Schocken

Schocken is a surname of German-Jewish origin that has been associated with a family notable for retail and publishing activities in the 20th century. The Schocken family built a chain of department stores in Germany and later diversified into publishing and cultural endeavors. Following the rise of the Nazi regime, many family members emigrated to Palestine (then the British Mandate) and the United States, where the publishing ventures continued under new arrangements and new geographic centers.

Schocken Verlag was established in Berlin in 1931 by Salomon Schocken and his wife to publish German-language literature, philosophy, and Jewish texts. After emigration, the publishing tradition continued in the United States under the imprint Schocken Books, which issued translations and Hebrew literature as well as works by modern authors. The Schocken imprint became associated with introducing significant European and Jewish literature to English-speaking readers and, over time, was integrated into larger publishing groups within the American and international publishing landscape.

Notable individuals bearing the surname include Salomon Schocken, who led the family’s commercial and publishing efforts, along with descendants who maintained the family’s interests across continents. Today, Schocken serves as a historical reference point for German-Jewish entrepreneurship and the mid-20th-century transatlantic publishing movement.