Judaism Books

Book SynopsisHermann Cohen (1842–1918) was among the most accomplished Jewish philosophers of modern times—if not the single most significant. But his work has not yet received the attention it deserves. This newly translated collection of his writings—most of which are appearing in English for the first time—illuminates his achievements for student readers and rectifies lapses in his intellectual reception by prior generations. It presents chapters from Cohen’s Ethics of Pure Will, conflicting interpretations of Cohen by Franz Rosenzweig and Alexander Altmann, and finally the eulogy to Cohen delivered at graveside by Ernst Cassirer. Containing full annotations and selections that concentrate both on the philosophical core of Cohen’s writings and the politics of interpretation of his work at the time of his death and after, Hermann Cohen truly brings to light all of Cohen’s accomplishments.   Trade Review“This new collection is a great gift for our time. Hermann Cohen was Germany’s great philosopher of Judaism and champion of Kantian ethics at the turn of the twentieth century. He drew powerful affinities between Kant’s moral philosophy and Jewish ethics, emphasizing how both point towards perpetual peace. In our divided world today, struggling for a universal ethics, Cohen’s writings offer powerful reasons to hope and strive for a world of peace and wellbeing.” -- Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University“This superb anthology of texts by and about Hermann Cohen shows how confronting his work is indispensable to understanding still-vital controversies about the heritage of Enlightenment philosophy, the compatibility of Judaism and modernity and the challenge it faced with the rise of existentialism and the "new thinking." This landmark collection, brilliantly introduced and curated by Samuel Moyn and Robert Schine, is more than a sweeping reappraisal of a thinker who both revived Kant's project and modernized Jewish philosophy. It is a timely invitation--even a compelling summons--to pursue a path all but forgotten and yet of paramount importance for our own times." -- Vivian Liska, University of Antwerp“It is difficult to overstate the importance of the task undertaken by Moyn and Schine in this book. For the first time ever, key chapters in Ethik des reinen Willens are available in English. This volume also collects and translates major essays by Ernst Cassirer, Franz Rosenzweig, and Alexander Altmann that have done so much to shape Cohen’s reception in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. With expert introductions and annotations, this book will be a landmark event in discussions of Cohen in the English-speaking world.” -- Robert Erlewine, Illinois Wesleyan University“This is the most comprehensive collection of Hermann Cohen’s writings currently available in English. Cohen’s Introduction to the Ethics of Pure Will is a gem in its own right. It brilliantly testifies to the enduring importance of Cohen’s ethics in its relation to religion and to law. The volume also features articles of Cohen on Kant and on the significance of Judaism for the progress of Religion. Cohen’s legacy is attested by Ernst Cassirer in the first place, but also by Franz Rosenzweig, whose famous Introduction to Cohen’s Jewish Writings appears here in full: a translation was long overdue. The volume will undoubtedly become an essential resource for those interested in nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy – and in modern Jewish thought.” -- Myriam Bienenstock, Université de ToursTable of ContentsIntroduction, Note on Translation, Part 1: The Ethics of Pure Will, Introduction, God, Part 2: Essays, Internal Connections of Kantian Philosophy to Judaism, The Social Ideal in Plato and the Prophets, The Significance of Judaism for the Religious Progress of Humanity, Autonomy and Freedom, Part 3: Coda, Franz Rosenzweig, “Introduction to Hermann Cohen’s Jewish Writings” (1924), Alexander Altmann, “Hermann Cohen’s Concept of Correlation” (1962), Ernst Cassirer, “Hermann Cohen: Words Spoken at His Grave on April 7, 1919”

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Book SynopsisA compelling biography of an important eyewitness to the twentieth century. Marie Syrkin’s life spanned ninety years of the twentieth century, 1899–1989. As a polemical journalist, socialist Zionist, poet, educator, literary critic, translator, and idiosyncratic feminist, she was an eyewitness to and reporter on most of the major events in America, Israel, and Europe. Beautiful as well as brilliant, she had a rich personal life as a lover, wife, mother, and friend. During her lifetime Syrkin’s name was widely recognized in the world of Jewish life and letters. Yet, since Syrkin’s death, recognition of her name is no longer quite so immediate. Carole S. Kessner’s biography restores Syrkin’s fascinating life and legacy for a new generation. Trade Review“Finally, Zionist thinker Marie Syrkin gets the recognition she deserves. . . . It is not sentimental overpraise to say that Marie Syrkin deserves a place at the roundtable of great intellects who helped shape contemporary Jewish-American liberalism.” * Haaretz *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPART IChapter 1. Marie’s BirthrightChapter 2. A Bronx AdolescenceChapter 3. That Fabulous Summer: MauriceChapter 4. Elopement and AnnulmentChapter 5. Marriage, Motherhood, and TragedyChapter 6. David, Divorce, and the Death of NachmanChapter 7. A New Life: CharlesPART IIChapter 8. An Unorthodox Marriage: Palestine and HollywoodChapter 9. At the Nexus of the “Jewish Problem”Chapter 10. On the Jewish Frontier: The Twenty-First Zionist CongressChapter 11. The War, the White Paper, and the Rescue of the JewsChapter 12. Wartime Horrors: Personal UnhappinessChapter 13. Postwar Projects: DP Camps, Blessed is the Match, IsraelChapter 14. Academia at Last: The Brandeis YearsEpilogueNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA feminist project that privileges the Babylonian Talmudic tractate as culturally significant. While the use of feminist analysis as a methodological lens is not new to the study of Talmudic literature or to the study of individual tractates, this book demonstrates that such an intervention with the Babylonian Talmud reveals new perspectives on the rabbis’ relationship with the temple and its priesthood. More specifically, through the relationships most commonly associated with home, such as those of husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, and brother-brother, the rabbis destabilize the temple bayit (or temple house). Moving beyond the view that the temple was replaced by the rabbinic home, and that rabbinic rites reappropriate temple practices, a feminist approach highlights the inextricable link between kinship, gender, and the body, calling attention to the ways the rabbis deconstruct the priesthood so as to reconstruct themselves. Trade Review“Happy families may all be alike, but the priestly family is unhappy in its own ways, shows Marjorie Lehman in her fine-grained readings of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma. Lehman’s story is one of patriarchy and hierarchy, but also of vulnerability and reflection, as the tractate turns towards the practices of self-affliction that, until today, characterize the day of atonement. Tractate Yoma reads, if not quite like a novel or poem, then like a series of meditations on the shifting meanings of home and the anxieties about continuity and control. You will leave Bringing Down the Temple House never thinking the same way again about ‘the house’ as a Jewish cultural topos.” -- Beth Berkowitz, Barnard College, author of Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud“Strikingly original. Lehman brings to bear a feminist lens to demonstrate how one group of men (the rabbis) critiques and wrestles with the legacy of another group of men (the priests). Feminist attention to the constitutive relationships of the household (husband-wife, father-son, mother-son) illuminates the anxieties and tensions that play out as the rabbis claim the mantel of religious leadership from their priestly rivals.” -- Elizabeth Shanks Alexander, author of Gender and Timebound Commandments in Judaism“Lehman persuasively demonstrates that the theme ‘house’ runs uniquely and distinctively through Bavli Tractate Yoma, read holistically as a self-contained literary unit. With an erudite combination of academic Talmud criticism and feminist and gender analysis, Lehman shows the many gendered paths Bavli Yoma takes to disconnect the rabbinic ‘house’ from a Temple ‘house’ for which she perceptively detects a lack of rabbinic nostalgia.” -- Alyssa Gray, Professor of Rabbinics, Hebrew Union College-JIR“Through insightful analyses, compelling argumentation, and beautiful prose, Lehman mines Tractate Yoma’s structure, content, and imagery to reveal the intricate connections that the rabbis drew between gender, the home, and the temple. A model of what can be learned when we read the Talmud as literature and bring feminist analysis to ancient texts, and an absolute pleasure to read.” -- Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Unsettling the Temple BayitChapter 2: Violence in the Temple: Father Priests and Their SonsChapter 3: Mothers and Sons: Broken HousesChapter 4: From Inside Out: Kimhit’s HouseChapter 5: Intergenerational Transmission and the Problem of MothersChapter 6: Sexuality Inside and Outside the Temple HouseChapter 7: Sustaining the Rabbinic HouseholdChapter 8: Vulnerable Bodies in Vulnerable HousesChapter 9: Purity and Impurity: From Priest to RabbiAfterwordAcknowledgementsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA feminist project that privileges the Babylonian Talmudic tractate as culturally significant. While the use of feminist analysis as a methodological lens is not new to the study of Talmudic literature or to the study of individual tractates, this book demonstrates that such an intervention with the Babylonian Talmud reveals new perspectives on the rabbis’ relationship with the temple and its priesthood. More specifically, through the relationships most commonly associated with home, such as those of husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, and brother-brother, the rabbis destabilize the temple bayit (or temple house). Moving beyond the view that the temple was replaced by the rabbinic home, and that rabbinic rites reappropriate temple practices, a feminist approach highlights the inextricable link between kinship, gender, and the body, calling attention to the ways the rabbis deconstruct the priesthood so as to reconstruct themselves. Trade Review“Happy families may all be alike, but the priestly family is unhappy in its own ways, shows Marjorie Lehman in her fine-grained readings of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma. Lehman’s story is one of patriarchy and hierarchy, but also of vulnerability and reflection, as the tractate turns towards the practices of self-affliction that, until today, characterize the day of atonement. Tractate Yoma reads, if not quite like a novel or poem, then like a series of meditations on the shifting meanings of home and the anxieties about continuity and control. You will leave Bringing Down the Temple House never thinking the same way again about ‘the house’ as a Jewish cultural topos.” -- Beth Berkowitz, Barnard College, author of Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud“Strikingly original. Lehman brings to bear a feminist lens to demonstrate how one group of men (the rabbis) critiques and wrestles with the legacy of another group of men (the priests). Feminist attention to the constitutive relationships of the household (husband-wife, father-son, mother-son) illuminates the anxieties and tensions that play out as the rabbis claim the mantel of religious leadership from their priestly rivals.” -- Elizabeth Shanks Alexander, author of Gender and Timebound Commandments in Judaism“Lehman persuasively demonstrates that the theme ‘house’ runs uniquely and distinctively through Bavli Tractate Yoma, read holistically as a self-contained literary unit. With an erudite combination of academic Talmud criticism and feminist and gender analysis, Lehman shows the many gendered paths Bavli Yoma takes to disconnect the rabbinic ‘house’ from a Temple ‘house’ for which she perceptively detects a lack of rabbinic nostalgia.” -- Alyssa Gray, Professor of Rabbinics, Hebrew Union College-JIR“Through insightful analyses, compelling argumentation, and beautiful prose, Lehman mines Tractate Yoma’s structure, content, and imagery to reveal the intricate connections that the rabbis drew between gender, the home, and the temple. A model of what can be learned when we read the Talmud as literature and bring feminist analysis to ancient texts, and an absolute pleasure to read.” -- Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Unsettling the Temple BayitChapter 2: Violence in the Temple: Father Priests and Their SonsChapter 3: Mothers and Sons: Broken HousesChapter 4: From Inside Out: Kimhit’s HouseChapter 5: Intergenerational Transmission and the Problem of MothersChapter 6: Sexuality Inside and Outside the Temple HouseChapter 7: Sustaining the Rabbinic HouseholdChapter 8: Vulnerable Bodies in Vulnerable HousesChapter 9: Purity and Impurity: From Priest to RabbiAfterwordAcknowledgementsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe first scholarly biography of Levi Yitshak of Berdychiv in English in over thirty-five years. Defender of the Faithful explores the life and thought of Levi Yitshak of Berdychiv (1740–1809), one of the most fascinating and colorful Hasidic leaders of his time. This is an intellectual and religious biography, a reading of the development of his thought and career. Featuring examples of Levi Yitshak’s extraordinary texts alongside insightful analysis by scholar and theologian Arthur Green, Defender of the Faithful is a compelling study of both Levi Yitshak’s theology and broader philosophy. Trade Review“Arthur Green, a modern master of Jewish thought, explores the life and thought of Rabbi Levi Yitsḥak, one of the towering, formative figures in early Hasidism. In Green’s lucid presentation, Levi Yitsḥak emerges as a mystic, but also a realist who faces the fact that we live in a world seemingly not guided by divine will. Boldly, Levi Yitshak claims that a righteous individual can actually implant a new will within God. A fascinating, profound book.” -- Daniel Matt, author of Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation and the multivolume annotated translation The Zohar: Pritzker Edition“A brilliant intellectual biography of a spiritual hero, a leading eighteenth-century Hasidic master and leader, a mystical revolutionary thinker who took upon himself to act in a world seemingly not guided by divine intervention, hidden or revealed. Skillfully and felicitously written by one of the world’s leading scholars of Hasidism, it presents new dimensions of the thoughtful, profound, and original author of Kedushat Levi (1798), and contextualizes the mystical-Hasidic phenomenon in the spiritual and historical circumstances in which it evolved.” -- Rachel Elior, John and Golda Cohen Chair in Jewish Philosophy, Hebrew University“In this stunningly interesting study, Arthur Green sets aside the legendary Levi Yitshak of Berdychiv in pursuit of the historical figure, whose life and thought Green explores with his signature combination of extraordinary erudition and finely-honed sensitivity to the psychological and spiritual dimensions of classical Hasidism. A wonderfully crafted landmark study of a seminal figure, richly contextualized and bringing to light many of the complexities that characterized Hasidism in its early stages of development.” -- Lawrence Fine, author of Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship“Arthur Green blends meticulous historical scholarship with delicate textual analysis and poetic writing to help us understand anew the life and teachings of one of the most important leaders of early Hasidism, a daring theologian who was also remembered as a popular spiritual hero and an iconic Jewish leader. Much like his pathbreaking intellectual and religious biography of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav, Green inspires us again. This book is a must read for scholars and seekers alike!” -- Biti Roi, Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, and author of Love of ShekhinaTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Levi Yits?ak as Hasidic Leader 1. The Life and Times of an Eighteenth-Century Rabbi 2. Levi Yits?ak in the Maggid’s Circle: The Challenge of Leadership 3. First Steps: The Evidence of Shemu‘ah Tovah 4. The Hasidic Tsaddik and the Quest for Models 5. The Mezritch Circle: A Later Look Part II: Mystic Disciple and Teacher 6. Translating the Transcendent 7. The Mystic and the Religious Revival 8. The Question of Miracles 9. An Emerging Religious Personality 10. Power and Pleasure in Serving God 11. Defending the Commandments 12. Interpreting Torah 13. Looking into the Future? Abbreviations Used in Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAnti-Semitism is on the rise. How is this still possible? Once again, we are witness to a surge in right-wing authoritarianism, ethnonationalism, and white supremacism, and the racist, xenophobic, and misogynist violence they spread. Like historic newsreels brought back to life, renewed waves of refugees are turned away at borders, placed in cages, or washed up lifeless on the shore. Such striking similarities between present and past suggest that we are not done with the issues raised by the historical Jewish Question: that is, what is the place of “the Jew”—the minority, the relic, the rootless stranger, the racialized other, the exiled, the displaced, the immigrant, the diasporic? In The Jewish Question Again, leading scholars grapple with our inability to keep these struggles in the past and why we continue to repeat these atrocities. This book explores the haunting recurrence of the Jewish Question today and begs why we find ourselves here yet again. Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Jewish Question, Again Joyce Dalsheim and Gregory Starrett The Jewish Question in the Age of Question Holly Case A Jewish Anthropology of the Present, or The History of the Jewish Question as a Nightmare from Which We Will Never Awak

