Georg Kareski
Georg Kareski | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Posen, German Empire |
| Died | August 2, 1947 (aged 68) Ramat Gan, Palestine |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, Zionist activist |
| Known for | Defense of the Nuremberg Laws in a 1935 interview; director of the Reich Federation of Jewish Cultural Unions |
Georg Kareski (21 October 1878 – 2 or 3 August 1947) was a German banker and Jewish Revisionist Zionist figure, recognized for his defense of the Nuremberg Laws in a 1935 interview featured in the Nazi publication Der Angriff.
Originating from Posen, which was part of the German Empire at the time, Kareski stood out as one of the rare German Jews who perceived the Nazi revolution as an opportunity. By 1933, Revisionist Zionism held a minor position within Germany, with the Staatszionistische Organisation, established that year, operating independently from major Zionist factions. In 1937, during a visit to Palestine, Kareski encountered accusations labeling him a traitor and informer.
In 1935, he assumed the role of director for the Reich Federation of Jewish Cultural Unions. His interview in Der Angriff defended the Nuremberg Laws, which forbade marriages and sexual relations between Jews and individuals of "German blood," arguing they were essential to maintain Jewish racial purity. While his perspective resonated with certain German Zionists seeking accommodation with the Nazi regime, both the Nazi newspaper and his public position attracted considerable attention and provoked threats against Jews who opposed these views.
Kareski’s cooperation with Nazi authorities resulted in rejection by German Zionists, including an opposition campaign led by Hitachduch Olej Germania (HOG), affiliated with the Zionistische Vereinigung für Deutschland, which had expelled him in 1933. During his 1937 trip to Mandatory Palestine, HOG accused him of leveraging Nazi institutions to dominate Jewish organizations within Germany.
He passed away in Ramat Gan, Palestine, on either 2 or 3 August 1947. After his death, some advocates suggested commemorating him by naming a street in Ramat Gan in his honor.