Radical Jewish Reading Circle: Gustav Landauer
- Pacific Time Virtual Program
In early 1919, Gustav Landauer was murdered by paramilitary thugs in Munich. He was a visionary, a philosopher, and a martyr for a world built on mutual aid rather than state violence. This month, as we grapple with the recent, echoing violence of paramilitary forces right here in our own country, Landauer’s life and thought feel less like history and more like a mirror. Landauer believed that the state is not a building or a border, but a mode of behavior—a way we treat one another. “We destroy it,” he wrote, “by contracting other relationships, by behaving differently toward one another.”
Long before the modern search for “spiritual but not religious” identities, Landauer was a pioneer of a radical, syncretic Jewish worldview. He sought a revolution that was as much spiritual as it was political, weaving together his deep Jewish roots with European mystical traditions, and the religious-philosophical systems of India to find a new way of being in the world. This vision of cultural renewal was shared by his closest friend, Martin Buber, the legendary second director of the original Lehrhaus.
In this three-part series, we’ll sit together in that same Lehrhaus spirit to explore:
- Spiritual Fusion: How Landauer's Eastern-influenced philosophy and “turning inward” offered an alternative blueprint for modern spiritual life.
- The Power of Relationship: What it means to "behave differently" as a form of resistance and community building.
- A Living Legacy: How his ideas on decentralized, voluntary communities speak to our current moment of crisis and hope.
This is a circle, not a lecture. All texts will be provided. We’ll think through these questions together in the small-group discussion style that defines the New Lehrhaus.
Who this is for: Anyone curious about radical Jewish thought, what anarchist philosophy consists of, and the “spiritual revolution” of the early twentieth century. It is open to readers of all backgrounds—no prior knowledge is required.
What you'll leave with: A grounded introduction to Gustav Landauer's ideas on mutual aid and “behaving differently,” fresh perspectives on how his fusion of Jewish and Eastern thought shaped modern spiritual identities, and the experience of working through big questions.
Three Thursdays: March 12, 19 and 26 at 7–8:30pm (Pacific)
Please note: This program will not be recorded.
