1
* Co espondence au ho / Co espondencia a: Lena Kugle . Uni e si ä Kons anz. Depa amen o de Li e a u a. Uni e si ä ss aße, 10 (78464Kons anz-Alema-
nia)–[email p o ec ed]–h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0063-4452.
How o ci e / Cómo ci a : Kugle , Lena (2025). «‘Jews in Space’. A His o y o Ex a e es ial Diaspo a and he Fu u e o Galac ic Jewishness». Papeles de Iden i-
dad. Con a la in es igación de on e a, ol.2025/1, papel317, 1-15. (h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793).
Recei ed: ap il, 2023 / Accep ed: oc obe , 2024.
ISSN3045-5650 / © UPV/EHU P ess 2025
This wo k is licensed unde a
C ea i e Commons A ibución 4.0 In e nacional
Papeles de Iden idad, 2025/1
h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793
ISSN 3045-5650
‘Jews in space’.
a His o y o ex a e es ial Diaspo a
anD He u u e o Galac ic JewisHness1
‘Judíos en el espacio’. Una his o ia de la diaspo a ex a e es e
y del u u o del judaísmo galác ico
Lena Kugle *
Uni e si ä Kons anz (Alemania)
Keywo ds
(ex a e es ial)
Diaspo a
Zionism
Te i o ialism
ABSTRACT: Following A end ’s s a emen in 1941 ha he moon was « he only place whe e
we can s ill be sa e om an isemi ism», his a icle explo es Jewish ex a e es ial exis ence
as depic ed in li e a u e and popula cul u e, ocusing on he in e sec ions o Jewish iden-
i y, diaspo ic na a i es, and specula i e u u es. Using Mel B ooks’ sa i ical concep o Jews
in Space and Ma in Salomonski’s lesse -known no el Zwei im ande n Land, he ex exam-
ines how Jewish communi ies ha e been imagined in ic ional ex a e es ial se ings as e-
sponses o his o ical and con empo a y challenges. This allows o del e in o he way hese
na a i es engage wi h hemes o displacemen , belonging, and he sea ch o a pe ma-
nen homeland beyond Ea h, e lec ing anxie ies and aspi a ions su ounding Jewish su -
i al and sel -de e mina ion. Whe he on he moon o on any o he celes ial body: ‘Jews in
Space’, as he a icle a gues, appea s again and again as a kind o e e sible ges al , al e na -
ing be ween quasi-Zionis and diaspo ic concep ions o he u u e.
Palab as cla e
Diáspo a
(ex a e es e)
Sionismo
Te i o ialismo
RESUMEN: Siguiendo la a i mación de A end en 1941 de que la Luna e a «el único luga
donde oda ía podemos es a a sal o del an isemi ismo», es e a ículo explo a la exis en-
cia ex a e es e judía al y como se ep esen a en la li e a u a y la cul u a popula , cen án-
dose en las in e secciones de la iden idad judía, las na a i as diaspó icas y los u u os espe-
cula i os. Median e el uso del concep o sa í ico de Mel B ooks de Jews in Space y la no ela
menos conocida de Ma in Salomonski Zwei im ande n Land, el ex o examina cómo se han
imaginado las comunidades judías en escena ios ex a e es es ic icios como espues as
a e os his ó icos y con empo áneos. Es o pe mi e ahonda en el modo en que es as na a-
ciones abo dan emas como el desplazamien o, la pe enencia y la búsqueda de una pa ia
pe manen e más allá de la Tie a, e lejando ansiedades y aspi aciones en o no a la supe -
i encia y la au ode e minación judías. Ya sea en la Luna o en cualquie o o cue po celes e:
Jews in Space, sos iene el a ículo, apa ece una y o a ez como una especie de ges al e e -
sible, al e nando en e concepciones cuasi-sionis as y diaspó icas del u u o.
