Invitation to the book launch followed by a panel discussion – Erich Neumann

Erich Neumann wrote this early work, which is published here in German for the first time, against a backdrop of existential challenges. He sheds light on Jewish survival from a physical, spiritual and psychological perspective. Neumann believes that modern Jews need to relearn what their ancestors lost during the Babylonian exile: the ability to encounter the Holy One directly, to receive revelations and to prophesy. He draws on C. G. Jung’s teachings and Martin Buber’s Hasidic writings and advocates alternatives to legalism and misogynistic bias. These ideas anticipate Neumann’s later works, including Depth Psychology and New Ethics, The Origin of Consciousness and The Great Mother. The concept of the ego-self axis, Neumann’s characteristic contribution to analytical psychology, is already introduced and comprehensively developed here.