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Book SynopsisTraditional Jewish religious belief speaks of a divinely revealed, perfect text, authoritatively expounded. The question this book addresses is one with which the author has struggled all his life: in the light of historical criticism, advances in knowledge, and changing moral attitudes, is the traditional notion of divine revelation and authoritative interpretation still valid? The focus is on Judaism and the examples are mostly drawn from that tradition, but the arguments are easy to transpose to other religions. Norman Solomon's discussion will appeal to those who seek to identify with a religious community but who are troubled by the claim of divine authority made for the scriptures of that community. Ranging across several academic disciplines, it is addressed to people of all religions who find their heads and their hearts are not in accord with each other. It is accessible to a general readership interested in the relationship of scripture, interpretation, and religious authority, though scholars will find original observations and historical interpretations in many areas. It should find a ready place in university and popular programmes in Jewish studies, general theology, and philosophy of religion.Trade ReviewReviews 'Solomon intends that his book appeal to both popular and academic readership, a task he rather successfully fulfils. His literary style is characterized by the art of brevity . . . Footnotes are concise and not burdened with endless bibliographic citations. For the interested reader, references throughout the book lead to further reading . . . Theologians will benefit from a plentitude of thought-provoking critique and insight. It is for these reasons that I recommend the book . . . interesting and successful in giving a broad historical perspective as well as provoking thought.' Dan Baras, Academia.edu'An excellent resource for researching Jewish intellectual discussion about the Bible.' Zvi Grumet, Bookjed'A courageous new book . . . has an impressive range, from scholarship about biblical times to twenty-first century theology and almost all periods in between . . . despite all the detail in the book, it is very readable and comprehensible even for the beginner. It should be required reading for any modern woman or man who thinks seriously about Jewish theology in general and the question of Torah from heaven in particular.'Martin Lockshin, Canadian Jewish News'An important book for anyone grappling with traditional Judaism . . . stands with Marc Shapiro's The Limits of Orthodox Theology as a seminal work that delves into the richness of our heritage to show that there is more than one way of looking at core religious ideas . . . This book gives us a history of the issues and how different thinkers over the centuries have dealt with the challenges of the Torah. It is a major contribution.' Jeremy Rosen's blog'Judicious and erudite.' Lawrence Grossman, Jerusalem Post'A scholarly book, it is not written in a difficult style. And for a hardback of this print quality, it is a bargain. On one level, it is an invaluable source book on what he calls the “central doctrine” of Judaism.' Simon Rocker, Jewish Chronicle'In this refreshingly fair, sophisticated, and engaging analysis of the doctrine of Torah from Heaven (the Jewish belief in the inerrancy and divinity of scripture), Solomon surveys the history of Jewish biblical interpretation, and concludes that every prior conception of this doctrine is lacking in either intellectual honesty or in its capacity to foster religious conviction. [He] concludes that the only religiously meaningful and intellectually coherent conception of this notion is that of myth . . . can be read by members of any religion whose faith in scripture is challenged by modern archaeological, literary, and scientific evidence . . . The book is sorely needed in Orthodox circles; it should be required reading for all Jewish seminary students, and is highly recommended for any religious individual seeking to establish intellectually stable grounds for belief in the sanctity of scripture.' Daniel Goodman, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration Introduction Orientation Orientation Where I Come From - The Seduction of ‘True Belief’ - What Does It All Mean? - Philosophical Beginnings - Facing the Questions - Pulpit and Prejudice - Interfaith Dialogue - Academic Detachment? Part I Revelation Torah from Heaven: Growth of a Tradition 1 Holy Books What is ‘Torah’? - The ‘Sacred Canon’ - Why the Five Books are Special - Philo on Moses and the Ancestral Books - Conclusion 2 Two Torahs? Scripture and the Rabbis Divine Revelation: The Story - Mythic accounts of Torah - The Written Torah and the Oral Torah - Rules of Interpretation - Interpretation Against the Plain Meaning - Conclusion 3 Mystics and Kabbalists Pythagoras, Numerology, and the Book of Creation - Mystical Significance of the Mitzvot - Prophets after the Bible - Nahmanides (Ramban) the Mystic - Conclusion 4 The Great Chain of Being: Philosophers and Kabbalists Platonists and Aristotelians - The Ascent of the Soul - The Descent and the ‘Shells’ - Reasons for the Mitzvot - Conclusion 5 Maimonides: The ‘Classical’ Position Revelation as History - The Oral Torah - Torah and Dogma - Conclusion: Maimonides the Minimalist 6 Oral Torah: What Does It Contain? Does the Torah Teach Science? - The Torah of Kabbalists and Rationalists - Conclusion Summary of Part I Part II Attack The Counter-Tradition: Hard Questions 7 The Counter-Tradition The Alexandrians - Sadducees and Pharisees - Pagan Philosophical Critiques - Gnosticism - Later Developments - Conclusion 8 The Original Torah How Texts Were Written - Evidence of the Scrolls and the Ancient Versions - The Severus Scroll - Can the Original Text be Recovered? - The Masoretes - Rabbinic Responses to Textual Variation - Modern Editions of the Bible - Conclusion 9 Contradictions, Moral Problems, Factual Errors The Reconciling Hermeneutic - Interpreting Aggadah - Historical and Archaeological Problems - Moral Issues - Scientific Inaccuracy - Fantasy, Arbitrariness, Superstition - Conclusion 10 The Rise of Historical Criticism The Beginnings of Biblical Criticism - Deists and Sceptics - The Bible as Literature - From History to Myth - Source Theory - Archaeology - Higher Criticism = Higher Antisemitism? - Conclusion Summary of Part II Part III Defenders of the Faith Repairing the Breach: In Defence of Tradition 11 Defenders of the Faith What Must Be Defended - Ancient Wisdom Restored: The Renaissance - Jewish Bible Commentary Rekindled - Conclusion 12 The Transformation of Judaism: Interpretation, Interpretation, Interpretation Elijah, the ‘Vilna Gaon’ (1720–1799) - Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) - Torah— Mystical Code, or Source of Values? 13 Mendelssohn’s Influence I. S. Reggio (1784–1855) - S. D. Luzzatto (1800–1865) - Heinrich Graetz (1817–1891) - Umberto Cassuto (1883–1951) 14 Independents Jacob Zevi Mecklenburg (1785–1865) - Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–1888) - Meir Loeb ben Yehiel Michael Malbim (1809–1879) 15 In the Steps of the Gaon: Written and Oral Torah Are One N. Z. Y. Berlin (1816–1893) - Meir Simha Ha-Kohen of Dvinsk (1843–1926) - Barukh Ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1942) 16 Hoffman and German Orthodoxy David Hoffman (1843–1921) - Hayyim Hirschenson (1857–1935) - Benno Jacob (1862–1945) and A. S. Yahuda (1877–1951) - Isaac Breuer (1883–1946) - Yehiel Jacob Weinberg (1885–1966) - J. H. Hertz (1872–1946) Summary of Part III Part IV New Foundations Torah from Heaven: The Reconstruction of Belief 17 Non-Orthodox Reconstructions Moses Mendelssohn (1729–86): Revealed Legislation - S. L. Steinheim (1789–1866): Empiricist of Revelation - Samuel Holdheim (1806–1860) - Progressive Revelation: Krochmal, Formstecher, Hirsch, Cohen - Leo Baeck (1873–1956) - Martin Buber (1878–1965) - Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) - A. J. Heschel (1907–1972) - Emmanuel Levinas (1905/6-1995) - Review 18 Joseph Dov Soloveitchik and the a priori Torah The Hermeneutics of ‘Torah’ - Historical Criticism - The Oral Torah Problem - Conclusion 19 Feminist Critiques The Sinai Covenant - Language and Gender - Images of God - Equality before the Law - The Need for Change 20 Four Defences of Traditional Belief Halivni: The Maculate Torah - Jacobs: Liberal Supernaturalism - Kellner: Rejection of the Dogmatic Approach - Ross: Cumulative Revelation - Strengths of the Four Approaches 21 Divided by a Common Scripture The Reform Torah - The Orthodox Torah - The Conservative Torah - Go Compare Denominations Summary of Part IV Part V Torah from Heaven 22 Options Justifications - The Community: Costs and Benefits of Belief - The Individual: Costs and Benefits of Belief 23 What Is Truth? What Is Truth? - Excursus: Consistency and ‘Double Truth’ - In What Sense Is ‘Torah from Heaven’ True? - On ‘Narrative Theology’ - Conclusion. ‘Torah from Heaven’: A Myth of Origin 24 Myth of Origin: Opportunities and Dangers What ‘Torah from Heaven’ May Signify - History and Myth Do Not Conflict - ‘Torah from Heaven’: Uses and Abuses - Benefits of Understanding ‘Torah from Heaven’ as Mythos Rather than Logos - Dangers from Understanding ‘Torah from Heaven’ as Logos Rather than Mythos - Things That Worry People 25 Demography versus Reason: The Future of Jewish Religion Does Reason Matter? - ‘Authentic Judaism’ - Survival of the Fittest - Conclusion 26 Confronting Change A Meditation at the Mountains of Fire (January 2004) - Coming to Terms with Modernity - Intellectual Violence - Who Decides? - What I Have Dealt With - What I Have Not Dealt With Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTruth informs much of the self-understanding of religious believers. Accordingly, understanding what we mean by ‘truth’ is a key challenge to interreligious collaboration. The contributors to this volume, all leading scholars, consider what is meant by truth in classical and contemporary Jewish thought, and explore how making the notion of truth more nuanced can enable interfaith dialogue. Their essays take a range of approaches: some focus on philosophy proper, others on the intersection with the history of ideas, while others engage with the history of Jewish mysticism and thought. Together they open up the notion of truth in Jewish religious discourse and suggest ways in which upholding a notion of one’s religion as true may be reconciled with an appreciation of other faiths. By combining philosophical and theological thinking with concrete case studies, and discussion of precedents and textual resources within Judaism, the volume proposes new interpretations of the concept of truth, going beyond traditional exclusivist uses of the term. A key aim is to help Jews seeking dialogue with other religions to do so while remaining true to their own faith tradition: in pursuit of this, the volume concludes with suggestions of how the ideas presented can be applied in practice. CONTRIBUTORS: Cass Fisher, Jerome Yehuda Gellman, Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Avraham Yizhak (Arthur) Green, Stanislaw Krajewski, Tamar RossTrade Review'[Religious Truth] allows for a much more profound variety of interfaith dialogue than the mere comparison of doctrines. It allows a person belonging to one religion to appreciate (perhaps even ineffable) truths that are embodied in the lives of people belonging to another faith. [...] Goshen-Gottstein is to be congratulated for bringing these contributions together, for his insightful introduction, his own excellent chapter on the multiple possible meanings of Israel being a Kingdom of Priests, and his very helpful summary at the end of the book.' Samuel Lebens, Religious Studies "[Religious Truth] fleshes out a Judaic response to other faiths, with some contributors adapting ideas from the Chasidic masters."Simon Rocker, The Jewish Chronicle'[Religious Truth] is an extraordinary contribution to Comparative Theology ... displaying the richness of modern Jewish theological reflection as well as of Jewish contributions to and conceptualizations of Jewish / Christian theological dialogue.' Kurt Anders Richardson, Ecumenical TrendsTable of ContentsIntroduction. The Scope of Religious Truth: Project Overview - Alon Goshen-Gottstein1. Old-Fashioned Truth, Telic Truth, and Interreligious Understanding - Jerome Yehuda Gellman2. History and Truth in Religion - Stanislaw Krajewski3. The Cosmic Eye and Its Pupil: Divine Perfection and the Mediation of Universal and Particular Truth in Rabbinic Theology - Cass Fisher4. Da’at: Universalizing a Hasidic Value - Avraham Yizhak (Arthur) Green5. The Truth Beyond and Beyond Truth: Religious Truth in Teachings of the Breslav Tradition and Their Contemporary Interreligious Application - Alon Goshen-Gottstein6. The Cognitive Value of Religious Truth Statements: Rabbi A. I. Kook and Postmodernism - Tamar RossReligious Truth: A Process Summary - Alon Goshen-GottsteinBibliographyNotes on the ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisFinalist for Jordan Schnitzer Book Award for Philosophy and Jewish Thought 2023. This book untangles a web of ideas about politics, religion, exile, and community that emerged at a key moment in Jewish history and left a lasting mark on Jewish ideas. In the shadow of their former member Baruch Spinoza’s notoriety, and amid the aftermath of the Sabbatian messianic movement, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of seventeenth-century Amsterdam underwent a conceptual shift that led them to treat their self-governed diaspora community as a commonwealth. Preoccupied by the question of why and how Jews should rule themselves in the absence of a biblical or messianic sovereign state or king, they forged a creative synthesis of insights from early modern Christian politics and Jewish law and traditions to assess and argue over their formidable communal government. In so doing they shaped a proud new theopolitical self-understanding of their community as analogous to a Christian state. Through readings of rarely studied sermons, commentaries, polemics, administrative records, and architecture, Anne Albert shows that a concentrated period of public Jewish political discourse among the community’s leaders and thinkers led to the formation of a strong image of itself as a totalizing, state-like entity—an image that eventually came to define its portrayal by twentieth-century historians. Her study presents a new perspective on a Jewish population that has long fascinated readers, as well as new evidence of Jewish reactions to Spinoza and Sabbatianism, and analyses the first Jewish reckoning with modern western political concepts.Trade Review‘The author has very intelligently approached the important question of Dutch Sephardi communal political consciousness in the seventeenth century by examining the community’s constitution in the light of comments by a series of prominent lay leaders. She shows a good knowledge of the community sources and of the Spanish and Portuguese texts and provides a richly detailed analysis which is valuable and of considerable significance also in the context of other major Jewish communities in Western Europe, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. Her work considerably enriches our perspective.’Jonathan Israel, Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton ‘This work seeks to integrate three arenas that are usually dealt with separately: early modern European political thought, Portuguese-Jewish political and religious self-conceptualization, and Jewish messianism. The author is especially skilful in connecting the seventeenth-century Jewish authors she discusses with the concerns of modern and contemporary Jews.’ Miriam Bodian, University of Texas at Austin‘Albert draws on a wide variety of Jewish and non-Jewish religious and philosophical sources. Maimonides, Machiavelli, Justus Lipsius, Locke and Dutch republicans such as the de la Court brothers all make cameo appearances. She thereby provides us with a rich, original and illuminating perspective on this fascinating and consequential moment in Jewish history, which she justifiably regards as a ‘watershed’ moment in European political thought.’ Steven Nadler, Literary ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Community: The Constitution of the Kahal Kadosh2. Commonwealth: A New Notion of the Jewish Republic3. Civitas: Consolidation and Strife in the Sabbatian Era4. Covenant: Social Contract and Constitution in the Cross-Hairs5. Rabbis: Excommunication and Political Authority6. Politics: Exile and the Jewish Reason of State7. History: Narratives of Jewish Democracy and MonarchyConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTen Myths about the Jews analyzes the complex facets of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism in an accessible and easy-to-read format. Based on wide research, Brazilian historian Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro examines different manifestations against Jews and their faith through history and political culture along the centuries. Ten omnipresent accusations were configured by anti-Semites in axioms that became myths: Myth 1: The Jews killed Christ. Myth 2: The Jews are a secret entity. Myth 3: The Jews control the world economy. Myth 4: There are no poor Jews. Myth 5: The Jews are greedy. Myth 6: The Jews have no homeland. Myth 7: The Jews are racists. Myth 8: The Jews are parasites. Myth 9: The Jews control the media. Myth 10: The Jews manipulate the United States. Tucci Carneiro unmasks the roots of anti-Semitism and exposes contemporary prejudices. Her book is an invitation to reflect upon current realities marked by racism and shows how the main myths about the Jews have been vested of a verisimilitude that has persisted for the last 2000 years, all over the world, by means of hatred of the other, political/religious opportunism and economic deceit. The myths are kept alive by means of constant repetition and re-elaboration of a particular narrative, invariably seductive. The author proves each of the ten myths in terms of their historical record, their origins and purposes. Even though Jews are fully integrated into western society in multiple ways (entrepreneurship, medicine, literature, philosophy, the arts), racist myths against the community have been particularly resilient; they attempt to override common sense and their continuous circulation and rehashing through scapegoating and caricature has had profound negative repercussions for society as a whole. Ten Myths, now published in five languages, is an essential tool in the struggle against the discourse of racist hatred.