1 The a icle has been ansla ed om Ge man in o English by Soliman Law ence.
Lena Kugle
2 Papeles de Iden idad, 2025/1, 1-15
1. INTRODUCTION
Mel B ooks’ His o y o he Wo ld, Pa I —nomina ed he wo s ilm o 1981 sho ly a e i s e-
lease— ends wi h a sho aile o Pa II, al hough ilming was no planned2. In addi ion o
a Viking une al and an ice-ska ing Adol Hi le , i ea u es a p e iew o «Jews in Space». Ac-
companied by d ama ic music, i shows a lee o S a o Da id-shaped spaceships (see ig-
u e 1) c uising h ough space, na owly escaping an enemy a ack. In he idiom o bad as e
and by pa odying he aes he ics o S a s Wa s and «Pigs in Space» om The Muppe Show
(1976-1981), B ooks’ s aging o «Jews in Space» as a necessa y chap e in he con inua ion o
he his o y o he wo ld is no so much a glimpse in o he u u e, no in o wo ld his o y o ilm
his o y, as i is pa o a now long es ablished adi ion —one ha emains unb oken as such,
o i is oo ed in up u e and new beginnings— o explo ing ex a e es ial ways o li e and
su i al o u u e Jewish socie ies.
Re ie ed om: h ps://imgu .com/galle y/CRSKEI8. Las isi : 01/03/2023).
Figu e 1
«Jews in Space»: he legenda y mock aile in Mel B ook’s His o y o he Wo ld Pa I
(Imgu by «ElBi o»)
2 Howe e , B ooks did elease he (Jewish) sa i ical science- ic ion comedy Spaceballs in 1987. Meanwhile, His-
o y o he Wo ld, Pa II, his ime as a ske ch comedy se ies, p emie ed on Ma ch 2023.
‘Jews in Space’. A His o y o Ex a e es ial Diaspo a and he Fu u e o Galac ic Jewishness
h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793 3
A leas wi hin he as ness o ic ional space, Jews a exceed Vulcans, eage ly g ee ing
each o he wi h he blessing o he Cohanim o in he o m o unsc upulous, money-g ub-
bing cha ac e s like he sla eholde Wa o om Geo ge Lucas’ S a Wa s I: The Da k Menace
(1999), who, mos no ably, is comple ely impe ious o Jedi powe . As Alb ech Koscho ke
(2003, p. 328 .) has poin ed ou , i is no only Wa o’s amphibian-like appea ance in he pa a-
Ch is ological plo o he S a Wa s saga ha ou wa dly ecalls an i-Semi ic ca ica u es o
he cen u y be o e las , a he he mo e sub le modes disc imina ion a e o be ound in he
cha ac e i sel , o he idea ha Jews canno pa ake o he sac amen and, consequen ly,
a e also no i o communal li e can be ead in many an i-Semi ic polemics om Achim
on A nim o Joseph Goebbels. I is one hing o poin ou ha he wee sha ed by Republi-
can Cong esswoman Ma jo ie Taylo G een in 2018 abou Jewish lase s sho om space i s
well in o an an i-Semi ic adi ion ha is appa en ly easy o ex apola e in o he ex a e es-
ial3. I is s ill ano he o no e ha he mul i ace ed na u e o Jewish space has no been su -
icien ly explo ed h ough cha ac e s like Spock o Wa o4. A e all, ‘Jews in Space,’ a leas
acco ding o my hesis, appea s again and again as a kind o e e sible ges al , al e na ing be-
ween quasi-Zionis and diaspo ic concep ions o he u u e.
I would like o expound on his asse ion i s and o emos h ough an examina ion o he
—in Philipp Theisohn’s (2021, p. 10) wo ds— «s ange no el» Zwei im ande n Land [Two in
he O he Coun y], by he Be lin Re o m abbi and w i e Ma in Salomonski5. The w i e
and Ge ud Kolme biog aphe Die e Kühn was ba led by he —a i s glance— as on-
ishing incong ui y o Salomonski’s wo ks, anging om he disse a ion Vege able cul i a-
ion and c ops in Pales ine a he ime o he Mischnah (1911) o ex s w i en in ligh o his
pa icipa ion in Wo ld Wa I as a mili a y abbi, Ein Jah an de Somme (1917) and Jüdische
Seelso ge an de Wes on (1918), he pa ly au obiog aphical Be lin-based «me opoli-
an no el» De gebo ene Tugend eich (1928), up o his las no el ha I am explo ing he e.
