A Synopsis of the 1935 Bruderhof Sendbrief

by Susanna Alves
This Sendbrief (circular letter) was recently discovered among old papers by Elisabeth Bohlken-Zumpe who
kindly offered it to Hummer members and KIT Newsletter readers.
It was written during Advent in 1935 shortly after Eberhard Arnold died on 22 November in the Darmstadt
Hospital, where he had gone for an operation on his leg, broken about three years earlier during a period of
upheavals and persecutions the Bruderhof had experienced in Germany, and which resulted in the Almbruderhofs
founding in Liechtenstein.
The Bruderhof community was in a state of deep shock. They had sent a brief notice of Eberhards passing to
all their friends in Europe, and to the Hutterites in America, but now wished to inform everybody in greater detail
about the meaning this loss had for them, and to address the concerns expressed by some outsiders that the
Bruderhof might not survive.
The letter included an outline of Eberhards life and background, how he was educated, the influences that
formed him and the path he had followed in his search to find spiritual fulfillment which lead to the founding of
the first community in Sannerz, their move to the Rhn, the building up of the Rhnbruderhof, and the need to
create the Almbruderhof. The reasons for this last Bruderhof arent specified. I presume that given the political
situation it would have been too dangerous to put reasons in black and white.
The letter describes the influence Eberhard had on their daily practical, intellectual and spiritual life. It describes
his attitude to their children, their youth, to marriage; to those of feeble mind; to money, material goods, to their
work ethic, and his constant counsel that they never fall into living too comfortable a life and his worry that they
might stagnate intellectually.
It tells of the loss of his sister-in-law, Else von Hollander; about Eberhards eleven-month journey around the
United States and Canada to visit the Hutterites, and about the Bruderhofs unification with the Hutterites; about
his begging expeditions (my words) in England, Scotland and Holland, and of his fears of a return to bourgeois
values when some Swiss began to join, bringing with them large fortunes at a time when the German Youth
Movement which had always eschewed money had practically disappeared.
It quotes parts of letters written by Eberhard, in one of which he names Hans Zumpe his successor.
Towards the end, the letter discusses each of Eberhards sons and daughters and the roles they played at the time
in the Bruderhof. Throughout the Sendbrief various books, brochures, songbooks and pamphlets are alluded to.
Lastly there is a list of all the books available from their publishing house at the time.
This Sendbrief is written in the German of 80 to 100 years ago, and its style is pontifical, to say the very least.
It's no easy read. But it will interest those who wish to study the Bruderhofs earliest beginnings and about Eberhard
Arnold, as described by the author who I guess was Hans Zumpe. The letter carries his signature as well as those
of Georg Barth, Emmy Arnold (Eberhards widow), Fritz Kleiner, Alfred Gneiting, Eberhard Heinrich (Heini)
Arnold, Arno Martin, Arnold Mason, and August Dyroff.
Note to our KIT Newsletter readers:
The Eberhard Arnold "Sendbrief" has been archived in the KIT Newsletter archives on the web and can be accessed
via the following link: Sendbrief Advent 1935
Anybody who wishes to order a printout of either the German transcript (34 pages) or the English translation
(32 pages), kindly send in a contribution to cover printing and mailing costs, as this will be a special mailing
separate from the Newsletter, and will be handled by KIT Volunteer, Linda Lord:
Contributions: to be sent by your usual payment method to Tim, Anthony or Raphael (see last page of the
Newsletter). Please mark your payment with the reference: SENDBRIEF
For UK subscribers: 3.00 (three pounds sterling)
For Europe subscribers: 7.00 (seven euros)
For Rest of World including US and Canada: $10.00 (ten US dollars)
Please contact Linda Lord directly with your request. Her contact details can be found on the last page of this
Newsletter.