‘Jews in Space’. A History of Extraterrestrial Diaspora and the Future of Galactic Jewishness
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Published
10-03-2025
Lena Kugler
Abstract
Following Arendt’s statement in 1941 that the moon was “the only place where we can still be safe from antisemitism”, this article explores Jewish extraterrestrial existence as depicted in literature and popular culture, focusing on the intersections of Jewish identity, diasporic narratives, and speculative futures. Using Mel Brooks’ satirical concept of Jews in Space and Martin Salomonski’s lesser-known novel Zwei im andern Land, the text examines how Jewish communities have been imagined in fictional extraterrestrial settings as responses to historical and contemporary challenges. This allows to delve into the way these narratives engage with themes of displacement, belonging, and the search for a permanent homeland beyond Earth, reflecting anxieties and aspirations surrounding Jewish survival and self-determination. Whether on the moon or on any other celestial body: ‘Jews in Space,’ as the article argues, appears again and again as a kind of reversible gestalt, alternating between quasi-Zionist and diasporic conceptions of the future.
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Keywords
(extraterrestrial) diaspora, zionism, territorialism
References
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Alroey, G. (2011/2012). Zionism without Zion: Territorialist Ideology and the Zionist Movement, 1882-1956. Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture and Society, 18, 1-32.
Battegay, C. (2018). Geschichte der Möglichkeit. Utopie, Diaspora und die „jüdische Frage“. Wallstein.
Boyarin, D. and Boyarin, J. (2002). Diaspora: Generation and the Ground of Jewish Identity. Critical Inquiry, 19, 693-725.
Boyarin, D. (2015). A Travelling Homeland: The Babylonian Talmud as Diaspora. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Brenner, M. (2017). Israel. Traum und Wirklichkeit des jüdischen Staates. Von Theodor Herzl bis heute. C. H. Beck.
Carr, C. (2009/1974). Look, You Think You've Got Troubles. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 59-71). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Cohen Ioannides, M. W. (2019). Judaism and Extraterrestrials: Theological Lessons from Science Fiction. Journal of Popular Culture, 52(5-October), 1200-1217.
Dubnow, S. (1907). Die Grundlagen des Nationaljudentums. Jüdischer Verlag.
Ellison, H. (2009/1974). I’m Looking for Kadak. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 211-235). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Feierstein, L. R. (2018). Diaspora. In C. von Braun & M. Brumlik (Eds.), Handbuch jüdische Studien (pp. 99-109). Böhlau.
Gessen, M. (2016). Where the Jews aren’t. The Sad and Absurd Story of Birobidzhan, Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region. Schocken.
Götz, G. (1933). Gelüftetes Redaktionsgeheimnis: Wer ist Stefan Reginald Marknes? Jüdisch-liberale Zeitung. Reprinted in M. Salomonski (2021). Zwei im andern Land (pp. 195-197). Vergangenheitsverlag (edited by Alexander Fromm).
Götz, G. (1934). Das jüdische Buch. Gemeindeblatt der jüdischen Gemeinde zu Berlin. Reprinted in M. Salomonski (2021). Zwei im andern Land. Vergangenheitsverlag (edited by Alexander Fromm).
Graubart, Ph. (1999). The Planet of the Jews. Creative Arts Book Company.
Herzl, T. (1896). Der Judenstaat. Versuch einer modernen Lösungen der Judenfrage. M. Breitenstein’s Verlags-Buchhandlung.
Illinger, P. (2019). Bärtierchen sind die ersten Mondbewohner. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Aug. 7. Retrieved from: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/baertierchen-weltraum-mond-israel-1.4554839 .
Koschorke, A (2003). Theologische Makeraden. Figurationen der Heiligen Familie in George Lucas' Star Wars. In C. Benthien and I. Stephan (Eds.), Männlichkeit als Maskerade: kulturelle Inszenierungen vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (316-335). Böhlau.
Kray, S. (2002). Jews in Time: Alternate Histories and Futures in Space ... And Who Was That Bearded and Yarmulkeh'd Old Man? In G. Westfahl, G. Slusser & D. Leiby (Eds.), Worlds Enough and Time. Explorations of Time in Science Fiction and Fantasy (pp. 87-102). Greenwood Press.