Kühn (2008, p. 302) s a ed ha he wo ks we e so di icul o econcile ha he se iously
ques ioned whe he hey all came om he same pe son o whe he he was dealing wi h a
namesake.
O hese, Salomonski’s las no el ( igu a 2) alone is enough o cause las ing cons e na ion.
Re-published in Feb ua y 2021 by Alexande F omm, i was i s published in June 1933 as a
se ial s o y in he Be lin Jüdisch-libe ale Zei ung unde he pseudonym S e an Reginald Ma k-
nes and appea ed he ollowing yea as a book unde Salomonski’s ac ual name wi h oo -
no es by S e an Ma knes, now appea ing as a c i ic.
3 G eene’s wee specula ing on whe he he 2018 Cali o nia wild i es we e due o «space» and «lase beams»
om «Ro hschild Inc» can be ead he e: h ps://www.mediama e s.o g/ acebook/ma jo ie- aylo -g eene-
penned-conspi acy- heo y-lase -beam-space-s a ed-deadly-2018. Las access: 01/03/2023.
4 Co obo a ion o his assessmen comes om, among o he hings, he ex ao dina ily ich exhibi ion Jews in
Space. Membe s o he T ibe in O bi , co-cu a ed by he Cen e o Jewish His o y and he YIVO Ins i u e o Jew-
ish Resea ch and shown o he i s ime in 2018. The aim o he exhibi ion was o ell he s o y o he Jewish
ela ionship o he sola sys em. Nume ous a i ac s om pop cul u e we e also exhibi ed.
5 Biobliog aphical in o ma ion on Salomonski will soon be a ailable in he newly c ea ed Digi al A chi e o Jew-
ish Au ho s in Be lin, 1933-1945. Mo e de ails: h ps://www.kuwi.eu opa-uni.de/de/leh s uhl/lw/diaspo a/
o schung/leh s uhlp ojek e/p ojek 0_dajab/index.h ml. Las access: 01/03/2023.
Lena Kugle
4 Papeles de Iden idad, 2025/1, 1-15
Re ie ed om: h ps://upload.wikimedia.o g/wikipedia/de/2/2c/Salomonski_
Zwei_im_ande n_Land_Schu zumschlag.jpg. Las access: 01/03/2023).
Figu e 2
Ma in Salomonski‘s no el Zwei im ande n Land.
Dus jacke o he book edi ion published in 1934 by Benjamin Ha z Ve lag
The s o y is s ange, no leas o all because i akes places in 1953, when he e a e ha dly
any Jews le in Be lin while a millennia-old popula ion o Jewish e ugees is li ing on he
moon, bu also because each o i s h ee s o ylines seems in i s own way o come o no hing
( Theisohn 2021); e en ually ge ing los in he as ness o space, as i we e.
The i s s o yline begins wi h some hing ha seems consis en wi h science ic ion, he pa -
en ing o a echnical in en ion. The copyw i e Vic o A ago li es in an al e na e e sion o
Flo ida in he hype capi alis nea u u e and comes up wi h a design o a «sound ilm» ma-
chine ha makes i possible o e ie e any memo y, no ma e how hidden, om he «s o e-
oom o he b ain» and p ojec i in mo ing images on o a sc een. The ingenui y and, a he
same ime, dange o his highly co e ed in en ion is emphasized se e al imes and is he
eason ha Vic o is kidnapped by a g oup o young women who call hemsel es « he Club
o Decen People». Ins ead o his s o yline de eloping u he , howe e , i inc easingly ades
in o he backg ound un il he eade lea ns, a he inciden ally, ha « he ques ion o he pa -
en (…) is anyhow dead in i s acks»6 (Salomonski, 2021, p. 163).
