To name a movie 'Nuremberg' might indicate a vast panoramic epic. By all accounts the movie's not panoramic, more a postage stamp. No movie can capture history, without distortion. Let us understand Nuremberg.
Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. (Jeremiah 29:7)
There might be some excuse for fools thinking anti-semitism began with the Nazis – There was such an outpouring of grief over the trauma of mass deaths, that a generation was determined that it is not forgotten, so that some only know this history and no other. It's written in DNA. Now Nuremberg is associated with the Nazis and with the idea of 'international law' in an American-led post-war world order, now ever more so, with a slither of those events made into a movie.
Firstly anti-semitism is not a useful term. It was popularised by a conflicted atheist German nationalist from 1879 for his Jew-hatred. He conceded Jews might assimilate, but subsequent haters of Jews rejected assimilation. German unification was a revolution. In defining 'German-ness', they defined others as alien. I prefer now not to use anti-semitism label invented by Jew haters, as it's not useful. In any case Nuremberg, likely, to the regret of the residents, now to many means merely something about Nazis, Jews and genocide.
The vastness of Nuremberg! The Nazis are small, a few years.
My history is also Nuremberg, with reformation and artistic ancestors from there. A battle was fought and, perhaps, lost here long, long ago.
The Nuremberg laws regarding Jews exist because Nuremberg is place of law – since before 1050 a Reichsburg – a king's castle was there. Germany today has a capital, but in the past it was fragmented. The rulers of the Holy Roman Empire often came to Nuremberg to rule that part of dispersed dominions. Nuremberg castle was most often where the Imperial Diet, deliberating laws, was held.
Nuremberg prevailed also as it was on a trade route. It is argued Jews were victims from the beginning, as they had been better treated by the barbarian pagans, where they had obtained privilege, and had opposed the coming of Christianity. Being forbidden from most occupations Jews had success as traders.
We then understand why Jews were there, in Nuremberg at the beginning.
There may be an argument that Jews were instrumental in the development of Nuremberg and one even argues they were there at the beginning and named it – Is the first illustration of Nuremberg from a book in Hebrew? The first Jews are recorded in Nuremberg already in 1146, and likely had been there much longer. Nuremberg grew about the fortress castle, which needed services, including financial. As Jews couldn't farm land, they were there - trading and making a city.
In 1136 there was a persecution where Jews who were working as royal servants sought refuge in the castle. The towering St. Sebald's Church was built from 1215. Jews in 1298 were accused of desecration with 698 killed. There were many massacres like this, yet Jews still stayed in Nuremberg. Must be for some reason. In 1338, despite the laws 212 Jews were recorded as citizens of influence with a congregation of over 2000. In 1349 there was a pogrom, where 560 were burned at the stake on December 5, 1349, others were expelled, and a marketplace and Frauenkirche was built over the former Jewish quarter. For some reason the exiled sought to come back in 1352 and offered conditions to obtain protection.
In 1451 cardinal Nikolaus issues a decree at the Bamberg synod, affecting Nuremberg, that Jews could not lend for interest and must wear a yellow sign. The people of Nuremberg proclaimed the decree but they and emperor Friedrich III strived to protect their Jews, arguing to the pope the grave disadvantages. In 1471 and 1485 they were supplying linen, and paying 'protection' money. (rijo.hier-im-netz.de)
There were not just Nazi Nuremberg laws for Jews, including dress and conduct and genocide but from the beginning of Nuremberg's records. This is Nuremberg!
Nuremberg made Germany's most famous artist Albrecht Durer (1471–1528), especially known for woodcuts and engraving. Durer was from Nuremberg's Catholic era.
Beyond a doubt that some of Dürer’s most important work contributed to the “venomous discourse of penance” and thereby encouraged the persecution of Jews. agnionline.bu.edu
Again Jews were forced to leave by decree in Durer's era in 1499 by Maximilian I (Hapsburg), of the Holy Roman Empire. There wasn't a Jewish community there again until 1850, 350 years.
In 1525 Nuremberg city became protestant. The few Jews who came to Nuremberg, subsequently, over the years generally converted to be Protestants. It became the centre of a German renaissance, known for its artists and artisans. The mass produced pencil emerged in Nuremberg in 1662. There was an academe of fine arts. Johann Daniel Preissler (1666-1737) and Jan Kupecky (1677-1740) as artists and book illustrators were in Nuremberg due to Catholic persecution. It's also famous for a toy industry, begun in the 15th century. When Jews returned after 1850 they became leaders of toy making.
Luther called Nuremberg “the eye and the ear of Germany” because of its 21 printing houses..artesianministries.org
Luther, in the short era of freedom of thought, had early been positive toward the Jewish people, but later Luther printed “On the Jews and Their Lies” (1543) advocating destroying Jewish holy books and preventing Jewish worship. Luther not only preaches, he practised and had Jews expelled from Saxony in 1537 and tried to expel them in other places. It was in Nuremberg that Andreas Osiander (1498?–1552), a Hebrew scholar,
Continued his studies with a Jew, Woelfflein of Schnaittach, who was given the extraordinary privilege of visiting Nuremberg for that purpose. In the wake of the Pezinok blood libel of 1529, Osiander published an anonymous refutation of the ritual murder charge, which led to a literary dispute with Johannes Eck. Although Osiander was himself a Lutheran theologian, in a private letter to Elijah Levita he vehemently denounced Martin Luther's anti-Jewish Vom Schem Hamphoras (1544) (jewishvirtuallibrary).
