The Haavara (Transfer) Agreement

• August 1933: agreement between the German branch of the Zionist movement and the Nazi government

• Jews wanting to emigrate to Palestine would deposit their assets in an account in Germany

• The money would then be used to buy German exports to Palestine and the importer of these goods would reimburse the Jews.

• The outbreak of war made the continuation of the agreement impossible.

The Haavara-exchange

The German

Jews

The Haavara Company

Palestinian importers

Nazi Germany

Transfer of money

Transfer of goods

• CERTIFICATEThe Trust and Transfer Office "Haavara" Ltd. places at the disposal of the Banks in Palestine amounts in Reichmarks which have been put at its disposal by the Jewish immigrants from Germany. The Banks avail themselves of these amounts in Reichmarks in order to make payments on behalf of Palestinian merchants for goods imported by them from Germany. The merchants pay in the value of the goods to the Banks and the "Haavara" Ltd. pays the countervalue to the Jewish immigrants from Germany. To the same extent that local merchants will make use of this arrangement, the import of German goods will serve to withdraw Jewish capital from Germany.The Trust and Transfer Office,HAAVARA, LTD.

Nazi support

• The agreement was viewed as a convenient solution to the Jewish problem in Europe – it was seen as preferable to have the Jewish population concentrated in one single state as opposed to spread around the world, where they could influence public opinion against Germany.

• [Although Hitler stated in Mein Kampf that he viewed the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine equal to the establishing of a school of thievery for the international Jewry]

• The Haavara Agreement provided a stimulus for the German export economy

The figuresYear Total Jewish

ImmigrationNumber

(form Germany)% of Total

(German Jews)1933 30,300 7,600 25

1939 16,400 8,500 52

1940 4,500 900 20

Year Total Amount Transferred in RM

1933 1,254,955.96

1937 31,407,501.30

1939 8,197,033.99

Jewish support

• The collaboration with Nazi Germany facilitated to illegal immigration of Jews after the British set up their quota cap in 1938

• Support from Zionists – ideological compatibility with Nazi policy towards German Jews.

• Umschulungslager

Arab reactions

• The Haavara Agreement & the Nazi governments continuing support for Jewish immigration to Palestine soured the Arab-German relationship even before the outbreak of WW2

• Al-Husseini was undoubtedly aware of the Haavara Agreement, but continued to support the Nazi regime nevertheless

The end of the Haavara Agreement

• Outbreak of war• Increasing fear of a Jewish state• Peel Commission• Small impact on the German economy• Fluctuation of exchange rates (deterioration of

RM)• Arab Revolt and increasing Arab hostility• Lengthy debate between Nazi officials.

The Haavara Agreement & the Arab-Israeli Conflict

• Anti-Zionist Arabs often cite the Haavara as an example of Nazi-Zionist collaboration

• → Zionism is viewed as an agent of European imperialism

• → Agreement is used to undermine the legitimacy of the sate of Israel in connection to Holocaust denial.

• Accusation that during the war, Zionists were more concerned with the Jewish settlement of Palestine, than the saving of the European Jewry