6 He e and in he ollowing: ansla ed by Soliman Law ence.
‘Jews in Space’. A His o y o Ex a e es ial Diaspo a and he Fu u e o Galac ic Jewishness
h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793 5
The second s o yline in ol es he s o my beginning o a lo e and amily s o y be ween Vic o
and his kidnappe Mica. A leas om an ea hly pe spec i e, hei ma iage is li e ally made
in hea en, namely on he moon. They a el he e du ing a luna eclipse wi hou he help o
any echnical con ap ions, guided ins ead solely by he s ong hand o God. Despi e hese
ex emely a o able condi ions, his oman ic lo e s o y suddenly comes o a su p isingly
quick end. Back on Ea h, Mica, now p egnan , comes o lea n o he ecen ly wedded hus-
band’s in ideli y and, al hough she does no enounce all a achmen s pe se, she does de-
cla e he ma iage o be o e .
And hen he e is hi d s o yline, he eal subjec o he no el: The moon and wha i s ands
o . The moon in he Jewish adi ion, as is well known, is a plane ha is especially impo an
in e ms o ime. The Jewish calenda is a lunisola calenda and obse ance o he a ious
holidays and p aye s is dependen on he knowledge o i s espec i e posi ion. In con as ,
Salomonski’s no el —which con ains a oo no e on mode n luna ic ions à la H. G. Wells
and Deside ius Papp— is pa icula ly conce ned wi h he moon in spa ial e ms, namely as a
Jewish e i o y ha can se e as a e uge and home o pe secu ed Jews and possibly e en
Jews he wo ld o e . A e hei sudden and di ine ans e o he moon, Mica and Vic o
a e welcomed by a delega ion o Jewish luna inhabi an s, whose leade —how could i be
o he wise— u ns ou in he end o be Mica’s a he , who was belie ed dead. He explains o
hem:
«We a e Is ael’s child en and back in ancien imes when Sama ia’s glo y and Zi-
on’s emple ell in o uin, we we e b ough he e by God Himsel (...) ca ied om
he bondage and pe secu ion o he wo ld by His s ong a m. (...). Fou imes o e
2.500 yea s, new se le s ha e come he e: when Ti us sac ilegiously des oyed Je-
usalem once mo e, when he C usades and he pe secu ions o he Black Dea h
ied o ex e mina e us, when Spain and Po ugal o ced hal a million Jews o he
une al py es and in o emig a ion. People came up o us e en a sho ime ago. I se
oo on he moon mysel only nine een yea s ago (…).» (Salomonski, 2021, p. 78)
Al hough i is s a ed explici ly ha he Jews emaining on Ea h in he p esen ime o he
no el’s plo in 1953 «did no lack ci il law» and ha hei li es we e qui e anquil and com-
o able, he e is epea ed men ion o he ac « ha no many o Is ael’s ibe had emained
behind in Ge many and in Be lin, and ha he e we e ha dly any you h le he e». Back on
Ea h, howe e , i seems o Mica no only ha Ge man Jew y, bu e en wo ld Jew y, is in-
c easingly «doomed o ade away» (Salomonski, 2021, p. 154). Toge he wi h Vic o as he
ally, she ga he s oge he an e e -g owing g oup whose goal is o «b eak away om all peo-
ples —somewhe e in he wo ld— in a comple ely di e en coun y (…) o ge se ious abou
he comple e eo ganiza ion o he Jewish people» (ibid., p. 167 ). Pe i ions and appeals a e
w i en. The uni ed powe s o Eu ope and he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica and inally e en he
Pope u gen ly implo e he Jews o please s ay. A he same ime, hey a e g an ed a e i o y
on he no h coas o A ica o hei «exclusi e and ee disposal» (ibid., 176) and, unde in-
e na ional media a en ion, he e begins an exodus o almos he en i e wo ld Jew y o he
«eno mous en ci y» ha has been e ec ed he e, which, howe e —and now he no el’s ex-
pec ed punch line— u ns ou o be a om hei ac ual «mig a ion des ina ion» (ibid., 181 ).