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Book SynopsisFew features have shaped east European Jewish history as much as the extent and continuity of Jewish self-rule. Offering a broad perspective, this volume explores the traditions, scope, limitations, and evolution of Jewish self-government in the Polish lands and beyond. Extensive autonomy and complex structures of civil and religious leadership were central features of the Jewish experience in this region, and this volume probes the emergence of such structures from the late medieval period onwards, looking at the legal position of the individual community and its role as a political actor. Chapters discuss the implementation of Jewish law and the role of the regional and national Jewish councils which were a remarkable feature of supra-communal representation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.The volume reflects on the interaction between Jewish legal traditions and state policies, and offers an in-depth analysis of the transformation of Jewish self-government under the impact of the partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the administrative principles of the Enlightenment. Co-operation between representatives of the Jewish and non-Jewish communities at the local level is discussed down to the interwar years, when Jewish self-government was considered both a cherished legacy of pre-partition autonomy and a threat to the modern nation state.Table of ContentsIntroduction - François Guesnet and Antony Polonsky PART I. THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD AND THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY The Transfer of Tradition from West to East: The ‘Takkanot Shum’ between Ashkenaz and Poland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period - Rainer Josef Barzen The Beginnings of Jewish Self-Government in Poland: An Entangled History - Jürgen Heyde The Emergence of Medinat Mehren: Establishing Jewish Supra-Communal Governance in Early Modern Moravia and Its Central European Contexts - Martin Borysek The Eastern European Pinkas Kahal: Form and Function - Adam Teller The Role of Legal Settlements in Developing Christian–Jewish Relations in Polish Towns and Cities - Hanna Węgrzynek Between the Council and the Town Hall: The Functioning of the Kahal in a New Town in the Seventeenth Century. The Case of Slutsk - Maria Cieśla Personal Composition of the Council of Four Lands, 1595–1764 - Judith Kalik The Activity of Jewish Self-Government Representatives at Sejmiki and the Sejm between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries - Anna Michalowska-Mycielska Permanent Crisis: The Decline of Territorial Jewish Self-Government in the Crown in the Seventeenth to Eighteenth Centuries - Adam Kaźmierczyk PART II. THE LONG NINETEENTH CENTURY Burying the Dead, Saving the Community: Jewish Burial Societies as Informal Centres of Jewish Self-Government - Cornelia Aust Did Jewish Self-Government Exist in the Kingdom of Poland between 1815 and 1915? - Artur Markowski ‘Masters of Their Own Offerings No More’: Jewish Perceptions of the Transformation of Jewish Self-Government in the Kingdom of Poland - François Guesnet Synagogues in the System of Jewish Self-Government in Tsarist Russia - Vladimir Levin Stewards of the City? Jews on Kraków City Council in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century - Hannah Kozińska-Witt Polish–Jewish Relations in the Municipal Council of the City of Lwów during the Period of Galician Autonomy, 1870–1914 - Łukasz Sroka PART III. FROM 1914 TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR ‘One of Them’ as ‘One of Us’: Jewish Demands of National Autonomy as a Tool to Achieve Civic Equality during the First World War - Marcos Silber The Struggle in the Polish Parliament for Jewish Autonomy and Jewish Self-Government - Szymon Rudnicki Jewish Involvement in Local Kehillot, the Sejm, and Municipalities in Interwar Poland - Antony Polonsky The End of Jewish Self-Governance: ‘Jewish National Councils’ in Soviet Belarus in the Interwar Period - Andrej Zamoiskii PART IV. NEW VIEWS A Disenchanted Elijah: The First World War, Conspiracy Theories, and Allegory in S. An-sky’s Destruction of Galicia - Marc Caplan The ‘Patriotic Left’ and the ‘Jewish Question’ at the Dawn of the Second Republic - Paul Brykczyński

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Book SynopsisFew features have shaped east European Jewish history as much as the extent and continuity of Jewish self-rule. Offering a broad perspective, this volume explores the traditions, scope, limitations, and evolution of Jewish self-government in the Polish lands and beyond. Extensive autonomy and complex structures of civil and religious leadership were central features of the Jewish experience in this region, and this volume probes the emergence of such structures from the late medieval period onwards, looking at the legal position of the individual community and its role as a political actor. Chapters discuss the implementation of Jewish law and the role of the regional and national Jewish councils which were a remarkable feature of supra-communal representation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.The volume reflects on the interaction between Jewish legal traditions and state policies, and offers an in-depth analysis of the transformation of Jewish self-government under the impact of the partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the administrative principles of the Enlightenment. Co-operation between representatives of the Jewish and non-Jewish communities at the local level is discussed down to the interwar years, when Jewish self-government was considered both a cherished legacy of pre-partition autonomy and a threat to the modern nation state.Table of ContentsIntroduction - François Guesnet and Antony Polonsky PART I. THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD AND THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY The Transfer of Tradition from West to East: The ‘Takkanot Shum’ between Ashkenaz and Poland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period - Rainer Josef Barzen The Beginnings of Jewish Self-Government in Poland: An Entangled History - Jürgen Heyde The Emergence of Medinat Mehren: Establishing Jewish Supra-Communal Governance in Early Modern Moravia and Its Central European Contexts - Martin Borysek The Eastern European Pinkas Kahal: Form and Function - Adam Teller The Role of Legal Settlements in Developing Christian–Jewish Relations in Polish Towns and Cities - Hanna Węgrzynek Between the Council and the Town Hall: The Functioning of the Kahal in a New Town in the Seventeenth Century. The Case of Slutsk - Maria Cieśla Personal Composition of the Council of Four Lands, 1595–1764 - Judith Kalik The Activity of Jewish Self-Government Representatives at Sejmiki and the Sejm between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries - Anna Michalowska-Mycielska Permanent Crisis: The Decline of Territorial Jewish Self-Government in the Crown in the Seventeenth to Eighteenth Centuries - Adam Kaźmierczyk PART II. THE LONG NINETEENTH CENTURY Burying the Dead, Saving the Community: Jewish Burial Societies as Informal Centres of Jewish Self-Government - Cornelia Aust Did Jewish Self-Government Exist in the Kingdom of Poland between 1815 and 1915? - Artur Markowski ‘Masters of Their Own Offerings No More’: Jewish Perceptions of the Transformation of Jewish Self-Government in the Kingdom of Poland - François Guesnet Synagogues in the System of Jewish Self-Government in Tsarist Russia - Vladimir Levin Stewards of the City? Jews on Kraków City Council in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century - Hannah Kozińska-Witt Polish–Jewish Relations in the Municipal Council of the City of Lwów during the Period of Galician Autonomy, 1870–1914 - Łukasz Sroka PART III. FROM 1914 TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR ‘One of Them’ as ‘One of Us’: Jewish Demands of National Autonomy as a Tool to Achieve Civic Equality during the First World War - Marcos Silber The Struggle in the Polish Parliament for Jewish Autonomy and Jewish Self-Government - Szymon Rudnicki Jewish Involvement in Local Kehillot, the Sejm, and Municipalities in Interwar Poland - Antony Polonsky The End of Jewish Self-Governance: ‘Jewish National Councils’ in Soviet Belarus in the Interwar Period - Andrej Zamoiskii PART IV. NEW VIEWS A Disenchanted Elijah: The First World War, Conspiracy Theories, and Allegory in S. An-sky’s Destruction of Galicia - Marc Caplan The ‘Patriotic Left’ and the ‘Jewish Question’ at the Dawn of the Second Republic - Paul Brykczyński

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Book SynopsisFinalist for The Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2023. A new paradigm for relations between religions, one of acceptance and collaboration, requires not only a willingness to move beyond a tradition of hostility and competition but also significant theological rethinking. Within Jewish Orthodoxy there have been very few voices that have advanced and justified a vision of other faiths in this light: to this day, the reigning paradigm is one of practical collaboration while avoiding theologically based engagement or reflection. Two of the most important Orthodox Jewish voices advocating change have been those of Irving Yitz Greenberg and Jonathan Sacks. This book presents the theological, moral, and social views of these two leading rabbis. It focuses on the significance of covenant for both, and how they adapt this concept to enable the development of a Jewish view of other religions. In considering how they may have influenced each other, it also studies the limitations and internal contradictions that characterize their work as they attempt to point the way forward, in a spirit of dialogue, to continuing theological reflection on Judaism’s approach to world religions.Trade Review‘Alon Goshen-Gottstein is unquestionably one of the leading Jewish practitioners and theorists of inter-faith dialogue. If this book is not yet Goshen-Gottstein’s own Jewish theology of world religions, it is nevertheless an important step towards that goal.’ Paul Franks, Professor of Philosophy, Yale University‘The time has come to equip contemporary Jews with the tools and analytics for interreligious discourse. This book will help realize this need, developing as it does the dimensions of difference as a major analytic and dialogical feature.’ Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Chicago‘Written with courage and great learning, this remarkable book argues for the importance of going beyond covenant theology to the notion of all human beings as created in the image of God as a basis for a truly positive relationship between individuals and their religions. It also serves as conspectus of contemporary Orthodox theology. Warmly recommended to all Jews who want to live in, and not only next to, the world around us.’ Menachem Kellner, Chair of Philosophy and Jewish Thought, Shalem College, Jerusalem‘Alon Goshen-Gottstein is one of the leading contemporary Jewish scholars and practitioners of interreligious dialogue. In this book he offers profound analysis and insight into the writings and thought of two of the most notable rabbinic personalities to emerge from Modern Orthodoxy. He highlights their commonalities and distinctions in a manner that provides much stimulation and enrichment, as well as providing a challenge ahead for Jewish theology.’ Rabbi David Rosen, KSG CBE, International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee‘We have here a detailed analysis of the thought of two renowned rabbis and theologians on the challenges faced by Orthodox Judaism in relating to other world religions. As a leader in interfaith work and an outstanding scholar in the field, Goshen-Gottstein is uniquely suited to tackle this provocative and timely topic.’ Marc Shapiro, Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies, University of Scranton‘This probing, respectful, and critical study articulates a pluralistic understanding of Judaism rooted in empathetic listening, personal friendships, and mutual theological cross-fertilization. Exceptionally clear and precise, this work is an excellent tool for those interested in interreligious dialogues.’ Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, Lowe Professor of Modern Judaism, Arizona State UniversityTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration Introduction Part I IRVING (YITZ) GREENBERG Covenant, Christianity, and World Religions 1 Introducing Irving Greenberg 2 Reading Religions: A God's Eye View 3 Confronting the Faith of Christians 4 Covenant: A Necessary Cornerstone of Greenberg's Thought? 5 Greenberg’s Theology: Reception and Evaluation 6 Interview with Irving Greenberg Part II JONATHAN SACKS Covenant, the Dignity of Difference, and Religious Pluralism 7 Introducing Jonathan Sacks 8 Covenant: Structuring Judaism, Structuring Human Relationships 9 The Dignity of Difference 10 Religious Pluralism 11 Viewing and Presenting Other Religions 12 What Is Dialogue for Sacks? 13 The Power of Religious Imagination and the Legacy of Sacks 14 Rowan Williams on Jonathan Sacks Part III Engaging with Greenberg and Sacks 15 A Comparative Appreciation 16 Jewish Theology of Religions: Continuing the Conversation Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the postmodern, relativist world-view with its refutation of a single, objective, and ultimate truth, it has become difficult if not impossible to argue in favour of one’s own beliefs as preferable to those of others. Miriam Feldmann Kaye’s pioneering study is one of the first English-language books to address Jewish theology from a postmodern perspective, probing the question of how Jewish theology has the potential to survive the postmodern onslaught that some see as heralding the collapse of religion. Basing her arguments on both philosophical and theological scholarship, Feldmann Kaye shows how postmodernism might actually be a resource for rejuvenating religion.Her response to the conception of theology and postmodernism as competing systems of thought is based on a close critical study of Rav Shagar (Shimon Gershon Rosenberg) and Tamar Ross. Rather than advocating postmodern ideas, she analyses their writings through the lens of the most radical of continental postmodern philosophers and cultural critics in order to offer a compelling theology compatible with that world-view. Whether the reader considers postmodernism to be inherently problematic or merely inconsequential, this study demonstrates why reconsidering these preconceptions is one of the most pressing issues in contemporary Jewish thought.Trade ReviewReviews ‘The flourishing of postmodern culture and the development of postmodern philosophy pose important and difficult challenges to Jewish thought, especially in their denial of the existence of a single objective and ultimate truth. The book initiates a multidisciplinary conversation between Jewish thought and Continental philosophy through confronting the outlook of theology with that of postmodernist thought.’ Makor Rishon 'Dr Miriam Feldmann Kaye’s book is an indispensable read for current Jewish theology. She deals with three crucial contemporary issues---community belief, language, and revelation---from a postmodernist perspective. However, you do not have to be a postmodernist (as I am not) to realize the urgent need for this book and to appreciate the brilliance of this defense for the flourishing of Jewish theology.'Jerome Yehuda Gellman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev'Dr Feldmann Kaye offers a detailed analysis of influential recent trends in Israeli thought associated with postmodernism. It will be an important companion for scholars and intellectuals, whether or not they believe that postmodernist thought advances a worthwhile theory of religious belief and commitment, or even that it provides an accurate diagnosis of our current situation.'Professor Shalom Carmy, Yeshiva University, New York'By subjecting Jewish discourse to the newest ideas in Western philosophy Miriam Feldmann Kaye offers a clear and enriching analysis of issues of fundamental concern and offers a constructive way forward.'Rabbi Professor Naftali Rothenberg, senior research fellow, The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute ‘Kaye has pulled off a tour de force in bridging philosophical and theological thinking by applying postmodern Western philosophy to Jewish religious discourse. She provides order, connects dots, and discerns patterns to a wide-ranging body of new trends, ideas, and texts associated with postmodernism.’ David B Levy, Association of Jewish Libraries'Jewish Theology is valuable both as a careful study of Ross and the Shagar, two voices whose contribution to the contemporary theological conversation is welcome, and also as an instructive and suggestive proposal for the future of postmodern Jewish theology.'Mark Randall James, Journal of Textual Reasoning‘The flourishing of postmodern culture and the development of postmodern philosophy pose important and difficult challenges to Jewish thought, especially in their denial of the existence of a single objective and ultimate truth. The book initiates a multidisciplinary conversation between Jewish thought and Continental philosophy through confronting the outlook of theology with that of postmodernist thought.’ Makor Rishon‘By subjecting Jewish discourse to the newest ideas in Western philosophy Miriam Feldmann Kaye offers a clear and enriching analysis of issues of fundamental concern and offers a constructive way forward. Rabbi Professor Naftali Rothenberg, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute‘Dr Miriam Feldmann Kaye’s book is an indispensable read for current Jewish theology. Kaye deals with three crucial contemporary issues: community belief, language, and revelation, from a postmodernist perspective. However, you do not have to be a postmodernist (as I am not) to realize the urgent need for this book and to appreciate the brilliance of this defense for the flourishing of Jewish theology.’Jerome Yehuda Gellman, Emeritus, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Culture2. Language3. Revelation in a Postmodern Age4. Conclusions BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth and multifaceted investigation of how Polish Jews, Polish Zionism, and Polish culture influenced Israel’s cultural and political development, as well as of how the Zionist project influenced Jewish life in Poland. From its inception as a political movement, Zionism had as its main goal the creation of a ‘New Jew’ who could contribute to building a Jewish state, preferably in the historic homeland of the Jewish people, where Jews would free themselves from the negative characteristics which, in the view of the ideologues of Zionism, had developed in the diaspora. Yet, inevitably, those who settled in Palestine brought with them considerable cultural baggage. A substantial proportion of them came from the Polish lands, and their presence significantly affected the political and cultural life of the Yishuv, and later the State of Israel. In this volume, scholars from Israel, Poland and elsewhere in Europe, and North America explore different aspects of this influence, as well as the continuing relationship between Israel and Poland, up to the present day.Table of ContentsIntroduction Israel Bartal, François Guesnet, Antony Polonsky, and Scott Ury I. Before Zionism Hasidic Communities in the Land of Israel in the Nineteenth Century Uriel Gellman Polish Distinctiveness in Jerusalem, Congress Poland, and Western Prussia in the Nineteenth Century Yochai Ben-Ghedalia II. From the Beginnings of Zionism to the Second World War Between Attraction and Repulsion, Disaster and Hope: Jews, Poland, and the Land of Israel before 1948 Łukasz Tomasz Sroka Zionism in Poland, Poland in Zionism Anna Landau-Czajka The Fourth Aliyah and the Fulfilment of Zionism in the Land of Israel Meir Chazan Nalewki Street in Tel Aviv? The Political Heritage of East European Jewry in the Yishuv and the State of Israel Gershon Bacon Between Tłomackie 13, Warsaw, and Kaplan 2, Tel Aviv: The Role of the East European Jewish Press in Shaping Israeli Journalism Ela Bauer Jewish Politics Without Borders: How Ben-Gurion Won the Elections to the Zionist Congress of 1933 Rona Yona A Bridge between West and East: Polish Economic Policy and the Yishuv Katarzyna Dziekan Palestine for the Third Time: Ksawery Pruszyński and the Emergence of Israel Wiesław Powaga III. From the War to the Israeli Declaration of Independence Imagined Motherland: Zionism in Poland after the Holocaust Natalia Aleksiun Between Hostility and Intimacy: Christian and Jewish Polish Citizens in the USSR, Iran, and Palestine Mikhal Dekel Mordecai Tsanin: Yiddish Orphanhood in Israel and Afterlife in Poland Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska IV. From Israeli Independence to the End of Communism Art and Society between Poland and Israel: The Life and Work of Henryk Hechtkopf Hanna Lerner Yom-Tov Levinsky, Jewish Ritual, and Exile in Israeli Culture Adi Sherzer Israel Expunged: Communist Censorship of the Polish Catholic Press, 1945–1989 Bożena Szaynok Homeland, State, and Language: The Integration of Polish Jews into Israel Elżbieta Kossewska The Polish Exodus of 1968: Antisemitism, Dropouts, and Re-emigrants in Nowiny i Kurier Miri Freilich V. From the End of Communism to Today Home as a Place of No Return: Journeys to Poland in the Writings of Child Survivors and the Second and Third Generations Efraim Sicher Israelis? Poles? Blurring the Boundaries of Identity in Contemporary Israeli Literature Shoshana Ronen Other Family Stories: The Third Post-Holocaust Generation’s Journey to Poland Jagoda Budzik Neuland, or the Displacement of an Ideal: Israel in the Work of Eshkol Nevo Alina Molisak Israel and Poland Confront Holocaust Memory Yifat Gutman and Elazar Barkan Index**

