Economic Trust in the ‘Racial State’. A Case Study from the German Countryside

Abstract

In this article, I examine the social process by exploring some of the ambivalences in Jewish–non-Jewish relations at the micro level. I take a close look at the relationships between Jewish cattle dealers and non-Jewish farmers in an area of the German countryside. Here, over generations, the interaction between Jews and non-Jews had traditionally been more intimate than in urban areas; yet in rural areas the level of anti-Semitic violence was often even worse than in the towns and cities. Various layers of interaction become evident when we examine the exclusion of Jews from the economic sphere. I suggest that the relationships between Jewish cattle-traders and non-Jewish farmers were built on economic trust which continued even after anti-Semitic violence had begun to make its impact.