In any case, one mo ning all he Jews ha e disappea ed om his huge en camp and while
he wo ld is s ill puzzling o e whe e hey a e, only he eade s o he no el know: Whe e else
bu he moon?
Lena Kugle
6 Papeles de Iden idad, 2025/1, 1-15
2. THE ‘JEWISH QUESTION’ FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE MOON
Salomonki’s no el abou he Jewish exodus o he moon was ad e ised as a « u u is ic no el
abou he solu ion o he Jewish ques ion» and he ex i sel also explici ly men ions he
so-called ‘Jewish ques ion’. Wi hou going in o de ail he e abou i s his o y, which begins in
he 18 h cen u y and is connec ed wi h he Enligh enmen belie in he ‘imp o emen ’ and
emancipa ion o he Jews, e en he e y linguis ic s uc u e o he e m is unse ling, no
only because i is no clea whe he we a e dealing he e wi h a ques ion o o abou Jews, bu
also, as Alexande F omm has no ed, because ques ions usually ha e o be answe ed and
no sol ed7, whe eby he so-called ‘Jewish ques ion’ has e e ed om he ou se o a Jew-
ish p oblem and o en enough o he p oblem ha Jews ha e when non-Jews ha e a p ob-
lem wi h Jews. Wi hou dwelling any longe on he plausibili y o he ques ion, Salomonski’s
no el, p ecisely due o he e y imp obabili y o he moon as an ex a e es ial o eign coun-
y, qui e ob iously o e s — o use he wo ds o a con empo a y c i ic— a «sham solu ion» o
his so-called ‘Jewish ques ion’ while a he same ime also explo ing «many solu ions» (Gö z,
1933 & 1934). Thus, Salomonski’s a el i ine a y o he moon does no so much cons i u e an
ac ual design o con empo a y concep s o Jewish li e and su i al so much as an as onish-
ingly p ecise ske ch o he space in which such opics a e hough and discussed.
Upon he e u n, Mica is p esen ed wi h he op ions a ailable o he Jewish people, which she
conside s —seen, as i we e, om he pe spec i e o he moon— al eady no longe possible:
«Ei he we should ha e dissol ed and eg ouped ou sel es so ha we could no
longe be pe cei ed, hen ou achie emen as a eligious people would bene i he
p esen , like an in en ion whose c ea o has inally been o go en and i no longe
ma e s (...). Bu he hal -measu e o wan ing o asse onesel as a ace only o be le
s anding as a ully alid elemen h ough di e en epochs and in he mids o a my -
iad o na ions, ha is mo e han a mis ake, ha is delusion and indeb edness. I can
be only one. The bi d uiseño [nigh ingale] nei he swi ches wi h he peacock no he
os ich no he hummingbi d. He wan s o be himsel ! And he lion would gi e hanks
o being called ige i names ma e ed in he animal kingdom. E en mix u es ha
a e ela ed a e unheal hy, pe haps e en he maph odi ic.» (Sa lo monski, 2021, p. 151 )
Wi h he biologis ic-zoological depa u e om he concep o species, Mica e e s (indeed,
dismissi ely) o he p ojec o adical assimila ion as o mula ed and ad oca ed by Wal he
Ra henau in 1871 wi h his demand o a Jewish «me amo phosis» and «Ana ung»:
«So wha mus happen? An e en wi hou his o ical p eceden : he conscious sel -
educa ion o a ace o adap o o eign equi emen s. Adap a ion no in he sense
o Da win’s «mimic y,» which means he a o some insec s o adop he colo o
hei en i onmen , bu an adap a ion in he sense o ibal ai s, which, whe he
good o bad, ha e been es ablished as abho en by ellow coun ymen and a e
hus disca ded and eplaced by mo e sui able ones.» (Ra henau, 1897, p. 93)
Al hough dis o ed by he ocabula y o ace, she also e e s c i ically o Simon Dubnow’s
concep o a Jewish diaspo ic na ionalism, acco ding o which he Jewish people o m a dis-
inc «na ional uni y» and a e hus «no a s a e wi hin a s a e bu a na ion among na ions,
7 F omm w o e he ollowing in his epilogue o Salomonski wo k: «I is s iking ha he e is always alk o sol -
ing he Jewish ques ion, ne e o answe ing i ; gene ally speaking, ques ions a e answe ed and p oblems a e
sol ed» (2021, p. 212).