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Book SynopsisOrthodox Jewish women are increasingly seeking new ways to express themselves religiously, and important changes have occurred in consequence in their self-definition and the part they play in the religious life of their communities. Drawing on surveys and interviews across different Orthodox groups in London, as well as on the author’s own experience of active participation over many years, this is a thoroughly researched study that analyses its findings in the context of related developments in Israel and the USA. Sympathetic attention is given to women’s creativity and sophistication as they struggle to develop new modes of expression that will let their voices be heard; at the same time, the inevitable points of conflict with the male-dominated religious establishment are examined and explained. There is a focus, too, on the impact of innovations in ritual: these include not only the creation of women-only spaces and women’s participation in public practices traditionally reserved for men, but also new personal practices often acquired on study visits to Israel which are replacing traditions learned from family members. This is a much-needed study of how new norms of lived religion have emerged in London, influenced by both the rise of feminism and the backlash against it, and also by women’s new understanding of their religious roles.Trade Review'Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz's in-depth study of the religious experience of Orthodox women raises questions for the rabbinic establishment... an important new book.'Simon Rocker, The Jewish Chronicle'Taylor-Guthartz's precise academic writing, interwoven with her own personal knowledge and experience of the community, gives the women represented here agency and authority, exemplifying how traditional groups and practices do not exist at odds with the modern world, or even in parallel, but rather as an integral part of it, adding rich diversity and colour to the pattern of Jewish life today. This is a timely and important treatise, reflecting modern feminist values and shining a light on a previously unexamined segment of the community.'Noa Gendler, Jewish Renaissance'Challenge and Conformity opens up for our understanding a subject of immense importance to Judaism and the Jewish community. The religious lives of Orthodox women is a topic that has previously attracted little research. Taylor-Guthartz approaches it with academic skill and real empathy for the women she interviews and their communities. We learn of the great variety of women’s beliefs, customs and practices that are spread across the Orthodox Jewish world and, through Taylor-Guthartz’s eyes, we gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Jewish life that might otherwise have remained hidden.'Neville Teller, The Jerusalem Post‘Challenge and Conformity serves as a rich chronicle of Orthodox British womanhood and the challenge of creating uniquely female Jewish spaces. It is well rooted in history, community context, and robust ethnographic data and will be helpful to bridge the lacuna on British scholarship of religious practices of Jewish women.’ Ilana C. Spencer, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Studying Jewish WomenThe Double Invisibility of Orthodox Jewish WomenThe Scope of Women’s Religious LivesOverlapping Worlds I: The Intersection of Men’s and Women’s Religious LivesOverlapping Worlds II: Living in Jewish and Western ContextsPower and Patriarchy: Do Orthodox Women Have Agency? 2. Setting the Scene: The Jewish LandscapeJews in London: Historical BackgroundCommunity, Communities, Networks, and IdentityThe Development of British Orthodoxy and the British Jewish LandscapeJewish Religious Topography TodayChanging Moods among British Jewish WomenDefining Terms: Talking about the Anglo-Jewish CommunityPrevious Research on British Orthodox Women 3. The View from the Ladies’ Gallery: Women’s ‘Official’ Life in the CommunityWomen and the SynagogueThe Changing Place of Women in Other Communal Arenas 4. Contested Prayers and Powerful Blessings: Women’s ‘Unofficial’ Life in the CommunityCreating Sacred SpacesNuturing the CommunityNew Developments: Sharing the Sacred with Men 5. Women’s ‘Official’ Life in the FamilyThe SabbathFood and KashrutPassoverMikveh and ‘Family Purity’ModestyVisiting the DeadPrayer and Relationship with God 6. Red Threads and Amulets: Women’s ‘Unofficial’ Life in the FamilyQuestioning the Community: Limitations and CaveatsDefinitions and Status of PracticesTesting Stereotypes and AssumptionsWhat Customs Are Practised?Who Practises These Customs?Age as a Factor in Knowledge and Performance of CustomsOrigins and DevelopmentThe Question of ‘Magic’Women’s Understanding of Customs and Practices Conclusion Appendices: Background Data Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSomething crucial and quite unprecedented happened to kabbalah in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Though it had previously been considered a highly secretive and esoteric tradition, its practitioners began to spread its doctrines throughout the Jewish world with missionary zeal. Their goal was ambitious: no less than the remodelling of the religious and ethical attitudes of the entire Jewish population, a reformation of Judaism. Few aspects of Jewish life and religious practice were not changed as a result of the spread of kabbalah. These innovations originated mainly in the city of Safed in Galilee. They were introduced by kabbalistic adepts, but would not have gained broad acceptance if they had not made sense to people in terms of their everyday lives. The kabbalistic corpus that emerged should thus be interpreted not just as the elaboration of a secretive literary tradition, but as a response to the needs of Jewish society in its manifest historical context. In addition, Roni Weinstein argues, these kabbalistic innovations were partly a response to changes in the Catholic world-view, revealing an intimate link with Counter-Reformation Catholicism that is explored here for the first time. The religious and political changes taking place in contemporary Ottoman settings also contributed to these changes. The effect of these developments on Jewish culture was nothing short of revolutionary, deeply affecting people’s lives at the time and also laying the foundations for change in future generations. Yet they were not presented as revolutionary: the early modern kabbalists understood that they would only succeed in spreading their message if they presented their doctrines as the natural continuation of what went before. Weinstein’s sociological reading of mystical texts encompasses a number of methodological innovations, including the need to consider the impact of the non-Jewish environment in the fashioning of Jewish texts. He sees the emergence of ‘Jewish modernity’ as the result of developments that were intrinsically Jewish rather than as a response to outside influences during the Enlightenment; controversially, he therefore places its origins in the Mediterranean world of the late sixteenth century rather than in eighteenth-century Berlin. His argument is based on a wide range of Jewish sources—including theological tracts, kabbalistic and ethical literature, hagiographies, mystical diaries, halakhic rulings and responsa, and community and confraternal regulations—as well as the testimonies non-Jewish travellers, and Catholic religious literature. This stimulating new reading of the development of kabbalistic texts and practices opens a new chapter in the understanding of Jewish modernity. The Hebrew edition of this book was awarded the Goren-Gottstein Prize for the Best Book in Jewish Thought 2010–2012.Trade ReviewReviews 'A significant, provocative contribution to the literature.' S.T. Katz, Choice'A truly impressive impressive of original and seminal scholarship . . . extraordinarily informative, exceptionally well-written, organized, and presented, making it unreservedly recommended for both academia as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.' Midwest Book Review‘Roni Weinstein challenges the common assumption that the kabbalistic world-view owes its popularity to its theological and metaphysical content. Rather, he argues, the social context of kabbalistic thought is at least as significant. Weinstein has written an exciting and groundbreaking book which raises important new questions. If he is correct, his book is a landmark breakthrough.’ From the citation for the Goren-Gottstein Prize for the Best Book in Jewish Thought 2010–2012‘Weinstein brings a totally fresh approach to the subject . . . his understanding of kabbalistic texts as a window into the cultural, social, and psychological realities of the beginning of the modern period . . . enables them to be perceived, for the first time, in the wider context of early modern Mediterranean society . . . From this perspective, the kabbalistic texts developed in Safed are not so much the continuation of an earlier tradition but a response to the process of modernization that dominated the period in a way that changed every reality. . . . Weinstein’s explanation of why it was that kabbalah developed in the time and place that it did is convincing . . . Overflowing with original ideas, his work offers a breakthrough that can be considered revolutionary. His connecting the development of kabbalah to the development of modernity makes this a very modern book. . . . eminently readable because it contextualizes palpable human concerns within the broad intellectual panorama of the times rather than limiting itself to the confines of “kabbalah studies” or “Jewish thought”.’ Jonathan Garb Zion'This book is essential for understanding early modern Jewish religious thought and would be a valuable addendum for studies on the broader impact of early modern movements in Christianity. The English is polished and no previous knowledge of kabbalah is necessary for full comprehension. The concise text is rich in content and stimulating in its broad outlook. This study is not only a useful tool for crosscultural comparisons but it itself is a model for such a study. It could only be written by a person who has mastery both in early modern history and in early modern thought both Jewish and general. Luckily, the author meets these requirements and the result is a model monograph.' Shaul Stampfer, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration Introduction: A Social Historian Looks at Early Modern Kabbalah 1 A New God: The Theological Innovation 2 Like Giants on the Shoulders of Dwarfs: The Rise of the Jewish Saint 3 Religious Confraternities 4 ‘From my body I shall envision God’: The Body and Sexuality 5 Sin and Repentance: The Jewish Confession 6 Another God. Catholic Tradition in Safed Kabbalah: The Sephardi--Conversos Link 7 Summary: Kabbalah of Safed and Modernity Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNational Jewish Book Awards 2019 Winner of the Barbara Dobkin Award for Women’s Studies and Finalist for Education and Jewish Identity.Sarah Schenirer is one of the unsung heroes of twentieth-century Orthodox Judaism. The Bais Yaakov schools she founded in interwar Poland had an unparalleled impact on a traditional Jewish society threatened by assimilation and modernity, educating a generation of girls to take an active part in their community. The movement grew at an astonishing pace, expanding to include high schools, teacher seminaries, summer programmes, vocational schools, and youth movements, in Poland and beyond; it continues to flourish throughout the Jewish diaspora.Naomi Seidman explores the movement through the tensions that characterized it, capturing its complexity as a revolution in the name of tradition. She presents the context which led to its founding, examining the impact of socialism, feminism, Zionism, and Polish electoral politics on the process, and recounts its history, from its foundation in interwar Kraków to its near-destruction in the Holocaust, and its role in the reconstruction of Orthodoxy in subsequent decades.A vivid portrait of Schenirer shines through. The book includes selections from her writings published in English for the first time. Her pioneering, determined character remains the subject of debate in a culture that still regards innovation, female initiative, and women’s Torah study with suspicion.Trade ReviewFascinating new book ... Seidman is one of the most interesting scholars working in Jewish studies today.'Rokhl Kafrissen, Tablet Magazine'Professor Seidman recounts stories, legends, and myths about Schenirer. Here is a towering figure, a revolutionary who changed Jewish Orthodoxy, but who also embodied the values that tradition associated with femininity: simplicity, humbleness, and maternal care… We have empirical proof: Bais Yaakov gave birth to many ethically engaged, Jewish-educated women, among them, Naomi Seidman, author, scholar, and feminist.'Brian Horowitz, H-Judaic'[Sarah Schenirer and the Bais Yaakov Movement] serves as an important first major study of a figure and a movement that marked a significant shift in the position of Orthodox women… Seidman writes with passion, scholarship, and lucid prose.' Jackie Rosensweig, Tradition'Seidman’s study brings women’s voices back to the centre of the history of Orthodoxy. Much of the reason that women have been overlooked in the study of Orthodoxy has been the subjects that scholars and fields of study define as worthy of attention. As Seidman’s study reveals there is an abundance of data and archives to present a full—not simply a male—history of Orthodoxy.' Eliyahu Stern, Shofar'By combining her thoughtful monograph with a full translation of Schenirer’s available Yiddish writings, Seidman has made these important documents widely available in English for the first time… her nuanced portrait will only encourage other scholars to delve further into the many unanswered questions surrounding a movement that she has amply and subtly shown to be “a revolution in the name of tradition.”' Eliyana R. Adler, Shofar'An extremely valuable aspect of the book is its broad context, which allows the reader to see Schenirer’s work against the background of the changes taking place at that time not only within Orthodox Judaism itself but also in the emergent feminist, socialist, Zionist, and Yiddishist movements.' Joanna Lisek, Shofar'Sarah Schenirer and the Bais Yaakov Movement, which so many have been waiting for, does not disappoint. Only after seeing how significant Sarah Schenirer was can we both wonder why it took so long for a rigorous study of Bais Yaakov to appear, and realise how appreciative we have to be to Seidman for removing the veil of hagiography from this subject.' Marc B. Shapiro, Shofar'Naomi Seidman’s book fills a void in the study of modern Jewish history… This book is a building block in the future research of Orthodoxy and opens new frontiers for scholarship.'Ilan Fuchs, The Lehrhaus'Naomi Seidman is uniquely qualified to write the definitive biography of Sarah Schenirer... Seidman portrays Schenirer as a learned, charismatic educator, worthy of being taken seriously in the field of modern Jewish thought... I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Jewish women’s education or allied fields.'Debbie Weissman, NashimTable of ContentsIntroductionPART ONE. Reading Bais Yaakov1. ‘In a Place Where There Are No Men’: Before Bais Yaakov2. ‘A New Thing that Our Ancestors Never Imagined’: Beginnings (1917–1924)3. ‘Building Bais Yaakov’: Institution and Charisma4. ‘So Shall You Say to the House of Jacob’: Forging the Discourse of Bais Yaakov5. ‘A New Kind of Woman’: Bais Yaakov as Traditionalist Revolution‘Bais Yaakov, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord’: Destruction and Rebirth PART TWO. Collected Writings of Sarah SchenirerI. Pages from My LifeII. Bais Yaakov and Bnos Agudath IsraelIII. The Jewish YearIV. Jewish Women’s Lives: The Sacred Obligations of the Jewish WomanV. Ten Letters to Jewish ChildrenVI. A Letter from Mrs Schenirer, May Peace Be Upon HerVII. With Perseverance and Faith: From Kraków to New York AppendicesA. Sarah Schenirer’s DiaryB. Sarah Schenirer’s Family TreeC. Map of Sarah Schenirer’s KrakówD. Maps of Bais Yaakov Schools, 1935E. The Bnos Agudath Israel Anthem BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn analysis of the nature of apocalyptic and millennial beliefs that reveals concerns prominent in England in the early seventeenth century had not abated after 1660. Revelation Restored is a study of apocalyptic thought in the later seventeenth century in England. It explores an under-examined aspect of early modern British history: despite the prominence of millenarian beliefs in historians' explanations of the early modern English church and state up to 1660, little has been said about these convictions in the years following the Restoration. The examination of applications of prophetic language and interpretation to explain the events in England from 1660 to 1700 illustrates their continued capacity to comprehend ecclesiastical and political developments. The book demonstrates that, far from having disappeared from the intellectual landscape, apocalyptic ideas still held the potential to animate opinions in the mainstream of political debate in the later seventeenth century. These responses were outlets both for demonstrations of dissent and for endorsements of authorised powers in response to crises in authority and efforts at religious settlement. In addition, this book contends that any strict periodization that segregates the concerns of early seventeenth-century England fromthose of the later seventeenth century has been too sharply drawn. Analysis of the nature of apocalyptic and millennial beliefs reveals that the concerns prominent in England in the early seventeenth century had not abated after1660. WARREN JOHNSTON is an Assistant Professor at Algoma University in Ontario, Canada.Trade ReviewA significant new contribution to the historiography of the Restoration period, and of English eschatological thought more generally. * ANNUAL BULLETIN OF HISTORICAL LITERATURE *[A] detailed and worthy study. * SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY NEWS *Exhaustive and persuasive. * ARCHIVES *A very informative book [that] provides a gold mine of texts and analyses of their meanings. * RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW *A convincing, engaging and meticulously researched study. [...] It admirably fills a significant gap in early modern scholarship. * BAPTIST QUARTERLY, vol. 45, July 2013 *A very good book. [...] Not only an important contribution to a vibrant debate but a welcome historiographical bridge, enabling students to assess the continuities and discontinuities of eighteenth-century English apocalypticism with those of the entire seventeenth century. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *An admirably balanced and comprehensive survey of apocalyptic thought. * JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *Table of ContentsIntroduction Conventions in Restoration apocalyptic interpretation The apocalypse, radicalism, and reaction in the early Restoration The apocalypse and moderate nonconformity The Anglican apocalypse The Popish Plot and apocalyptic expectation Apocalyptic thought and the Revolution of 1688-89 Conclusion: the apocalypse to 1700

