Inextricable Jewish Complex: On the Relationship between Frankfurt School and Jewish Culture

Abstract

There has been an inextricable link between Frankfurt School and Judaism/Jewish culture. Though many critical theorists of the first generation are Jews, their relations with Judaism/Jewish culture are complicated. Some people, such as Benjamin and Lowental, are not only deeply influenced by Judaism/Jewish culture, but have much Jewish thought to be Jewish thinkers. For them, mysticism and rationalism are integrated together. Judaism/Jewish culture also has enormous impacts on some people, such as Horkheimer and Fromm, though who do not have systematic Jewish thought to be Jewish thinkers. For them, Judaism/Jewish culture is an indispensable element in their critical theories. Other people, such as Adorno and Marcuse, are basically unaffected by Judaism, or Judaism’s influence is not significant on them. But they are “Jews” in their hearts, at least in the expression of sympathy with Jews. In a word, there is always an “inextricable Jewish complex” in the first generation of critical theorists of Frankfurt School.