‘Jews in Space’. A His o y o Ex a e es ial Diaspo a and he Fu u e o Galac ic Jewishness
h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793 7
a spi i ual-his o ical na ion in he mids o poli ical na ions» (1907, p. 40 and 54 ). And, o
cou se, Mica also « ollows he de elopmen s in Pales ine wi h u mos exci emen , whe e,
howe e », she says, «i has no p og essed beyond a home o he Jews». Fo despi e con-
side able successes in cons uc ion, he «opposi ion be ween he A ab popula ion and he
Jews (...) has no ceased, so ha he e could be no alk o a e uge in he land o he a he s o
he i een million Jews o he globe» (Salomonski, 2021, p. 155).
Al hough Salomonski o icia ed as a Re o m abbi, and gene ally Re o m Judaism in Ge -
many was shaped by a s ong sense o na ional loyal y and was hus a i s s aunchly an i-Zi-
onis (Meye , 2000, p. 302 . & 463-475), a undamen ally an i-Zionis a i ude canno be ound
he e. On he con a y, i is he he e ogeneous his o y o Zionism and so-called e i o ialism
ha is being in oked when Mica u he emphasizes: «The en i e y o all Jew y canno make
hei home in any coun y ha belongs o o he s (...). We mus begin a li e de ached om all
peoples —somewhe e in he wo ld— in a comple ely di e en coun y.» O , o use ano he
example, when Mica consequen ly demands o he Jewish people «a la ge e i o y ha be-
longs o no one,» (Salomonski, 2021, p. 167) o inally, as he no el’s plo de elops, when a de-
se a ea in No h A ica is hen g an ed by he wo ld na ions.
This is hin ed a in a oo no e, un o una ely le ou o he new edi ion o he no el, in which
he igu e o he c i ic s a es ha he canno decide whe he he au ho o he no el is now a
« adical Zionis » o whe he i is possibly « he old Uganda p ojec » he has in mind and me ely
does no da e o «men ion he name» (Salomonski, 1934, p. 178). In his way, Salomonski al-
ludes ia his alias Ma knes o he B i ish p oposal pu o wa d in 1903 by Theodo He zl him-
sel o es ablish a Jewish e uge in colonial B i ish Eas A ica, in an a ea ha is now Kenya.
The e ollowed wo yea s o bi e dispu es be ween opponen s and suppo e s un il he
se en h Zionis Cong ess in 1905, sho ly a e He zl’s dea h, whe e no only he so-called
Uganda Plan i sel was ejec ed bu e en all u u e discussions abou p ojec s ou side Pales-
ine we e in p inciple o bidden; his became he ounding hou o he ITO, he Jewish Te i o-
ialis O ganiza ion, headed by he B i ish w i e Is ael Zangwill, which by no means saw i sel
as an i-Zionis (Al oey, 2011/2012, p. 6ss).