Kühn, D. (2008). Getrud Kolmar. Leben und Werk, Zeit und Tod. S. Fischer.
Marcus, G. (2019). ‘Zion's Fiction’. Homegrown Sci-Fi from Israel. Hadassah Magazine, July 2019. Retreived from: https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2019/07/01/zions-fiction-homegrown-sci-fi-israel/.
Meyer, M. A. (2000). Antwort auf die Moderne. Geschichte der Reformbewegung im Judentum. Böhlau.
North, Ph. (2013). Starglass. Simon & Schuster.
Pinsker, L. (1916). Auto-Emancipation. Federation of American Zionists.
Rathenau, W. (1897). Höre Israel! Die Zukunft, March 6.
Rovner, A. (2014). In the Shadow of Zion. Promised Lands before Israel. New York University Press.
Salomonski, M. (1934). Zwei im andern Land. Benjamin Harz.
Salomonski, M. (2021). Zwei im andern Land (edited by Alexander Fromm). Vergangenheitsverlag.
Teitelbaum, S., & Lottem, E. (Eds.) (2018). Zion’s Fiction. A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature. Madel Vilar Press.
Tenn, W. (2009/1974). On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 7-40). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Theisohn, Ph. (2021). Sie werden vermisst. Jüdischer Exodus ins Außerirdische: Martin Salomonskis Mondreise-Roman „Zwei im andern Land“ von 1934 erscheint neu. Review in the literary supplement of the FAZ, 87, April 15.
Weinberg, R. (1998). Stalin’s Forgotten Zion: Birobidzhan and The Making Of A Soviet Jewish Homeland: An Illustrated History, 1928-1996. University of California Press.
Yerushalmi, Y. H. (1993). Exil und Vertreibung in der jüdischen Geschichte. In Y. H. Yerushalmi (Ed.), Ein Feld in Anatot. Versuche über jüdische Geschichte (translated by Wolfgang Heuss and Bruni Röhm) (pp. 21-38). Wagenbach.
Zangwill, I. (1907). A Land of Refuge. Emigration Regulation Department of the ITO.
Filmography
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (1981). History of the World, Part I [Film]. USA.
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (1987) Spaceballs [Film]. USA.
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (2023). History of the World, Part II [Series]. USA.
Harris, P., & Casson, P. (Dirs.). (1976-1981). The Muppet Show [TV Show]. UK & USA.
Lucas, G. (Dir.) (1999). Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace [Film]. USA.
Pevney, J. (Dir.) (1967). The City on the Edge of Forever (Star Trek: The Original Series, season 1, episode 28) [Series]. USA.
Alroey, G. (2011/2012). Zionism without Zion: Territorialist Ideology and the Zionist Movement, 1882-1956. Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture and Society, 18, 1-32.
Battegay, C. (2018). Geschichte der Möglichkeit. Utopie, Diaspora und die „jüdische Frage“. Wallstein.
Boyarin, D. and Boyarin, J. (2002). Diaspora: Generation and the Ground of Jewish Identity. Critical Inquiry, 19, 693-725.
Boyarin, D. (2015). A Travelling Homeland: The Babylonian Talmud as Diaspora. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Brenner, M. (2017). Israel. Traum und Wirklichkeit des jüdischen Staates. Von Theodor Herzl bis heute. C. H. Beck.
Carr, C. (2009/1974). Look, You Think You've Got Troubles. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 59-71). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Cohen Ioannides, M. W. (2019). Judaism and Extraterrestrials: Theological Lessons from Science Fiction. Journal of Popular Culture, 52(5-October), 1200-1217.
Dubnow, S. (1907). Die Grundlagen des Nationaljudentums. Jüdischer Verlag.
Ellison, H. (2009/1974). I’m Looking for Kadak. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 211-235). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Feierstein, L. R. (2018). Diaspora. In C. von Braun & M. Brumlik (Eds.), Handbuch jüdische Studien (pp. 99-109). Böhlau.
Gessen, M. (2016). Where the Jews aren’t. The Sad and Absurd Story of Birobidzhan, Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region. Schocken.
Götz, G. (1933). Gelüftetes Redaktionsgeheimnis: Wer ist Stefan Reginald Marknes? Jüdisch-liberale Zeitung. Reprinted in M. Salomonski (2021). Zwei im andern Land (pp. 195-197). Vergangenheitsverlag (edited by Alexander Fromm).