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Book SynopsisPenitential practice in the Holy Roman Empire 900-1050, examined through records in church law, the liturgy, monastic and other sources. This study examines all forms of penitential practice in the Holy Roman Empire under the Ottonian and Salian Reich, c.900 - c.1050. This crucial period in the history of penance, falling between the Carolingians' codification of public and private penance, and the promotion of the practice of confession in the thirteenth century, has largely been ignored by historians. Tracing the varieties of penitential practice recorded in church law, the liturgy, monastic practice, narrative and documentary sources, Dr Hamilton's book argues that many of the changes previously attributed to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries can be found earlier in the tenth and early eleventh centuries. Whilst acknowledging that there was a degree of continuity from the Carolingian period, she asserts that the period should be seen as having its own dynamic. Investigating the sources for penitential practice by genre, sheacknowledges the prescriptive bias of many of them and points ways around the problem in order to establish the reality of practice in this area at this time. This book thus studies the Church in action in the tenth and eleventhcenturies, the reality of relations between churchmen, and between churchmen and the laity, as well as the nature of clerical aspirations. It examines the legacy left by the Carolingian reformers and contributes to our understanding of pre-Gregorian mentalities in the period before the late eleventh-century reforms. SARAH HAMILTON teaches in the Department of History, University of Exeter.Trade ReviewRichly documented study. * CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW *Stimulating study changing our perceptions of medieval penance. * HISTORY *A thoroughly researched book, well documenetd and with many thought-provoking ideas, and it deserves a warm welcome. * SPECULUM *

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Book SynopsisIlluminating the development and character of Scottish Protestantism, The Culture of Controversy proposes new ways of understanding religion and politics in early modern Scotland. The Culture of Controversy investigates arguments about religion in Scotland from the Restoration to the death of Queen Anne and outlines a new model for thinking about collective disagreement in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century societies. Rejecting teleological concepts of the 'public sphere', the book instead analyses religious debates in terms of a distinctively early modern 'culture of controversy'. This culture was less rational and less urbanised than the public sphere. Traditional means of communication such as preaching and manuscript circulation were more important than newspapers and coffeehouses. As well as verbal forms of discourse, controversial culture was characterised by actions, rituals and gestures. People from all social ranks and all regions of Scotland were involved in religious arguments, but popular participation remained of questionable legitimacy. Through its detailedand innovative examination of the arguments raging between and within Scotland's main religious groups, the presbyterians and episcopalians, over such issues as Church government, state oaths and nonconformity, The Culture ofControversy reveals hitherto unexamined debates about religious enthusiasm, worship and clerical hypocrisy. It also illustrates the changing nature of the fault line between the presbyterians and episcopalians and contextualises the emerging issues of religious toleration and articulate irreligion. Illuminating the development and character of Scottish Protestantism, The Culture of Controversy proposes new ways of understanding religion and politics in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Scotland and will be particularly valuable to all those with an interest in early modern British history. Alasdair Raffe is Lecturer in History at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne.Trade Review[A] fascinating and insightful study, which offers many vignettes of early modern Scottish religious controversy whilst making a real contribution to a better understanding of the situation of the Scottish churches in this period. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY *An impeccably researched and stimulating account of religious dispute in Scotland from 1660 to 1714, and it will be essential reading for future scholars of Scottish religion in the period. * SCOTTISH ARCHIVES *Raffe's book, much like the impassioned and truculent debates that form the focus of his study, should in turn generate new debates centred on religious pluralism, toleration, scepticism and irreligion. * HISTORY SCOTLAND *An extremely impressive debut book by a scholar whose future work will be keenly anticipated by all those interested in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Britain. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *A very well-researched and clearly presented study of polemics during the period. * JOURNAL OF IRISH AND SCOTTISH STUDIES *Deeply researched and exceedingly well written.an important contribution. . A must-read for those interested in religion and public debate in Scotland under the later Stuarts. * JOURNAL OF SCOTTISH HISTORICAL STUDIES *This is an outstanding book. [It] is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the religious issues that exercised Scots in the half century after 1660. * JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *Table of ContentsThe Culture of Controversy Religious Groups and Cultures The Covenants and Conscientious Dissent Persecution Fanatics and Enthusiasts Clerical Reputations Nonconformity Crowd Violence Conclusion: Concepts and Consequences

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Book SynopsisThe first modern translation of one of the most influential books to come from the middle ages. The Gilte Legende was widely read as a model for everyday life, including the education of women through examples set by early Christian martyrs. This book divides the lives of female saints into: the "ryght hooly virgins",who vocally defend their bodies against Roman persecution; "holy mothers", who give up their traditional role to pursue a life of contemplation; the "repentant sinners", who convert and voice their defiance against a society thatdemanded silence in women; and the "holy transvestites", who cast off their gender identity to find absolution and salvation. Their lives reach through the ages to speak to a modern audience, forcing a re-examination of women's roles in the medieval period. LARISSA TRACY is Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University and George Mason University. Series editor JANE CHANCETrade Review[The author] is to be commended for her effort to make these important and interesting legends accessible to a wider audience. * ANGLIA *

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Book SynopsisFeatures: Investigates the significance, contribution, and role played by the State of Israel -- ideologically and practically -- in the identity of Diaspora Jews; Explores the extent and way Israel features in Diaspora identity through a range of issues including: anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, Jewish continuity and Israel visits, the peace process, pro-Israel lobbying, philanthropy, religious thought and gender; Examines the place of Israel in the identity of Jewish communities in eight countries and amongst the Israeli Diaspora; A unique feature of this volume is that each chapter is followed by short and insightful viewpoints by Israeli and Diaspora commentators, with the book reflecting a dialogue between these different voices from across the Jewish world.Trade Review"...a thought-provoking collection of essays in an interesting, effective arrangement...Recommeded for academic and research libraries, as well as other libraries with collections on Israel and the Diaspora." -- Ilya Silbar Margoshes, University of Regina, SK Canada, in Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, May/June 2008."...a thought-provoking collection of essays in an interesting, effective arrangement...Recommended for academic and research libraries, as well as other libraries with collections on Israel and the Diaspora." -- Ilya Silbar Margoshes, University of Regina, SK Canada, in Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, May/June 2008.Table of ContentsPart I: ISSUES & THEMES -- Introduction: World Jewry, Identity and Israel; The New Anti-Semitism, Jewish Identity and the Question of Zionism; Jewish Continuity and Israel Visits; Israel in Orthodox Identity: The American Experience; Conservative Judaism, Zionism and Israel: Commitments and Ambivalences; The Place of Israel in the Identity of Reform Jews: Examining the Spectrum of Passive Identification with Israel to Active Jewish--Zionist; The Jewish Left, Jewish Identity, Zionism and Israel Attitudes to the Palestinian Intifada; The Changing Identity of American Jews, Israel and the Peace Process; Israels Foreign and Defence Policy and Diaspora Jewish Identity; Gender and Israel in Diaspora Jewish Identity; The Place of Israel in the Identity of Israelis in the Diaspora: An Ethnographic Exploration. Part II: COUNTRIES AND REGIONS -- Canada; Great Britain; Latin America; France; Australia; United States of America; South Africa; Russia. CONCLUSION -- Israel in Diaspora Jewish Identity; Glossary; Contributors; Index.

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Book SynopsisThe horrific acts of anti-Western and anti-Jewish terrorism carried out by Muslim fanatics during the last decades have been labelled by politicians, religious leaders and scholars as a "Clash of Civilizations". However, as the contributors to this book set out to explain, these acts cannot be considered an Islamic onslaught on Judeo-Christian Civilisation. While the hostile ideas, words and deeds perpetrated by individual supporters among the three monotheistic civilisations cannot be ignored, history has demonstrated a more positive, constructive, albeit complex, relationship among Muslim, Christians and Jews during medieval and modern times. For long periods of time they shared divine and human values, co-operated in cultural, economic and political fields, and influenced one another's thinking. This book examines religious and historical themes of these three civilising religions, the impact of education on their interrelationship, the problem of Jerusalem, as well as contemporary interfaith relations. Noted scholars and theologians -- Jewish, Christian and Muslim -- from the United States, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey contribute to this book, the theme of which was first presented at an international conference organised by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the Divinity School, Harvard University.

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Book SynopsisManifestations of hatred of Jews and Israel have risen over the last few decades in the Arab and Muslim world. This hatred is demonstrated in many ways -- from propaganda to terrorism. But is such hatred the result of Islamic anti-Semitism, as widely claimed? Or does it have other roots and reasons? This book sets the record straight by explaining that while anti-Semitism is the credo of fanatic groups and regimes, such an attitude is not representative of traditional and contemporary Islam. For centuries Muslim attitudes to Jews were ambivalent: contempt and antagonism alongside tolerance and co-operation. In fact Jews under Islam were better off than their Christian neighbours, and much better off than their Jewish brethren under Christianity. A similar pattern of relations has developed over the last several decades between Muslim nations and the Jewish state of Israel: hostility and violence, mostly by Muslim Arabs, but also dialogue and co-operation by and with many other Muslims. These complex relations are discussed here by Muslim and Jewish scholars -- from Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the USA, Palestine and Turkey -- who analyse the religious, cultural, political and economic factors that have shaped Muslim attitudes to Jews and Israel. Ideas and suggestions are put forward to improve Muslim-Jewish relations -- the theme of which was first conceived at an international conference organised by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the Divinity School, Harvard University.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction by Moshe Ma'oz; Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism; The Image of the Jew/Zionist/Israeli in the Arab World; The Breakdown of Arab-Israeli Peace: Research from Remote, Reciprocal Stereotypes & Anti-Normalization - The Case of Jordan; Islam & the Question of Peace with Israel: Jad al-Haqqs Fatwa Permitting Egypts 1979 Peace Treaty with Israel; Saudi Arabia & Israel: The Essence of Strategic Pragmatism; Myth, History & Realpolitik: Morocco & its Jewish Community; Babylon versus Zion: Changing Iraqi Perceptions of Israel; Azerbaijani Public Perceptions of Jews & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Turkish Policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Dancing in the Dark: Pulling the Veil off Israeli-Pakistan Relations; Indian Muslims & the Three Js: Jews, Jerusalem & the Jewish State; Indonesian Muslims Perceptions of Jews & Israel; African Islam: Its Attitudes towards Israel & Judaism; "The Triangle": Europeans, Muslims, Jews; An Examination of Current Attitudes of Muslim Americans Toward Jews, Israel & Jerusalem; Index.

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Book SynopsisFrom 1642 to 1654 Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was the hakham (Torah scholar) and spiritual leader of the oldest Jewish community in the New World. As a Hebrew grammarian, a poet, and a mystic, as well as an excellent and very popular preacher, Aboab da Fonseca (born 1605) was not only one of the most interesting Jewish personalities of the seventeenth century, but his writings are an invaluable historical resource with regard to many aspects of Jewish life in Dutch Colonial Brazil, the local attitudes towards Jews, and corroboration of events outlined in contemporary literary sources. His forebears were so-called New Christians, having undergone compulsory conversion to Catholicism in Portugal. In order to be able to live freely as professing Jews, the family moved in about 1612 to Amsterdam. There, Hakham Isaac Uziel of Fez became his Talmud teacher; among his colleagues was Menasseh Ben Israel. In 1638 he was confirmed as one of the four hakhamim of the new congregation Talmud Torah of Amsterdam. In 1641/42 he accepted the nomination for hakham of the growing Jewish community in Recife, Brazil, where he was in charge of all rabbinical functions and gave lectures in Talmud and Hebrew. In the interim he wrote the Hebrew grammar Melekhet ha-Dikduk, published here in translation for the first time. Aboab da Fonseca enjoyed a few prosperous years until the Portuguese rebellion caused the economic ruin of the Jews of Dutch Brazil. His salary much reduced, he nevertheless remained to lead and help his people until the occupation of Recife by Brazilian-Portuguese troops on January 26, 1654. Upon returning to Amsterdam, his inclination toward mysticism made him one of the leading believers in the false messiah Shabbetai Zvi. But his writing and scholarship remained undiminished: In 1646 he wrote Zekher asiti leniflaot El, in which he described events in Dutch Brazil after the outbreak of the war; he also published a Hebrew translation of the Spanish cabbalistic works of Abraham Cohen Herrera, Casa de Dios y Puerta del Cielo, under the title Shaar ha-Shamayim (The Gate of Heaven). This first scholarly monograph on Isaac Aboab da Fonseca and his intellectual and spiritual contributions, includes discussion of his commentary on the Pentateuch entitled Parafrasis Comentada sobre el Pentateuco, as well as a consideration of Aboab's involvement in the ban of Spinoza.Trade Review‘In this study, Moisés Orfali poses the question of what can be learned from this episode and the role Aboab played about leadership in times of crisis… This book is a welcome contribution to our knowledge of the Jewish communities of the early modern New World, and Orfali can be recommended to have undertaken this important job.’ Daniël Metz, Studia Rosenthaliana

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Book SynopsisManifestations of hatred of Jews and Israel have risen over the last few decades in the Arab and Muslim world. This hatred is demonstrated in many ways -- from propaganda to terrorism. But is such hatred the result of Islamic anti-Semitism, as widely claimed? Or does it have other roots and reasons? This book sets the record straight by explaining that while anti-Semitism is the credo of fanatic groups and regimes, such an attitude is not representative of traditional and contemporary Islam. For centuries Muslim attitudes to Jews were ambivalent: contempt and antagonism alongside tolerance and co-operation. In fact Jews under Islam were better off than their Christian neighbours, and much better off than their Jewish brethren under Christianity. A similar pattern of relations has developed over the last several decades between Muslim nations and the Jewish state of Israel: hostility and violence, mostly by Muslim Arabs, but also dialogue and co-operation by and with many other Muslims. These complex relations are discussed here by Muslim and Jewish scholars -- from Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the USA, Palestine and Turkey -- who analyse the religious, cultural, political and economic factors that have shaped Muslim attitudes to Jews and Israel. Ideas and suggestions are put forward to improve Muslim-Jewish relations -- the theme of which was first conceived at an international conference organised by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the Divinity School, Harvard University.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction by Moshe Ma'oz; Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism; The Image of the Jew/Zionist/Israeli in the Arab World; The Breakdown of Arab-Israeli Peace: Research from Remote, Reciprocal Stereotypes & Anti-Normalization - The Case of Jordan; Islam & the Question of Peace with Israel: Jad al-Haqqs Fatwa Permitting Egypts 1979 Peace Treaty with Israel; Saudi Arabia & Israel: The Essence of Strategic Pragmatism; Myth, History & Realpolitik: Morocco & its Jewish Community; Babylon versus Zion: Changing Iraqi Perceptions of Israel; Azerbaijani Public Perceptions of Jews & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Turkish Policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Dancing in the Dark: Pulling the Veil off Israeli-Pakistan Relations; Indian Muslims & the Three Js: Jews, Jerusalem & the Jewish State; Indonesian Muslims Perceptions of Jews & Israel; African Islam: Its Attitudes towards Israel & Judaism; "The Triangle": Europeans, Muslims, Jews; An Examination of Current Attitudes of Muslim Americans Toward Jews, Israel & Jerusalem; Index.

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Book SynopsisPhilip Gold, an accomplished writer, journalist, scholar, wandered forty years before returning to the Judaism he'd left behind. But he didn't return so much as bring back the seeds of a new kind of Judaism with him. YOM KIPPUR PARTY GOODS is much more than a personal tale, a memoir of pain and seeking told with humor and grace. It's also for everyone who's tired of going hungry in the supermarket of modern spirituality, who finds (over) organized religion irrelevant or distasteful, and who is looking to find - or create - something personal that might also speak to others. You don't have to be Jewish to read this or need this. Just be a human being who wants something more. For yourself For your world. For your God.