As esea ch in ecen yea s has inc easingly made clea (ibid.; Ro ne , 2014; B enne , 2017)
he Zionism ha has since been ealized in Is ael ep esen ed o many a ha ime only
one o many op ions, and was nei he he mos desi able no he mos p obable. In his ea ly
Zionis mani es o Au oemancipa ion, om 1882, Leo Pinske s a ed:
«The goal o ou p esen endea o s mus be no he ‘Holy Land’, bu a land o ou
own. We need no hing bu a la ge ac o land o ou poo b o he s, which shall
emain ou p ope y and om which no o eign powe can expel us. The e we shall
ake wi h us he mos sac ed possessions which we ha e sa ed om he ship-w eck
o ou o me coun y, he God-idea and he Bible. I is hese alone which ha e made
ou old a he land he Holy Land, and no Je usalem o he Jo dan.» (1916, p. 15)8
He zl (1896, p. 28), oo, could well imagine a ious e i o ial solu ions and, as is well known,
no only ook Pales ine in o conside a ion in De Judens aa [The Jewish S a e], his policy
d a o Jewish so e eign y, bu also A gen ina.
Be ha as i may, he lis o p omised lands be o e Is ael is, acco ding o Ro ne (2014, p. XV),
as onishingly long, ex ending o e he whole globe and o e e y con inen , excep An a c-
8 Fo u he discussion, see: Al oey, 2011/12, p. 3.
Lena Kugle
8 Papeles de Iden idad, 2025/1, 1-15
ica. Besides Pales ine, A gen ina, and oday’s Kenya, he e e ish sea ch ha ook place
be ween 1820 and 1948 o Jewish homelands ound hope, among o he s places, on G and
Island, a small island in he middle o he Niaga a Ri e , bu also in Su inam, Angola, Mada-
gasca , Aus alia, and Tasmania. Whe eby Bi obidzhan, o med nea he Chinese bo de in
1934 by he So ie s, was ne e a sough -a e Zion bu a he a Zion dec eed by S alin, a Zion
ha o his day s ill exis s unde han name he Jewish Au onomous Region and is cha ac e -
ized abo e all by he absence o a p ospe ous Jewish popula ion9.
Acco ding o Al oey (2011/2012, p. 10), he main a gumen o a p agma ic solu ion o he
p oblem o e i o ialism was ha he pligh o Jews was inc easing exponen ially while he
p ojec s being ealized in Pales ine we e only p og essing a i hme ically, i.e., he e was sim-
ply no enough ime o sa e Jewish li e wi h Pales ine alone. Mo eo e , and his is also men-
ioned by Salomonski, he e i o ialis s had immense doub s ha i was a all possible o
build an au onomous Jewish homeland in Pales ine gi en he A ab popula ion al eady li ing
he e. Indeed, because, in Zangwill’s wo ds, he «legend ha Pales ine was emp y and de -
elic » was simply no ue. «Pales ine p ope ,» Zangwill ne e i ed o emphasizing, «al eady
has i s inhabi an s» (apud Ro ne , 2014, p. 83).
As is well known, howe e , e e y single e i o ialis g oup, whe he he ITO o la e he F eeland
League, ailed o ind somewhe e in he wo ld a «g ea e i o y» o he Jewish people, some-
hing ha e en Mica could desi e, much less « ha belongs o no one» (Salomonski, 2021, p. 167).
Tha he globe alone migh no be su icien o he p ojec o a Jewish e i o y was illus a ed by
a ca oon pos ca d by Mikhail Liubashka in 1907 ( igu e 3), p oposing Ma s ins ead o he moon:
Re ie ed om: h ps://yi o.o g/O he -Zions. Las access: 01/03/2023.
Figu e 3
Wi h Aus alia no long a possible Jewish homeland, Ma s is o e ed as a new e i o y.
