On October 15th, Viola Alianov-Rautenberg presented her latest research on the gendered dimensions of German-Jewish migration to Mandatory Palestine, drawing from her publication No Longer Ladies and Gentlemen. She highlighted how gender politics and ideologies profoundly shaped the migration experience, affecting men and women differently. The event, organized by the Institute for European Studies in collaboration with the Pacific Office of the German Historical Institute, was co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies and the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, with 25 participants in attendance.
Alianov-Rautenberg began by providing historical context, noting that between 1933 and 1940, approximately 60,000 Jews fled Nazi Germany and sought refuge in Palestine. From the beginning, men and women faced this migration process very differently.
A central focus of her presentation was the British certification system that regulated immigration to Palestine. Men and women were assigned different statuses based on their financial and social standing. Men were typically listed as heads of household or workers, while women were classified as dependents, restricting their autonomy. Women were also excluded from the coveted Certificate A, reserved for those with substantial financial assets, often having to rely on male family members to gain entry into Palestine.
Alianov-Rautenberg also illustrated how German-Jewish refugees were perceived in Palestine. Despite fleeing persecution, many refugees were heavily criticized by the local Jewish population for being bourgeois and middle-class. This criticism disproportionately targeted women, who were often labeled as vain or superficial, with their domestic skills scrutinized harshly. Single women, in particular, faced intense judgment for having relationships with non-Jewish men, while men largely escaped such moral censure, revealing a clear double standard in how gender shaped social expectations. Nevertheless, many men experienced significant downward social mobility too, with those once wealthy and well-established in Germany reduced to unskilled laborers with little opportunity to regain their former professional or social standing.
One striking example Alianov-Rautenberg provided was the role reversal between men and women. Women often bore the double burden of being both primary caregivers and breadwinners. Failure in either role could threaten the survival of the entire family. Meanwhile, men who once considered marrying for love quickly found themselves in marriages of convenience to secure their social status.
Alianov-Rautenberg concluded by underscoring that migration is far from a gender-neutral process. "It’s quite the opposite," she explained, outlining how the gendered experiences of Jewish refugees transformed their personal lives, social roles, and family dynamics. The event ended with a lively discussion, where participants explored the broader implications of her research.