The Transfer Agreement--25th Anniversary Edition

About The Transfer Agreement--25th Anniversary Edition

The Transfer Agreement—25th Anniversary Edition, authored by Edwin Black, provides a detailed historical investigation into the 1933 Haavara Agreement. This pact was established between the Third Reich and the Zionist leadership in Mandatory Palestine during the early months of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. The book examines the specific economic and diplomatic mechanisms that allowed German Jews to emigrate to Palestine while preserving a portion of their wealth. This was achieved through a complex clearinghouse system where Jewish assets were used to purchase German-manufactured goods for export to Palestine, thereby bypassing certain currency restrictions and providing the Nazi regime with needed foreign trade.

The narrative explores the period from the agreement's inception in 1933 through the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It documents the intense internal debates within the global Jewish community, particularly the conflict between the proponents of a worldwide economic boycott of Nazi Germany and those who prioritized the rescue of German Jewry and the development of the Yishuv. The text highlights the roles of various organizations, including the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Anglo-Palestine Bank, in managing the logistics of the transfer.

Black’s research details how the agreement facilitated the migration of approximately 60,000 German Jews and the transfer of roughly 100 million dollars in assets. The book also addresses the geopolitical implications of the arrangement, including its effect on the British Mandate's immigration policies and the broader international response to the persecution of Jews in Germany. This anniversary edition includes additional documentation and a preface that contextualizes the research within historical scholarship.