Pos ca d wi h d awing by Mikhail Liubashka (1907), YIVO online exhibi ion O he Zions
9 On he his o y o Bi obidzhan, see o example: Weinbe g, 1998, and also Gessen, 2016.
‘Jews in Space’. A His o y o Ex a e es ial Diaspo a and he Fu u e o Galac ic Jewishness
h ps://doi.o g/10.1387/pceic.24793 9
F ancis Mon e io e’s asse ion « ha a poli ically i gin e i o y can be ound only in he
moon» was coun e ed by Zangwill himsel wi h he ema k: «No e en he e, I ea . Fo he e
is a man in he moon, and he is p obably an an i-Semi e» (1907, p. 13). In an a icle published
in 1941 on he ques ion o a Jewish igh ing o ce o i s own agains Hi le , Hannah A end , in
u n, s a ed:
«Jus as signi ican as Zionism’s mo al e ec on indi iduals, jus as emendous as
he conques o Pales ine by ha d wo k, is he ca as ophic e ec o no one’s ha -
ing e e ound a poli ical answe ha add esses wha o Jews is he p incipal poli i-
cal mo emen o ou ime: an isemi ism. (…) Bu he moon is he only place whe e
we can s ill be sa e om an isemi ism; and Weizmann’s amous s a emen ha
he answe o an isemi ism is o build up Pales ine has p o ed o be dange ous lu-
nacy.» (2007, p. 142 )
Fo A end , his esul ed in h ee insigh s in 1941, namely, i s , ha an i-Semi ism could only
be ough i Jews, and indeed as a Eu opean people, ough Hi le wi h weapons in hand, and,
second, ha :
«Pales ine can be ega ded solely as an a ea o se lemen o Eu opean Jews. In
o he wo ds, ha Pales ine’s poli ics a e o be de i ed om he la ge poli ics o
Eu opean Jew y and no ice e sa, whe eby Pales inian poli ics canno de e mine
Jewish poli ics as a whole. Fo , hi d, he solu ion o he Jewish ques ion is no o be
ound in one coun y, no e en in Pales ine.» (ibid., p. 143)
Salomonski’s no el, published sho ly a e Hi le ’s ise o powe , also poin s o he ca a-
s ophic lack o an o e all poli ical esponse o he g owing an i-Semi ism. This is depic ed,
o one hing, wi h he gaping oid a ound which he ex cons an ly ci cles: The comple e
lack o a cha ac e iza ion o he ea ly 1930s, when, acco ding o Mica’s a he , he i h and,
o he ime being, las exodus o he moon is supposed o ha e aken place. Nowhe e is a e-
mo ely plausible explana ion e e gi en as o he na u e o he pe secu ions and how i came
abou « ha no many o Is ael’s ibe had emained behind in Ge many and in Be lin» (Salo-
monski, 2021, p. 154). While on he o he hand, howe e , his lack also inds exp ession in he
ai y ale-like s o y o colonizing he moon as he only sa e Jewish home and e uge. As Mi-
chael B enne (2017, p. 116) has poin ed ou , Vladimi Jabo insky, ounde o e isionis Zion-
ism and la e commande -in-chie o he I gun, had desc ibed he Jewish land beyond Pales-
ine, which had been so e e ishly and epea edly sough in ain, as a «Fa a-Mo gana-land»;
o Salomonski anyway, i was only o be ound in he ex a e es ial.
Two in he O he Coun y can he e o e a bes be unde s ood as an ex a- e i o ialis no el
and no simply a phan asmago ical ende ing o he ea ly e i o ialism ad oca ed by he ITO.
Fo while he la e aimed o a ce ain ex en a abolishing he Jewish diaspo a by demand-
ing an au onomous Jewish e i o y e en ou side Is ael and, by con as , he F eyland Liege,
ounded by Isaac Nahmann S einbe g in 1935, was designed om he ou se o emphasize
cul u al au onomy a he han s a e-poli ical au onomy10, he e is no ques ion o any such
dismissal and nega ion o he Jewish diaspo a in Salomonski’s no el. On he con a y. Fo ,
i s ly, he moon as a sphe e o Jewish li e and c ea ion emains s angely ague and is emi-
niscen o a e sion o an ea ly Zionis kibbu z, cons uc ed and O ien alized ou o hin ai ,
10 Fo de ailed ea men , see Al oey (2011/2012, p. 18ss).
