A Provocative Jewish Thinker Redefines Identity in Modern Germany

Artur Abramovych, a 28-year-old Ukrainian-born academic, now leads the Federal Association of Jews in the AfD. His recent arguments challenge long-held views on Jewish identity in Germany. He claims today's Judaism is increasingly national, particularist, and right-leaning—far from the assimilationist traditions of the past.

Abramovych's ideas clash with left-leaning Jewish thinkers like Max Czollek and Meron Mendel. Instead, he looks to historical figures and modern debates to redefine what it means to be Jewish in a changing Europe.

Abramovych contrasts two Jewish archetypes: the Schlemiel—a clumsy, neurotic intellectual—and the Muscle Jew—robust, assertive, and physically strong. He places philosopher Theodor Lessing among the latter, praising his criticism of European Jews for prioritising intellectual approval over self-reliance.

He also labels 1968 activist Daniel Cohn-Bendit a juif imaginaire—an 'imaginary Jew'—arguing his Jewish identity lacks real substance. Abramovych sees this as part of a broader pattern where the Jewish left, rather than resisting assimilation, repeats old Reform Judaism's attempts to fit into a hostile German-nationalist society.

Central to his argument is Hans-Joachim Schoeps, a mid-20th-century religious scholar. Schoeps advocated for a Judaism that embraced its particularism while aligning with Germanness. Abramovych builds on this, rejecting the idea that German identity threatens Jewish survival. Instead, he envisions an alliance between patriotic Germans and confident, ethnocentric Jews.

His views diverge sharply from those who frame Judaism through leftist politics. While figures like Czollek and Mendel emphasise progressive values, Abramovych insists modern Jewish leadership no longer seeks assimilation. He traces this shift back to historical tensions, including the 19th-century French left's dismissal of Jews as backward and superstitious.

Abramovych's perspective reframes Jewish identity in Germany as assertive and self-defined. He rejects the notion that Germanness and Judaism must conflict, pointing instead to shared values of particularism and national pride.

His arguments, rooted in historical and contemporary debates, position him as a provocative voice in discussions about Jewish belonging in Europe today.