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Book SynopsisRepresenting four centuries of collecting and 1,000 years of Jewish history, this book brings together extraordinary Hebrew manuscripts and rare books from the Bodleian Library and Oxford colleges. Highlights of the collections include a fragment of Maimonides’ autograph draft of the 'Mishneh Torah'; the earliest dated fragment of the Talmud, exquisitely illuminated manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible; stunning festival prayerbooks and one of the oldest surviving Jewish seals in England. Lavishly illustrated essays by experts in the field bring to life the outstanding works contained in the collections, as well as the personalities and diverse motivations of their original collectors, who include Archbishop William Laud, John Selden, Edward Pococke, Robert Huntington, Matteo Canonici, Benjamin Kennicott and Rabbi David Oppenheim. Saved for posterity by religious scholarship, intellectual rivalry and political ambition, these extraordinary collections also bear witness to the consumption and circulation of knowledge across the centuries, forming a social and cultural history of objects moved across borders, from person to person. Together, they offer a fascinating journey through Jewish intellectual and social history from the tenth century onwards.Trade Review"Jewish Treasures from Oxford Libraries [is] a handsome volume of coffee-table size. . . . After the shuttering of physical libraries during the pandemic, and as library budgets continue to shrink, it is right and good to remember the debt of gratitude we owe the great libraries and librarians for preserving our historical treasures—not to mention all those who brought this fine book into being." * Jewish Review of Books *"Today, one of the greatest collections of Jewish books in the world happens to reside in the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford. Although the library’s two largest bequests of Hebrew books came from Jewish collectors, many of the most precious Hebrew manuscripts were donated or sold to the Bodleian by Christian collectors. . . . In the most fascinating feature of Jewish Treasures­—a feature never before attempted in a comparable volume about a collection of Jewish books—each of the work’s seven central chapters relates the story of one of the Bodleian’s Hebrew collections and, even more interestingly, the career of the collector behind it." * Mosaic Magazine *"A gorgeous book... Organized by chapters telling the stories of their Jewish and more often Christian collectors, it discusses, and shows in many beautiful plates, the greatest Jewish items in the Bodleian Library and Oxford colleges’ libraries. The editors, Rebecca Abrams and Cesar Merchan-Hamann, combine Western history,Jewish history, art history, and Oxford history in this beautiful and fascinating book." -- Elliott Abrams * Mosaic Magazine *Table of ContentsLibrarian's Foreword Richard Ovenden Preface Martin J. Gross Introduction to the Bodleian Library & College Collections César Merchán-Hamann Chapter 1 The Laud Collection Giles Mandelbrote Chapter 2 The Pococke Collection Benjamin Williams Chapter 3 The Huntington Collection Simon Mills and César Merchán-Hamann Chapter 4 The Kennicott Collection Theo Dunkelgrün Chapter 5 The Canonici Collection Dorit Raines Chapter 6 The Oppenheim Collection Joshua Teplitsky Chapter 7 The Michael Collection Saverio Campanini Chapter 8 The Genizah Collection Nadio Vidro Chapter 9 The College Library Collections Rahel Fronda From Collectors to Readers Piet van Boxel Notes Further Reading Contributors Picture Credits Index

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Book SynopsisAn examination of typology about place in relation to the Virgin Mary. This book takes a fresh look at some of the seemingly tired images of the Virgin Mary across the medieval and early Golden Age period in Hispanic literatures. It explores the Virgin as a gateway and as a Temple, as a garden and asa fountain, as a scented space, and as a strong defensive place (fortress or castle wall). It also explores her as a home and as a nuptial bedchamber, and sets these images in the context of known liturgical usage in medieval andearly modern Spain. LESLEY TWOMEY is Professor of Medieval and Golden Age Art and Literature at Northumbria University. She is the author of several books about peninsular Marian literature.Trade ReviewTwomey's readings are illuminating as commentaries on the works under scrutiny and as examples of a creative methodology, an approach that interprets space as a medium of characterization. * CHOICE *The study's strong suit is the broadly-based comparative analysis of themes, symbols, and imagery associated with the Virgin Mary in a wide range of sources that enriches our understanding of standard poetic representations. Twomey's range expands our canonical concept of medieval literature and makes clear the importance of reading the literature that we know from critical editions in a much wider context of writing from the Middle Ages. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Sacred Spaces and Places: Constructing the Virgin Mary in Hispanic Literature A Feast of Miracles: Foreign Places, Foreign Spaces in Hispanic Miracle Collections Hortus conclusus?: Virginity and Fruitful Space in Gonzalo de Berceo's Los Milagros de Nuestra Señora Holding and Reflecting the Water of Life in Gonzalo de Berceo's 'fuent': Wellsprings and Fountains as a Figure of the Virgin Fountains and their Architecture: Situating Fountains in the Poetry of the Marqués de Santillana and Other Fifteenth-Century Poets The Temple Gate, the Lions' Den, and the Furnace: Liminal Space in Gonzalo de Berceo's Marian Poetry Re-evaluating the Temple of God, the Tabernacle, the Ark, and the Reliquary in Late-Medieval Poetry Home is where the Heart is: Christ's Dwelling-Place from Gonzalo de Berceo's Loores de Nuestra Señora to the Vita Christi of Isabel de Villena Mary as a Strong Defence: the Protective Space of the Virgin Mary from Alfonso X's Cantigas de Santa Maria to Jaume Roig's Siege Engine 'Más olías que ambargris': Perfumed Spaces and the Virgin in Fray Ambrosio Montesino's Poetry Afterword Appendix: Marian Hymns in Hispanic Liturgies Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis Hyam Maccoby's now classic study focuses on the major Jewish—Christian disputations of medieval Europe: those of Paris (1240), Barcelona (1263), and Tortosa (1413–14). It examines the content of these theological confrontations with a sense of present-day relevance, while also discussing the use made of scriptural proof-texts. Part I provides a general thematic consideration of the three disputations and their social and historical background. Part II is a complete translation of the account of the Barcelona Disputation written by Nahmanides, one of the greatest figures in the history of Jewish learning, and was Jewish spokesman at the disputation. Part III contains Jewish and Christian accounts of the Paris and Tortosa disputations. A new introduction reviews the relevant literature that has been published since the original edition appeared.Trade Review'A classic text of three famous disputations ... When the book first appeared in 1982 it received much praise, and it certainly deserves the new paperback edition which has now been brought out.'European Judaism'For those coming to this book for the first time, Judaism on Trial is a fascinating and gripping account; for students, it has enough material to bear re-reading and studying in depth. Its strength is not only that it is a most scholastic and erudite work, but that it makes compulsive reading. We await his further works with anticipation and excitement.'Alan Orchover, Jewish Book News & Reviews'Maccoby has rendered an important service in making their salient features available in English. ... certainly not only for scholars in that Maccoby has blended this learning with an exposition of the issues involved that is accessible to the layman. Both Jew and Christian will learn much from the records of these confrontations, which are important in Jewish history.'Lionel Kochan, Jewish Chronicle'A superb work of committed scholarship ... Judaism on Trial is a work full of interest to those already familiar with the material it contains, and compelling reading for those who are not. Maccoby has done a fine job in recapturing the intellectual and social drama of the confrontations. ... Altogether an impressive addition to the already outstanding Littman Library of Jewish Civilization.'Jonathan Sacks, Jewish Journal of Sociology'Prefaced by a most competent introduction ... should be obligatory reading for both the student of Jewish history and the intelligent layman not only because of its literary and expositional merits, which are considerable, but because it highlights an important stratagem of the medieval Church in its attempts to convert contemporary Jewry to the dominant faith.'Sydney Leperer, Le'elaTable of ContentsIntroduction to the paperback editionAdditional bibliographyList of abbreviationsIntroductionPart 1 The Three Disputations: General Considerations1 The Paris Disputation, 12402 The Barcelona Disputation, 12633 The Vikuah: Textual Considerations4 Biographical Notes on the Chief Persons Present at Barcelona5 The Tortosa Disputation, 1413-14Part 2 The Barcelona Disputation: Texts6 Introductory Note on the Vikuah7 The Vikuah of Nahmanides: Translation and Commentary8 The Christian Account of the Barcelona DisputationPart 3 The Paris and Tortosa Disputations: Texts9 The Vikuah of R. Yehiel of Paris: A Paraphrase10 The Christian Account of the Paris Disputation11 A Hebrew Account of the Tortosa Disputation12 The Christian Account of the Tortosa DisputationNotesBibliographyGeneral indexIndex of quotations

