblatt.
In 1920 he joined the Communist Party
, in which he was a member of the left wing; the following year he became one of the Party's representatives to the Prussian Landtag. That same year, Scholem was entrusted with editing the party newspaper Die Rote Fahne
(The Red Flag).
In subsequent years, Scholem worked in the party organisation, mostly for the Berlin branch. In 1924 he became the leader of the national organization, and consequently a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party. From 1924 till 1928 he was a member of the German Reichstag
. He led the so-called Fischer
-Maslow
Group associated with the Comintern
chairman Grigory Zinoviev
, which formed the new "ultra-left" Communist Party leadership after the "right" wing of the party was removed in 1923 by the leaders of the time.
In August 1925, the new party leadership was sidelined, Scholem was expelled from the party in November 1926 after having cosponsored the Declaration of the 700 against the oppression of the United Left Opposition
in Soviet Union
. He subsequently joined the group of Left Communists in the Reichstag and founded with others a "Lenin Bund" in April 1928. This association grew to become one of the leading splinter Communist organizations in Germany. However, Scholem left the Lenin Bund within the year, and remained unaffilliated while still sympathizing with Trotskyist
positions and the Left Opposition
(LO). He wrote frequently articles for their newspaper Permanente Revolution.
As a Jew and a Communist, Sholem was immediately arrested after the seizure of power by the Nazis in 1933, held in "preventative custody" until he was deported to Buchenwald
in 1938. He was part of a group of former Reichstag members held at Buchenwald, whose prominent status afforded them some degree of protection. However, in 1940, the SS
singled out Scholem and another Jewish ex-Reichstag member, Ernst Heilmann
, for execution; Heilmann was killed by injection, and Scholem was shot by Hauptscharführer
Blank.
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
in 1924-1928 and a leading member of the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
.
Biography
Scholem was the son of a print shop owner. The historian of religion Gershom ScholemGershom Scholem
Gerhard Scholem who, after his immigration from Germany to Palestine, changed his name to Gershom Scholem , was a German-born Israeli Jewish philosopher and historian, born and raised in Germany...
was his brother.
In their very youth Werner Scholem and his Brother Gerhard (later Gershom) were members of the Zionist youth-movement "Jung Juda". But shortly before the outbreak of World War I Werner Scholem joined the socialist working youth. During the war both brothers had an intense debate about the conflicts and common grounds of Zionism and socialism.
From the age of 16 he was also involved in journalism. In 1917 he joined the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD), and was temporarily detained for insulting the Emperor and anti-war activities. From 1919 he earned his living in Halle (Saale)
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, as editor of the Volksblatt.
In 1920 he joined the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
, in which he was a member of the left wing; the following year he became one of the Party's representatives to the Prussian Landtag. That same year, Scholem was entrusted with editing the party newspaper Die Rote Fahne
Die Rote Fahne
The German newspaper Die Rote Fahne was created on 9 November 1918 by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin, first as organ of the left wing revolutionary Spartakusbund. After the founding of the Communist Party of Germany on 1 January 1919 it became the central publication of the party,...
(The Red Flag).
In subsequent years, Scholem worked in the party organisation, mostly for the Berlin branch. In 1924 he became the leader of the national organization, and consequently a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party. From 1924 till 1928 he was a member of the German Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
. He led the so-called Fischer
Ruth Fischer
Ruth Fischer was a German Communist, a co-founder of the Austrian Communist Party in 1918. According to secret information declassified in 2010, she was a key agent of the American intelligence service known as "The Pond."-Life and work:Born in Leipzig, Ruth Fischer was the daughter of the...
-Maslow
Arkadi Maslow
Arkadi Maslow , born Isaak Jefimowitsch Tschemerinski was a communist politician.-Early life and education:...
Group associated with the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
chairman Grigory Zinoviev
Grigory Zinoviev
Grigory Yevseevich Zinoviev , born Ovsei-Gershon Aronovich Radomyslsky Apfelbaum , was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet Communist politician...
, which formed the new "ultra-left" Communist Party leadership after the "right" wing of the party was removed in 1923 by the leaders of the time.
In August 1925, the new party leadership was sidelined, Scholem was expelled from the party in November 1926 after having cosponsored the Declaration of the 700 against the oppression of the United Left Opposition
United Opposition
The United Opposition was a group formed in the All-Union Communist Party in 1926 by Leon Trotsky, Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev in opposition to Joseph Stalin...
in Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He subsequently joined the group of Left Communists in the Reichstag and founded with others a "Lenin Bund" in April 1928. This association grew to become one of the leading splinter Communist organizations in Germany. However, Scholem left the Lenin Bund within the year, and remained unaffilliated while still sympathizing with Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
positions and the Left Opposition
Left Opposition
The Left Opposition was a faction within the Bolshevik Party from 1923 to 1927, headed de facto by Leon Trotsky. The Left Opposition formed as part of the power struggle within the party leadership that began with the Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin's illness and intensified with his death in January...
(LO). He wrote frequently articles for their newspaper Permanente Revolution.
As a Jew and a Communist, Sholem was immediately arrested after the seizure of power by the Nazis in 1933, held in "preventative custody" until he was deported to Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
in 1938. He was part of a group of former Reichstag members held at Buchenwald, whose prominent status afforded them some degree of protection. However, in 1940, the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
singled out Scholem and another Jewish ex-Reichstag member, Ernst Heilmann
Ernst Heilmann
Ernst Heilmann was a German jurist and politician for the Social Democratic Party of Germany.Born in Berlin, then Prussia, Heilmann attended the University of Berlin, majoring in law and political science. During World War I, he was a proponent of the Burgfrieden. Heilman gained a seat in the...
, for execution; Heilmann was killed by injection, and Scholem was shot by Hauptscharführer
Hauptscharführer
Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of Sturmscharführer....
Blank.
Literature on Werner Scholem
- Gedenkstätte Buchenwald (ed.): Buchenwald Concentration Camp 1937-1945: A Guide to the Permanent Historical Exhibition,, Wallstein Verlag 2004, p.66–67, p. 119.
- Michael Buckmiller und Pascal Nafe: Die Naherwartung des Kommunismus – Werner Scholem. In: Judentum und politische Existenz. Offizin-Verlag, Hannover 2000, p. 61–82.
- Mirjam Triendl-Zadoff: Unter Brüdern – Gershom und Werner Scholem. Von den Utopien der Jugend zum jüdischen Alltag zwischen den Kriegen. In: Münchner Beiträge zur jüdischen Geschichte und Kultur. Band 1, Heft 2, 2007, p. 56–66.
- Ralf Hoffrogge: Utopien am Abgrund. Der Briefwechsel Werner Scholem – Gershom Scholem in den Jahren 1914-1919. In: Schreiben im Krieg – Schreiben vom Krieg. Feldpost im Zeitalter der Weltkriege, Klartext-Verlag, Essen 2011, p. 429-440, ISBN 978-3-8375-0461-3.
- Hermann Weber und Andreas Herbst: Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945. Karl Dietz Verlag, 2nd edition Berlin 2008, p. 692–694, ISBN 3-320-02044-7