Osiander had himself been instrumental in converting Nuremberg City, yet he felt he could only publish anonymously. He wrote,
They [Catholic monks and priests] saw that the Jews better understand the Scriptures than [the Catholic clergy] and have treated [the Jews] disparagingly with hatred and persecution, going so far as to call for the burning of their books. But God would not allow this for the good of Christianity, so that through the Hebrew language Christians might return to a correct understanding of their faith. Thus, it is to be feared that these enemies of the Jews have fabricated and spread these falsehoods about the Jews, since they also treat Christians, whom they call Lutherans, in the same manner.…. cliffsnotes.
In any case the battle against Jew Hatred was lost there at Nuremberg - few would read Osianders's 'Whether It Is True and Believable that Jews Secretly Kill Christian Children and Use Their Blood' (1529). Many would follow Luther. Osiander left Nuremberg in 1548 due to the Diet of Augsburg compromise with the Catholics. Philip Melanchthon had been influenced by his great-uncle Johann Reuchlin who defended Jewish writings, but later, he became like Luther as he developed the system of Lutheranism in education; a reformation, but the same Jew-hating system.
The Holy Roman Empire, the 1st Reich, ended and fragmented into numerous German states due to Napoleon's victories in 1806. Nuremberg lost free city status and was absorbed into Bavaria. These states recombined in 1871 to form modern Germany, the 2nd Reich.
Practising Jews officially returned to Nuremberg after 1850.
Jewish Nurembergers contributed a lot to the economic, scientific and cultural development of their hometown. Nuremberg's hop trade, primarily run by Jewish businessmen - in 1930 - 120 of 162 of the trade firms were owned by Jews - dominated the world market until the beginning of World War I. At that time the toys and household supplies produced by "Bing-Werke" and the bikes and motorcycles under the trade marks "Hercules" and "Viktoria" were known and sold worldwide. Jewish lawyers and physicians led in their professions, and Jewish philanthropists like Heinrich Berolzheimer and Ludwig von Gerngros sponsored educational and welfare institutions as well as fine arts and public buildings. ajc.org.
The loss of voices such as Reuchlin and Osiander for what became Lutheranism, is a factor in Nuremberg's fate to now still in 2025 to be synonymous with anti-Jewish laws. The Nuremberger Julius Streicher,
founded the antisemitic paper Der Stürmer and was sentenced to death at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity, defended his actions by saying they were inspired by Luther himself. It was Luther, he suggested, not he, who should be on trial.ajc.org
You won't hear that in the movie.
Jews came again to Nuremberg, though there were none there after WW2. As they did in 1352.
Nuremberg is broad and vast, over 1000 years in scope.
The first Reich prefigured the third. People argue that Luther spoke of religion and the Nazis race, but atheist science is also religion, one that in Germany has its origin and context in Lutheran education, which in turn was founded in prejudices of the Catholic Holy Roman Empire. In any case Luther wrote of 'race'.eitan.bar
Nuremberg, the final solution was because Jews had not left. They'd come in numbers, to Nuremberg as they had from the beginning. There were 8,603 in 1931. After the 1935 laws and Kristallnacht in 1938 where 19 Jews died there were many less. Some 2,611 could not be persuaded to leave and nobody would 'buy' them – not the British, not the Russians, not even the Americans – nobody. These were deported in 7 transports, including one with 67, who were deported for political reasons (10 of those survived). There were 2,374 (1,036 male, 1,338 female) Nuremberg Jewish victims of the Shoah. jewishgen
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ..and no man shall buy you. (Deuteronomy 28:65-67,68)
But now Jews need not be among the nations.
Nuremberg, the movie, comes in a context of the end of the post WW2 era and revived Jew hatred. Fundamentally whatever the religion, or religion of 'no-religion', Jew hatred was explained in 1529 Nuremberg. Andreas Osiander wrote, 'They saw that the Jews better understand the Scriptures and have treated the Jews disparagingly with hatred and persecution.'
The movie Nuremberg can't explain anything much as the protagonist Kelley, the psychiatrist featured, had no wisdom of a hindsight of long life and didn't understand why the lead Nazis weren't insane, or their concord with the pope and Luther. The movie seems not to have dealt with the trial questions as to Hermann Goering's religion (Day 81).
With the Catholic Church the Fuehrer ordered a concordat to be concluded by Herr [Franz] von Papen. Shortly before Herr von Papen concluded that agreement I visited the Pope myself. I had numerous connections with the higher Catholic clergy because of my Catholic mother, and thus--I am myself a Protestant--I had a view of both camps. gooring.tripod.com
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast (Rome cp Daniel), until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:17)
Kelley might have expanded his thinking and interviewed the brother Albert Goering, as he was arrested and interrogated in Nuremberg after the liberation. He had saved many Jews, some with his powerful brother's help. jewishvirtualmuseum.com
This also is Nuremberg.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (Jeremiah 3:14)
It is circular nonsense to believe the God of Israel can't exist based on the crimes against humanity by people who didn't serve, or know, the God of Israel.
The tension of the Bible is that it's a promise of a future life without evil, not here and now. The reason for the movie Nuremberg is that's been 80 years since the trial and everyone who was there, is now dead. The movie might better have been titled something else - Nuremberg is so much more. Knowing the God of Israel via the scriptures of of the Jews allows us to understand.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:23)
