An Exchange on the Jewish Question

Born in Aachen, German Empire, to a middle-class family, Ludwig Strauss began publishing poetry under the pseudonym Franz Quentin as early as 1908, and he was active in Zionist organizations during his student years. In the years leading up to World War I, Strauss contributed poetry and essays to journals for Jewish audiences; he participated in the heated exchange about German Jewry’s devotion to German culture touched off by Moritz Goldstein’s essay “German Jewish Parnassus” in 1912. His studies in literature and philosophy in Berlin and Munich were interrupted by his service in the war and by a bout of mental illness that resulted from his service. In 1925, Strauss married Eva Buber, daughter of Martin Buber. In 1928, he completed his doctorate from Goethe University in Frankfurt. Strauss immigrated to Palestine in 1935 and taught at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was active in the Brit Shalom movement for peaceful coexistence between Jews and Palestinians.