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Book SynopsisThe Zohar is the fundamental work of Jewish mysticism. Isaiah Tishby’s classic and definitive Wisdom of the Zohar makes the world of the Zohar available to the English-speaking reader in all its complexity and poetry. The extended extracts are arranged by topic, each section being prefaced by introductory explanations and accompanied by copious notes. There is also a General Introduction on the complex symbolism of the Zohar and on its historical and literary background. The scholarly value of David Goldstein’s acclaimed translation is enhanced by an index expanded to include references to passages cited in the introduction and notes, and by the addition of a subject index and an index of biblical references. Isaiah Tishby was awarded the Bialik Prize 1972, the Israel Prize 1979, and the Rothschild Prize 1982, mainly for his work on The Wisdom of the Zohar. David Goldstein was awarded the Webber Prize 1987 for this translation.Trade Review‘We thought we had understood the Zohar but Tishby showed us the mystical level, and we never read the Zohar the same way again. . . . Now the splendour of the Book of Splendour is available for all to see. The masterful work of Tishby has been complemented by a masterful translation by Goldstein. . . . This work is a solid step into a substantial and new view of what religion is about; it should be a part of every scholarly library, in religion as well as in Jewish studies.’ - David R. Blumenthal, Journal of the American Academy of Religion‘. . . extensive and erudite introductions to every section of this magnum opus . . . [Tishby’s] introductory essays, as well as his annotations to the passages in these three volumes, demonstrate his vast erudition and comprehension of Kabbalistic theology and literature and thereby introduce the reader into the realms of Kabbalah hitherto inaccessible except to a coterie of scholars. The comprehensive bibliography, select glossary, an index of references to the Zohar, as well as an index of Scriptural references to the texts of this anthology, enhance our appreciation of this tour de force which deserves to adorn the bookshelf of the intelligent layman and the serious student.’- S. B. Leperer, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies‘Excellent English translation . . . We are presented not only with the best available English translation of large sections of the Zohar but with an extensive, informed running commentary . . . a brilliant introduction that situates the Zohar in its historical and theological context . . . with an extensive, informed running commentary that for the first time really makes the arcane, esoteric, Zoharic text available. In addition Tishby has provided an excellent introduction . . . Every library of any size and quality should add this work to its collection.’- S. P. Katz, Choice‘In many ways the crowning achievement of the Littman Library.’- Samuel H. Dresner, Conservative Judaism‘An indispensable guide . . . stylishly and accurately translated . . . The bewildering diversity of the Zoharic literature is made manageable by the arrangement of the most important passages as an anthology under subject headings, while the lucid notes and introductions to each section by Isaiah Tishby throw light on even the most obscure passages.’- Hyam Maccoby, European Judaism‘An elegant English translation . . . [Tishby’s] work on Jewish mysticism opened up new paths and helped to establish it as a focus of scholarship.’- Hyam Maccoby, The Independent (from his obituary of Tishby)‘This superb addition to the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization comes already garlanded with awards . . . These three volumes deserve, and demand, serious and committed study, equal to the enormous dedication and devotion that went into their production. We must be grateful to all concerned in opening this mysterious Jewish world to a wider audience.’- Jonathan Magonet, Jewish Chronicle‘Makes possible, for the English-speaking reader, the study of a broad selection of texts from the Zohar thematically arranged and set in the context of a systematic exploration of their conceptual background. It is a work greatly to be welcomed . . . there has long been a need for such a work. . . . We should be grateful to David Goldstein for his decade of labour of love and to Louis Littman and the Littman Library for having the courage and commitment to support such a task . . . each passage is well-footnoted, the great achievement of this project being to provide a guide for the uninitiated to the rich symbolism and metaphoric reference of the text . . . There is something immensely rich and fertile about the text and texture of the work which has always been of broad appeal. . . . David Goldstein’s translation reads beautifully. Fortunately, he has added additional explanations, when necessary, to the notes . . . There can be no doubt that The Wisdom of the Zohar affords the English-speaking reader a far deeper entry into the subject than was previously available. . . . This translation . . . must place him among the best translators of our time . . . The Wisdom of the Zohar is therefore evidence that [Louis Littman’s] vision of a Library of Jewish Civilization of a standard of excellence will not be forsaken.’- Jonathan Wittenberg, Jewish Quarterly‘For over thirty years, Isaiah Tishby’s study of the Zohar has been hailed as a classic, a landmark in modern Hebrew letters. Beautifully written and deeply learned, it has opened the recondite world of the Zohar to more than a generation of Hebrew readers. Thus, the appearance of the long-awaited English translation is a cause for celebration . . . its mysterious power remains largely intact . . . The Zohar . . . is the richest, most imaginative work in the annals of Jewish mysticism . . . Tishby’s selection of primary sources is exemplary, and the commentaries to them, lucid . . . the unusually fine, exacting translation . . . the English reader remains in Goldstein’s debt. Excellent indices have been provided, as well as an updated bibliography. . . . essential reading for anyone seeking to plumb critically the depths of the Jewish mystical tradition . . . this is a classic about a classic.’- Elliott Ginsburg, Journal of Religion‘Its three-volume English translation now, for the first time, puts the Zohar truly at the disposal of students coming from other disciplines concerned with religious mysticism who appreciate the importance of treating the Jewish material seriously. . . . it is a monumental achievement . . . Goldstein’s sensitive English version is a great convenience . . . the service to scholarship of the Littman Library in making it available.’- Raphael Loewe, L’Eylah‘La Littman Library of Jewish Civilization ajoute à sa panoplie d’études juives un des classiques des recherches modernes sur la mystique . . . sera . . . un élément indispensable à la bibliographie de tout étudiant de la mystique . . . la tradition anglaise, aussi érudite qu’élégante . . . cette série prestigieuse.’- Paul Fenton, Revue des Études Juives‘An essential aid for understanding the text of the Zohar, and Goldstein, the Littman Library . . . have done us a great service in making it available in English translation . . . any library which claims to cover Judaism and mysticism will have to have a copy of this book.’- A. P. HaymanTable of ContentsVOLUME I Special Preface to the Translator's Introduction Translator's Introduction Preface to Hebrew Volume I, First Edition Preface to Hebrew Volume II GENERAL INTRODUCTION I The Structure and Literary Form of the Zohar The Various Sections * The Characteristics of the Zohar * The Narrative Framework II The Publication and Influence of the Zohar The Testimony of Rabbi Isaac of Acre * Verification of the Evidence * The Sanctity of the Zohar III The History of Zohar Scholarship Early Criticism * Christian Kabbalah and Rabbi Judah Aryeh Modena * The Sabbatean Movement and Rabbi Jacob Emden * Zohar Scholarship in the Enlightenment Period * Later Studies of the Zohar IV Zohar Criticism Indecisive Arguments * The Foundations of Zohar Criticism * Evidence for the Antiquity of the Zohar V Various Solutions Later Redaction * Composition over a Long Period of Time * Composition in the Thirteenth Century * Unresolved Questions VI Printed Editions, Manuscripts, Translations, and Commentaries Printed Editions of the Zohar * Zohar Manuscripts * Translations of the Zohar * Zohar Commentaries PRELIMINARIES: EVENTS AND PERSONALITIES 1 The Greatness of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai 2 The Teaching of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai 3 The Angel of Death Put to Flight 4 Miracles: The Plantation of Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair 5 The Righteous Man of his Time: Annulling the Decrees I 6 The Righteous Man of his Time: Annulling the Decrees II 7 Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai and his Generation I 8 Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai and his Generation II 9 Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai and his Generation III 10 Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai and Rabbi Eleazar in the Cave 11 The Emergence from the Cave 12 The Entry into the Great Assembly 13 The Exit from the Great Assembly 14 The Illness of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai 15 Revelation of Mysteries before his Departure 16 The Departure of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai 17 After the Death of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai 18 In the Celestial Academy 19 Rav Hamnuna Sava 20 The Old Man of Mishpatim 21 The Child 22 Rabbi Eliezer the Great PART I THE GODHEAD Section I En-Sof and the World of Emanation Introduction The Mystery of the Godhead * En-Sof and the Order of the Sefirot * Dualism and Unity * En-Sof and Keter * En-Sof in the Raya Mehemna and the Tikkunei ha-Zohar 1 En-Sof and Ayin (Nothing) 2 Cause above All Causes 3 En-Sof beyond All Perception 4 The Conduct of the World through the Sefirot 5 Soul and Body 6 Essence and Vessels 7 Acts of En-Sof Section II Sefirot Introduction The Nature and Function of the Sefirot * The Process of Emanation * The Paths of Symbolism * An Array of Symbols 1 The Process of Emanation 2 The Chain of the Sefirot 3 Straight Line 4 The Unification of the Sefirot through the Mystery of the Light of the Lamp 5 Colours and Light 6 The Lights of Thought 7 Thought, Voice, and Speech I 8 Thought, Voice, and Speech II 9 Thought and Understanding 10 Gates 11 Mi-Eleh-Elohim 12 The Death of the Kings 13 Atika Kadisha and Ze'ir Anpin 14 The White Head and the Strong Skull 15 The Countenance of the King 16 Father and Mother, Son and Daughter 17 The Letter Yod 18 The Letters Yod, He, Vav 19 Names of God 20 Patriarchs 21 Firmaments 22 Firmaments, Streams, and Sea 23 The Streets of the River 24 The Jubilee and the Year of Release 25 The Hills of the World 26 The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge I 27 The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge II 28 The Written Torah and the Oral Torah 29 Heaven and Earth, Day and Night 30 Zion and Jerusalem 31 The Holy One, Blessed be He, and the Assembly of Israel 32 The Arousal of Love 33 The Mystery of the Kiss 34 Intercourse 35 Love and Jealousy Section III Shekhinah Introduction The Character and Situation of the Shekhinah * Cutting and Separation * The Attribute of Judgment and its Relationship to 'the Other Side' * The Mother of the World and the Assembly of Israel * The Exile of the Shekhinah 1 The House of the World 2 A Lily 3 A Rose and a Lily 4 A Well 5 A Hind 6 A Woman of Worth 7 Zedek (Righteousness) 8 The Agent of the Holy One, Blessed be He 9 Gate 10 The Door of the Tent 11 A Continual Burnt-Offering 12 Moon 13 The Diminution of the Moon 14 The Shape of the Moon 15 States of the Moon 16 The Destruction of the Temple 17 The Casting-down of the Shekhinah 18 The Dismissal of the Queen 19 The Mourning of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the Angels 20 Separation 21 In Exile 22 Longing 23 The Shekhinah, Above and Below 24 In the Land of Israel and outside the Land 25 The Darkened Light 26 Joy and Sorrow 27 Surety 28 In the Street of the Tanners Section IV Influence and Direction Introduction Dynamic Direction * The Tension and Balancing of Opposites 1 Influence from Atika Kadisha 2 The Upper Mother and the Lower Mother 3 Feeding the Upper and the Lower Worlds 4 Blessing 5 Righteousness 6 Watering 7 The Eyes of the Lord 8 Direction on Weekdays and on the Sabbath 9 Acceptable Time 10 Atonement for Sin 11 The Presence of God in the Worlds 12 The Concealed Light 13 The Primal Light 14 The Renewal of the Work of Creation VOLUME II PART II THE OTHER SIDE Section I The Forces of Uncleanness Introduction Good and Evil * The Dualistic Tendency * Restrictions on Dualism * The Emergence of Evil * The Domain of Husks * Mythological Images 1 The Array of Powers 2 The Sefirot of Uncleanness 3 Seven Breaths 4 Pharaoh's Dreams 5 Tohu and Bohu (Waste and Void) 6 Red and Black 7 Light and Darkness 8 Four Husks 9 Shells and Kingdoms 10 The Shells of the Nut 11 Kernel and Shell 12 The Precedence of the Shell 13 The Rule of the Shells 14 Death and the Shadow of Death 15 Snake 16 Monster 17 Monsters 18 The Ox, the Ass, and the Dog Section II The Activity of 'the Other Side' Introduction 1 The Seduction of the Snake in the Upper Worlds 2 The Four Primary Causes of Injury 3 The Infertility of 'the Other Side' 4 Repulsing 'the Other Side' 5 Accusation 6 Appeasing 'the Other Side' I 7 Appeasing 'the Other Side' II 8 Preliminaries to Action 9 Night 10 The Crevice of the Great Deep 11 Deceiving the Sinners 12 Good Days and Evil Days Section III Demons and Spirits Introduction 1 The Desert 2 The Yemim in the Desert 3 Blemished Creatures I 4 Blemished Creatures II 5 Samael and Lilith 6 Lilith in the Cities of the Sea 7 Lilith, the Infant-slayer 8 Naamah, Mother of Demons 9 Naamah and Lilith 10 The Spirit of Uncleanness 11 The Arousal of the Spirit of Uncleanness 12 The Rout of the Demons PART III CREATION Section I The Account of Creation Introduction The Process of Creation * The System of the Worlds 1 Forty-two Letters 2 The Letters of the Alphabet 3 Fire, Water, and Spirit 4 The Design of the Worlds 5 The Upper World and the Lower World 6 The Pillars of the World 7 The Foundation Stone I 8 The Foundation Stone II 9 Creatio ex Nihilo 10 Potentiality and Actuality 11 Different Kinds 12 Heaven and Earth I 13 Heaven and Earth II 14 Heaven and Earth III 15 Lights 16 Conflict and Division 17 Upper and Lower Worlds 18 Sea and Dry Land 19 The Completion of Creation 20 The Hidden Light 21 The Chain of the Generations Section II The Account of the Chariot Introduction 1 The Halls 2 The Throne of Glory 3 The Angels that Bear the Throne 4 The Creatures of the Chariot 5 Creatures and Wheels 6 Hashmal I 7 Hashmal II 8 Four Rivers Section III Angels Introduction The Role of the Angels * Metatron and the Nefilim 1 The Nature of the Angels 2 The Creation and Destruction of the Angels 3 The Melody of the Cherubim's Wings 4 The Song of the Angels I 5 The Song of the Angels II 6 The Song of the Angels III 7 Messengers I 8 Messengers II 9 Metatron 10 The Tabernacle of Metatron 11 Four Angels 12 Michael and Gabriel 13 Uriel 14 Boel 15 Uzza and Azael Section IV The Natural World Introduction 1 Firmaments and Lands 2 Deeps 3 The Sun I 4 The Sun II 5 The Song of the Stars 6 The Stars and the Control of the World 7 The Activity of the Stars 8 The Seven Planets 9 The Comet 10 The Snake in the Firmament 11 The Rainbow 12 The Sea's Pride 13 Evening and Morning 14 Morning 15 The Hind of the Dawn 16 Trees and Herbs 17 The Mystery of the Echo PART IV THE DOCTRINE OF MAN Section I The Three Souls Introduction The Nature and Status of Man * The Tripartite Soul * The Origin of the Different Parts of the Soul * The Preexistence of the Soul * The Theory of the Soul in Midrash ha-Ne'elam 1 The Storehouse of Souls 2 Neshamah and Nefesh Hayyah 3 The Parts of the Soul and their Function 4 The Unity of Neshamah, Ruah, and Nefesh 5 Neshamah, Ruah, and Nefesh and their Different Levels 6 The Three Parts of the Soul as a Model of the Upper Glory 7 The Birth of the Souls 8 The Life of the Souls in the Upper World 9 The Form of the Souls 10 The Soul's Oath 11 The Descent of the Spirit into the Body from the Garden of Eden 12 The Purpose of the Soul's Descent Section II Body and Soul Introduction The Descent of the Soul * Blemished Souls * Body and Soul and Man's Inclinations * The Theory of the Image 1 The Elements in Man 2 The Origin of the Soul and the Origin of the Body 3 The Movement of the Body through the Power of the Soul 4 The Light of the Soul in the Body 5 Man's Likeness 6 The Images of Man 7 The Liver and the Heart 8 The Brain, the Heart, and the Liver 9 The Structure of the Human Body 10 The Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination 11 The Soul, the Body, and the Evil Inclination 12 The Power of Desire 13 The Wiles of the Evil Inclination 14 The Evil Inclination as God's Agent Section III Sleep and Dreams Introduction 1 Sleep, a Sixtieth Part of Death 2 Entrusting the Soul to the Tree of Death 3 The Ascent of the Soul during Sleep 4 The Soul is Judged during Sleep 5 The Dreams of the Wicked and the Dreams of the Righteous 6 Good and Evil in Dreams 7 Dream and Prophecy 8 The Song of the Souls at Night 9 The Renewal of the Soul in the Morning Section IV Death Introduction 1 This World: the Twinkling of an Eye 2 Remembering the Day of Death 3 Thirty Days before Death 4 Illness and Death 5 There is no Death without Sin 6 The Soul Renders Account at the Time of Death 7 The Departure of the Soul 8 Covering the Eyes of the Dead 9 The Prohibition of Delaying the Burial 10 Death at an Early Age 11 The Death of the Righteous and the Death of the Wicked 12 Death in the Holy Land and Death outside the Holy Land 13 The Spirits of the Dead VOLUME III PART V SACRED WORSHIP Section I The Tabernacle and the Temple Introduction The Mysteries of the Tabernacle and the Temple * The Mystery of the Sacrifices * Sitra Ahra's Share of the Sacrifices * Offerings as Symbols 1 The Building of the Tabernacle 2 The Tabernacle and the Temple 3 The Table and the Showbread 4 The Breastplate and the Ephod 5 The Effect of the Gold Plate 6 The Ritual Performed by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement 7 The Whole-offering 8 Sacrifices and Libations 9 Red and White in Sacrificial Offerings 10 The Altar-fire Destroys Evil 11 Incense 12 Priests Are Prohibited from Drinking Wine 13 The Priests, The Levites, and Israel Section II Prayer and Devotion Introduction 'Worship in the Heart' before the Zohar * The Zohar's Understanding of 'Worship in the Heart' * The Mystical Significance of the Statutory Prayers * Fear of God, Love of God, and Communion 1 The Synagogue 2 The Quorum of Ten: Minyan 3 Morning and Afternoon Prayer 4 The Mystery of Unification through the Recital of the Shema 5 The Eighteen Benedictions 6 The Kedushah 7 Prostration 8 The Reading of the Torah 9 Confession 10 Prayer and Sacrifice 11 Praying Silently 12 From the Depths 13 The Cry of the Heart 14 The Prayer of the Poor 15 The Value of Kavvanah in Prayer 16 The Ascent of the Shekhinah through Prayer 17 The Activity of Prayer and its Reward 18 The Knowledge of God 19 Fear and Love 20 Fear and Joy 21 Gladness and Sorrow 22 Cleaving with Love 23 Servants and Sons Section III Torah Introduction Literal and Hidden Meanings in the Torah * Attitudes toward the Torah in the Raya Mehemna and the Tikkunei ha-Zohar 1 The Torah Sustains the World 2 The Narratives of the Torah 3 The Bodies of the Torah, and the Soul of the Torah 4 Original Interpretations of Torah 5 The Level of Mystical Knowledge 6 Halakhic Studies 7 Studying Torah at Midnight 8 The Study of Torah for its Own Sake 9 Sin Does Not Extinguish Torah 10 Those Who Support the Torah 11 The Scholars and the Unlearned Section IV Commandments: Positive and Introduction 1 The Ten Commandments 2 The Covenant of Circumcision 3 The Observance of Circumcision 4 Zizit 5 Tefillin 6 Mezuzah 7 Charity 8 Oaths and Vows 9 The Taking of God's Name in Vain 10 Forbidden Sexual Relations 11 Driving Away the Shekhinah 12 Mixed Kinds 13 Forbidden Foods 14 Gentile Wine 15 The Value of Deeds Section V Sabbath and Festivals Introduction The Sabbath * The Festivals 1 Importance of the Sabbath 2 Welcoming the Sabbath 3 Sabbath Delight 4 The Sabbath Meals 5 The Additional Soul 6 Havdalah at the Close of the Sabbath 7 The New Year 8 The Day of Atonement 9 Receiving Guests in the Sukkah 10 The Four Species 11 The Passover 12 Narrating the Exodus from Egypt 13 Tikkun Leyl Shavuot 14 Festival Joy and Sabbath Joy 15 Sharing Festival Joy with the Poor PART VI PRACTICAL LIFE Section I Morality Introduction 1 Humility 2 The Modesty of Jewish Women 3 Trust 4 Repaying Evil with Good 5 Hospitality 6 Pride 7 The Arrogance of Rulers 8 Anger 9 Evil Speech 10 Miserliness 11 Drunkenness 12 Wisdom and Folly 13 Delivering a Rebuke Section II Conjugal Life Introduction 1 Male and Female Souls 2 The Commandment of Procreation 3 Assuring One's Livelihood before Marriage 4 The Good Woman and the Evil Woman 5 Conjugal Manners 6 Sexual Intercourse by the Sages on Sabbath Eve 7 The Sanctification of Intercourse 8 Intercourse of the Righteous with the Shekhinah 9 Alien Thoughts during Intercourse 10 Attracting a Soul from Sitra Ahra 11 The Merit of Having Virtuous Children Section III The Righteous and the Wicked Introduction The Terms Zaddik and Rasha before the Zohar * The Righteous and the Wicked in the Main Body of the Zohar * The Righteous and the Wicked in the Raya Mehemna and the Tikkunei ha-Zohar 1 The Righteous, the Wicked, and the Intermediate 2 The Mixed Multitude 3 The Sins of the Rich and the Sins of the Poor 4 The Sins of the Wicked and the Sins of the Righteous 5 Marks of Sin on the Face 6 Defending the Wicked 7 Testing the Righteous and Bearing with the Wicked 8 This World Is for the Wicked, and the Next World is for the Righteous 9 The Element of Fear in the Trust of the Righteous 10 The Suffering of the Righteous 11 The Righteous Suffer to Atone for the Sins of the World 12 The Righteous Die because of the Sins of their Generation Section IV Repentance Introduction 1 The Power of Repentance 2 Repentance through Tears 3 Fasting and Tears 4 Atonement for Sin through Repentance 5 Repairing Damage through Repentance 6 Escaping from Punishment by Repentance 7 Repentance at the Hour of Death 8 The Exalted Status of the Penitent Sinner Bibliography of Works Cited Select Additional Bibliography of Other Works Select Glossary Index of References to the Zohar Index of Scriptural References Index to the Anthology Texts