Götz, G. (1934). Das jüdische Buch. Gemeindeblatt der jüdischen Gemeinde zu Berlin. Reprinted in M. Salomonski (2021). Zwei im andern Land. Vergangenheitsverlag (edited by Alexander Fromm).
Graubart, Ph. (1999). The Planet of the Jews. Creative Arts Book Company.
Herzl, T. (1896). Der Judenstaat. Versuch einer modernen Lösungen der Judenfrage. M. Breitenstein’s Verlags-Buchhandlung.
Illinger, P. (2019). Bärtierchen sind die ersten Mondbewohner. Süddeutsche Zeitung, Aug. 7. Retrieved from: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/baertierchen-weltraum-mond-israel-1.4554839 .
Koschorke, A (2003). Theologische Makeraden. Figurationen der Heiligen Familie in George Lucas' Star Wars. In C. Benthien and I. Stephan (Eds.), Männlichkeit als Maskerade: kulturelle Inszenierungen vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (316-335). Böhlau.
Kray, S. (2002). Jews in Time: Alternate Histories and Futures in Space ... And Who Was That Bearded and Yarmulkeh'd Old Man? In G. Westfahl, G. Slusser & D. Leiby (Eds.), Worlds Enough and Time. Explorations of Time in Science Fiction and Fantasy (pp. 87-102). Greenwood Press.
Kühn, D. (2008). Getrud Kolmar. Leben und Werk, Zeit und Tod. S. Fischer.
Marcus, G. (2019). ‘Zion's Fiction’. Homegrown Sci-Fi from Israel. Hadassah Magazine, July 2019. Retreived from: https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2019/07/01/zions-fiction-homegrown-sci-fi-israel/.
Meyer, M. A. (2000). Antwort auf die Moderne. Geschichte der Reformbewegung im Judentum. Böhlau.
North, Ph. (2013). Starglass. Simon & Schuster.
Pinsker, L. (1916). Auto-Emancipation. Federation of American Zionists.
Rathenau, W. (1897). Höre Israel! Die Zukunft, March 6.
Rovner, A. (2014). In the Shadow of Zion. Promised Lands before Israel. New York University Press.
Salomonski, M. (1934). Zwei im andern Land. Benjamin Harz.
Salomonski, M. (2021). Zwei im andern Land (edited by Alexander Fromm). Vergangenheitsverlag.
Teitelbaum, S., & Lottem, E. (Eds.) (2018). Zion’s Fiction. A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature. Madel Vilar Press.
Tenn, W. (2009/1974). On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi. In J. Dann (Ed.), Wandering Stars. An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy & Science Fiction (pp. 7-40). Jewish Lights Publishing.
Theisohn, Ph. (2021). Sie werden vermisst. Jüdischer Exodus ins Außerirdische: Martin Salomonskis Mondreise-Roman „Zwei im andern Land“ von 1934 erscheint neu. Review in the literary supplement of the FAZ, 87, April 15.
Weinberg, R. (1998). Stalin’s Forgotten Zion: Birobidzhan and The Making Of A Soviet Jewish Homeland: An Illustrated History, 1928-1996. University of California Press.
Yerushalmi, Y. H. (1993). Exil und Vertreibung in der jüdischen Geschichte. In Y. H. Yerushalmi (Ed.), Ein Feld in Anatot. Versuche über jüdische Geschichte (translated by Wolfgang Heuss and Bruni Röhm) (pp. 21-38). Wagenbach.
Zangwill, I. (1907). A Land of Refuge. Emigration Regulation Department of the ITO.
Filmography
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (1981). History of the World, Part I [Film]. USA.
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (1987) Spaceballs [Film]. USA.
Brooks, M. (Dir.) (2023). History of the World, Part II [Series]. USA.
Harris, P., & Casson, P. (Dirs.). (1976-1981). The Muppet Show [TV Show]. UK & USA.
Lucas, G. (Dir.) (1999). Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace [Film]. USA.
Pevney, J. (Dir.) (1967). The City on the Edge of Forever (Star Trek: The Original Series, season 1, episode 28) [Series]. USA.
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