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Book SynopsisHasidism has been a seminal force and source of controversy in the Jewish world since its inception in the second half of the eighteenth century. Indeed, almost every ideological trend that has made itself felt among Jews since that time-from Zionism and Orthodoxy to contemporary Jewish feminism and movements within the yeshiva world-has claimed to have derived some inspiration from this vibrant movement. While this is sure testimony to its vitality and originality, it has also given rise to many misconceptions as to what hasidism is about. This major work, the first comprehensive critical study of hasidism in English, offers a wide-ranging treatment of the subject in all its aspects by what is effectively the entire present generation of scholars working in the field. With contributions ranging from the history of theology and of ideas through social and economic history to contemporary sociology, Hasidism Reappraised encompasses a complete field of modern scholarship in a discipline that is central to the understanding of modern Jewish history and the contemporary Jewish world. The twenty-eight authors who have contributed to the main body of the book are almost without exception established scholars with international reputations. The volume as a whole is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Weiss, and its opening section assesses his contribution to the study of hasidism in the context of his relationship with Gershom Scholem and Scholem's long-standing influence on the field. The remaining contributions are arranged thematically under seven headings: the social history of hasidism; the social functions of mystical ideals in the hasidic movement; distinctive outlooks and schools of thought within hasidism; the hasidic tale; the history of hasidic historiography; contemporary hasidism; and the present state of research on hasidism. The book also incorporates an extensive introduction that places the various articles in their intellectual context, as well as a bibliography of hasidic sources and contemporary scholarly literature. Hasidism Reappraised shows an intellectual world at an important juncture in its development and points to the direction in which scholarly study of hasidism is likely to develop in the years to come.CONTRIBUTORS: Jacob Barnai, Israel Bartal, Joseph Dan, Rachel Elior, Immanuel Etkes, Shmuel Ettinger, Morris M. Faierstein, Roland Goetschel, Arthur Green, Zeev Gries, Karl Erich GROZINGER, Moshe Hallamish, Gershon David Hundert, Moshe Idel, Louis Jacobs, Jacob Katz, Naftali Loewenthal, Daniel Meijers, Yehoshua Mondshine, Gedaliah Nigal, Mendel Piekarz, Ada Rapoport-Albert, Moshe J. Rosman, Bracha Sack, Yoseph Salmon, Chone Shmeruk, Sara Ora Heller Wilensky, Elliot R. Wolfson.Trade Review'Ce fort volume ... Cet ouvrage represente sans conteste une etape importante pour la connaissance du hasidisme.'- Jacques Gutwirth, Archives des Sciences Sociales des Religions'A magnificent account of that phenomenon from the Jewish past-Hasidism. Not only is it a consummate work of scholarship, but the editor has drawn together some of the personal relationships between scholars to show how this has also been the yeast in the splendid lekakh. Before all else, a word of praise for the editor ... to be read as well as to be dipped into and also to have as a major reference work. Trawling the index alone kept me fascinated for many evenings. Some wealthy Jews build synagogues, Jewish centres, but Louis Thomas Sidney Littman, who founded the Littman Library for the love of God and in memory of his father, gave us the wisest gift of all. Our richest past. His memory for a blessing. Ada Rapoport-Albert is an Israeli lecturer at University College, London. She is a considerable editor, writer, and scholar, and by all personal accounts an inspired teacher.'- Alex Auswaks, Jerusalem Post'Probably the most important analytical study of the Hasidic movement to have appeared in the English language, and it can be read with profit by anyone seriously interested in Jewish history.'- Edgar Samuel, Jewish Historical Studies'Undoubtedly of great value for our knowledge of hasidism.'- Jacques Gutwirth, Jewish Journal of Sociology'An opportunity to encounter virtually all the most important trends in the study of Hasidism and to move beyond the approaches and theories that have until now constituted conventional wisdom ... It is a volume that will be essential for anyone with a serious interest in Hasidism and indeed for any Judaica collection.'- Miles Krassen, Journal of Jewish Studies'Handsome collection of twenty-eight essays by world-ranking scholars ... comprehensive indeed, and profound, articulate, often gripping, and frequently counter to conventional wisdom ... amply rewarded by the superb job of translating, editing and reducing to easily readable length ... a reflection of major watersheds in the study of Hasidism.'- Lewis Glinert, Le'elaTable of ContentsNotes on contributorsIntroduction - ADA RAPOPORT-ALBERTPart I Joseph G. Weiss as a Student of Hasidism1 Joseph G. Weiss: A Personal Appraisal - JACOB KATZ2 Joseph Weiss: Letters to Ora - SARA ORA HELLER WILENSKYPart II Towards a New Social History of Hasidism3 The Conditions in Jewish Society in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Middle Decades of the Eighteenth Century - GERSHON DAVID HUNDERT4 Social Conflicts in Miedzyboz in the Generation of the Besht - MOSHE J. ROSMAN5 Hasidism and the Kahal in Eastern Europe - SHMUEL ETTINGER6 Hasidism after 1772: Structural Continuity and Change - ADA RAPOPORT- ALBERT7 The Hasidic Managing Editor as an Agent of Culture - ZEEV GRIESPart III The Social Function of Mystical Ideals in Hasidism8 The Zaddik: The Interrelationship between religious Doctrine and Social Organization - IMMANUEL ETKES9 The Paradigms of Yesh and Ayin in Hasidic Thought - RACHEL ELIOR10 Walking as a Sacred Duty: Theological Transformation of Social Reality in Early Hasidism - ELLIOT R. WOLFSON11 Hasidism and the Dogma of the Decline of the Generations - LOUIS JACOBS12 Personal Redemption in Hasidism - MORRIS M. FAIERSTEIN13 Hasidism as a Socio-religious Movement on the Evidence of Devekut - MENDEL PIEKARZPart IV Distinctive Outlooks and Schools of Thought within Hasidism14 The Influence of Reshit hokhmah on the Teachings of the Maggid of Mezhirech - BRACHA SACK15 Torah lishmah as a Central Concept in the Degel mahaneh Efrayim of Moses Hayyim Ephraim of Sudylkow - ROLAND GOETSCHEL16 The Teachings of R. Menahem Mendel of Vitebsk - MOSHE HALLAMISH17 Habad Approaches to Contemplative Prayer, 1790-1920 - NAFTALI LOEWENTHAL18 The Fluidity of Categories in Hasidism: Averah lishmah in the Teachings of R. Zevi Elimelekh of Dynow - YEHOSHUA MONDSHINE19 R. Naphtali Zevi of Ropczyce (the 'Ropshitser') as a Hasidic Leader - YOSEPH SALMONPart V The Hasidic Tale20 New Light on the Hasidic Tale and its Sources - GEDALIAH NIGAL21 The Source Value of the Basic Recensions of Shivhei haBesht - KARL ERICH GRA-ZINGERPart VI The History of Hasidic Historiography22 The Imprint of Haskalah Literature on the Historiography of Hasidism - ISRAEL BARTAL23 The Historiography of the Hasidic Immigration to Erets Yisrael - JACOB BARNAI24 Martin Buber and Gershom Scholem on Hasidism: A Critical Appraisal - MOSHE IDEL25 Yitzhak Schiper's Study of Hasidism in Poland - CHONE SHMERUKPart VII Contemporary Hasidism26 Hasidism: The Third Century - JOSEPH DAN27 Differences in Attitudes to Study and Work between Present-day Hasidism and Mitnaggedim: A Sociological View - DANIEL MEIJERSPart VIII The Present State of Research on Hasidism: An Overview28 Early Hasidism: Some Old/New Questions - ARTHUR GREEN29 The Study of Hasidism: past Trends and New Directions - IMMANUEL ETKESBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHow did British Jewry respond to the Holocaust, how prominent was it on the communal agenda, and what does this response tell us about the values, politics, and fears of the Anglo-Jewish community? This book studies the priorities of that community, and thereby seeks to analyse the attitudes and philosophies which informed actions. It paints a picture of Anglo-Jewish life and its reactions to a wide range of matters in the non-Jewish world. Richard Bolchover charts the transmission of the news of the European catastrophe and discusses the various theories regarding reactions to these exceptional circumstances. He investigates the structures and political philosophies of Anglo-Jewry during the war years and covers the reactions of Jewish political and religious leaders as well as prominent Jews acting outside the community's institutional framework. Various co-ordinated responses, political and philanthropic, are studied, as are the issues which dominated the community at that time, namely internal conflict and the fear of increased domestic antisemitism: these preoccupations inevitably affected responses to events in Europe. The latter half of the book looks at the ramifications of the community's socio-political philosophies including, most radically, Zionism, and their influence on communal reactions. This acclaimed study raises major questions about the structures and priorities of the British Jewish community. For this paperback, the author has added a new Introduction summarizing research in the field since the book's first appearance.Trade Review'Admirable ... it works splendidly well ... [an] impressive, noble, and genuinely important book.'Andrew Chandler, English Historical Review'This sombre and lucid book is an important contribution to a matter which to this day stirs the conscience of British Jewry.'Roger Falk, Ham and High'A poignant and important contribution to Holocaust studies ... Bolchover has held a bright and honest flame to what he sees as the shames of Anglo-Jewry in wartime Britain.'Ian McIntyre, The Independent'Not simply a narrative of Jewish and by necessity non-Jewish attitudes and reaction to the Holocaust in Europe, but almost a work in moral ethics. It is a tour de force.'Harold Steinhof, Jewish Book News & Reviews'A act of great courage, for which the author deserves our profound thanks.'Geoffrey Alderman, Jewish Chronicle'This is absorbing, frightening, upsetting, essential reading. If Anglo-Jewry is to acquire a conviction about its values, this period of history must be re-examined; those institutions which so failed fellow-Jews must be reassessed; routes to influence within the Jewish community must be questioned. Finally, those who still remember those days must be asked, before it is too late, why so little was done.'Julia Neuberger, The Times'Bolchover's critique opens up this debate and ... will stimulate British Jews to consider the still current questions of fear and invisibility.'Julia Pascal, Times Educational Supplement'Classic study.'Marcia Posner, AJL Newsletter'There is no doubt that Bolchover has completed a vast amount of careful research and documented his findings meticulously ... The book contains much useful and fascinating information.'Liz Ramsey, Perspectives: Journal of the Holocaust Centre, Beth ShalomTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionIntroduction to the Second EditionPart I Knowing and BelievingPart II The Institutions Introduction: the Anglo-Jewish community1 Communal priorities2 The institutional response to the HolocaustPart III The Ideologies Introduction: social and political philosophies3 The politics of hope4 The politics of fear5 The Jewish fighting modelConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe span of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life (1884-1966) illuminates the religious and intellectual dilemmas that traditional Jewry has faced over the past century. Rabbi Weinberg became a central ideologue of modern Orthodoxy because of his positive attitude to secular studies and Zionism and his willingness to respond to social change in interpreting the halakhah, despite his traditional training in a Lithuanian yeshiva. But Weinberg was an unusual man: even at a time when he was defending the traditional yeshiva against all attempts at reform, he always maintained an interest in the wider world. He left Lithuania for Germany at the beginning of the First World War, attended the University of Giessen, and increasingly identified with the Berlin school of German Orthodoxy. Although initially an apologist for the Nazi regime, he was soon recognized as German Orthodoxy's most eminent halakhic authority in its efforts to maintain religious tradition in the face of Nazi persecution. His approach, then and in his later halakhic writings, including the famous Seridei esh, derived from the conviction that the attempt to shore up Orthodoxy by increased religious stringency would only reduce its popular appeal. Using a great deal of unpublished material, including private correspondence, Marc Shapiro discusses many aspects of Weinberg's life. In doing so he elucidates many institutional and intellectual phenomena of the Jewish world, a number of which have so far received little scholarly attention: the yeshivas of Lithuania; the state of the Lithuanian rabbinate; the musar movement; the Jews of eastern Europe in Weimar Germany; the Torah im Derekh Eretz movement and its variants; Orthodox Jewish attitudes towards Wissenschaft des Judentums; and the special problems of Orthodox Jews in Nazi Germany. Throughout, he shows the complex nature of Weinberg's character and the inner struggles of a man being pulled in different directions. Compellingly and authoritatively written, his fascinating conclusions are quite different from those presented in earlier historical treatments of the period.Trade Review‘Thoroughly researched and highly readable . . . an excellently written book, highly recommended for all college-level libraries.’- Yisrael Dubitsky, AJL Newsletter‘Shapiro’s exemplary biography marks the onset of a new stage in biographical scholarship about leading Orthodox personalities . . . Shapiro’s mastery of rabbinic and historical sources, the fact that no relevant archival or published source is untouched, the superb contextual studies, the 1,037 enriching and critical footnotes, make this a classic.’- Gershon Greenberg, AJS Review‘Marc Shapiro's excellent new study dedicated to the life and philosophy of Rabbi Weinberg is certainly one of the finest pieces of contemporary Jewish scholarship . . . This is a monumental study of a great man and a great rabbi. It breaks new ground in biographies of “Gedolei Israel” as Rabbi Weinberg is depicted as a human being, warts and all. Few events are glossed over—his family, philosophy, friends, and career are all discussed in detail without the usual embellishments. In addition, this study offers the reader a detailed view of the complexities of Orthodox Jewish life in the twentieth century . . . This book serves not only as a study of Rabbi Jehiel Weinberg, but as a memorial to the vanished world of German Orthodoxy.’- Zalman Alpert, Algemeiner Journal‘With impeccable authority, Marc Shapiro has written an important account . . . an important historical study by a masterful Jewish scholar of a central aspect of Jewish life all too frequently neglected by secular and non-religious Jews . . . No understanding of modern Jewish history can be considered complete without an understanding of how Orthodox Judaism encountered the modern world. Shapiro’s study of the life of Jehiel Jacob Weinberg is a major scholarly contribution to our comprehension of that world.’- Richard L. Rubenstein, Congress Monthly‘We are indebted to Marc Shapiro for his brilliant work that brings to life this major halakhic personality.’- Simcha Krauss, Edah Journal‘A full-scale study of the life and writings of Jehiel Weinberg . . . that goes a long way toward clearing up the mystery surrounding the man. Shapiro’s signal contribution is to present Weinberg in the round: both the public and the private figure.’- David Singer, First Things‘A refreshing pleasure . . . Shapiro's scholarly account of Weinberg's remarkable life and turbulent times happily avoids the panegyric tone that has too long dominated the field of rabbinic “biography”, offering instead a detailed look at a rabbi of great learning and character who nonetheless strayed and erred about grave matters and who was, by the end of his life, a tragic and lonely figure . . . arguably the best biography of a twentieth-century rabbi yet written, a work of serious scholarship that greatly enriches our understanding of the history of European Judaism.’- Allan Nadler, Forward‘Marc Shapiro has written a fascinating book … His erudition is impressive.’- Alan Unterman, Jewish Chronicle‘The author demonstrates an impressive command of a broad range of primary and secondary source materials.’- Robert Brody, Journal of Jewish Studies‘A splendid biography . . . a superlative book, elegantly written, fastidiously researched, providing us with rare insights into Orthodoxy’s encounter with the modern world as reflected in the life of one of its most complex figures . . . This is scholarship of a high order.’- Jonathan Sacks, Le’ela‘Important . . . a remarkably well-written biography, and even those with little understanding of Orthodox Judaism will find it interesting and informative.’- Jack Fischel, Metrowest Jewish News‘This excellent study . . . is more than a first-rate intellectual biography. It is a portrait of Orthodoxy in the modern world . . . Shapiro combines exhaustive research with exquisite scholarship; this is not self-serving hagiography but a balanced historical study deserving a very wide audience.’- Stephen D. Benin, Religious Studies Review‘This first-class, definitive monograph . . . of genuine distinction . . . Beautifully executed . . . The dissertation itself deserves nothing but admiration. It is well-organized and well-written, intelligent in every aspect, lovingly researched but economically set forth . . . Shapiro tells us what we need to know and does not over-research or over-sell his subject. Here we have critical learning, not hagiography. Unlike equivalent studies of other Orthodox figures, however, Shapiro also preserves perspective, balance, proportion, and above all coherence, in telling the story. Here we have the definitive account of an important subject in the study of the twentieth-century history of Judaism. No-one has to go over this subject again. For a first book, that is as high praise as I can imagine—or for a tenth book, for that matter. Shapiro takes his place among the most promising and interesting and intelligent scholars of his generation.’- Jacob Neusner, Reviews in Religion and Theology‘It is to Shapiro’s credit that Weinberg’s life is painstakingly mapped out and his ideological profile carefully portrayed . . . should be read by every serious student of modern Jewish history.’- Morton J. Merowitz, Shofar‘Measured, careful, well-written, and critical yet respectful . . . The great strength of Shapiro’s study lies in his ability to “locate” Weinberg in each of the successive locales in which he found himself . . . based on a rich selection of contemporary and scholarly sources . . . a fine work of intellectual history and a worthy example of rabbinic biography written in accordance with the best standards of academic scholarship . . . Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy, an admirable piece of scholarship in its own right, is also part of an ongoing conversation within Orthodoxy that students of contemporary Jewry should fine of no less interest than historians.’- Gershon Bacon, Studies in Contemporary Jewry‘This is a first rate, scholarly book. The author has expended considerable energies in exhuming hitherto unavailable biographical material . . . he has also drawn on, and partially catalyzed the creation of, an oral history by interviewing an impressive cross-section of individuals . . . To this wealth of raw material he has brought an integrating intelligence and judicious melding of disparate sources to create a vivid and ultimately convincing portrait . . . The rewards for the reader’s investment are substantial.’- Mechy Frankel, TraditionTable of ContentsPreface Note on Transliteration List of Abbreviations Note on Sources 1 Early Life (1884–1905) 2 Pilwishki (1906–1913) 3 The First World War and its Aftermath (1914–1920) 4 Giessen and Beyond (1920–1932) 5 Response to the New Nazi Government (1933–1934) 6 The Nazi Era (1933–1945) 7 Post-War Years (1946–1966) Afterword Appendices Lebenslauf—autobiographical note Letter to Hitler Letter from Jacob Rosenheim Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNational Jewish Book Awards Winner of Sephardic Studies Award, 2001.The Book of Tahkemoni (The Book of Wisdom or the Heroic) is widely regarded as the crowning jewel of Hebrew maqama literature —rhymed prose interspersed with verse. In its fifty unlinked episodes we repeatedly encounter the somewhat roguish protagonist, Hever the Kenite, often disguised and assuming many and varied roles—teacher, beggar, adventurer, debater, magician, and so on. Whether preaching, spinning history or fantasy, or working a crowd, Hever the Kenite is ever a consummate story-teller and wordsmith enlightening or astounding his listeners. The author, generally considered to be the last major Hebrew poet of Spain, displays great scope, moving from prayers to tales of battlefield carnage, from philosophic reflection to droll satire targeting the pompous, the ignorant, and the mean. The whole is conveyed in a sensuous interweave of rhyme and rhythm, of literal and figurative speech, and copious biblical citations manipulated to serve unusual ends. David Simha Segal's translation captures the drama, wit, and satire of the original in a contemporary English that displays vigour and a sense of fun. Detailed annotations, printed on the same page as the text, identify the numerous allusions. Analyses of each chapter bring the reader more deeply into the text, illuminating plays on words, adroit uses of the frame tale, adaptations of Arabic and Hebrew literary conventions, and other subtleties of the original. A substantial Afterword sums up major features discussed in the analyses, especially the authorial game of hide-and-seek in the characters of the protagonist and the narrator.Trade Review'This new edition and translation is a formidable work of scholarship. In addition to a readable version of a complicated text, Segal offers the reader invaluable editorial help in negotiating these exotic tales; his extensive set of analyses of Alharizi's introduction and the 'fifty Gates' (or sections) could constitute a separate monograph ... A meticulous and accomplished work that will reward the general reader as well as scholars.' - M. Butovsky, Choice'Wonderful.' - Hillel Halkin, Commentary'A text of major importance... this volume belongs in every serious library.' - Stephen D. Benin, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAbbreviations and Conventions Used in the Text Translator's preface The Book of Tahkemoni Introduction Gates 1 Whence this Work Sprung and by Whom it Was Sung 2 Brimstone and Wrath against the Worldly Path 3 The Mystery and History of the Hebrew Song of Spain 4 A Descant on the Flea and the Ant 5 Twelve Poets Sound the Months' Round 6 Of One Too Swiftly Sped to the Marriage Bed 7 Of Battle Lords and Dripping Swords 8 In Praise of a Letter of Praise Read Two Ways 9 Poetic Invention: One and Thirty in Contention 10 Of Rustic Propriety and Winged Piety 11 Of Verbal Show: Using and Refusing the Letter O 12 Of the Ferocity of the Wars of Stint and Generosity 13 Wherein Shall a Man be Whole? A Debate of Body, Mind, and Soul 14 Of a Prayer Beyond Price Hewn from the Mountain of Spice 15 A Prayer Sent where Grace Reposes: A Prayer to Godly Moses 16 Airs of Song's Seven Heirs 17 Rabbanite versus Karaite 18 The Rise and Reign of Monarchs of Song in Hebrew Spain 19 Of a Dispute of Poets Seven: Which Virtue is Dearest in the Eyes of Heaven 20 Of Seven Maidens and their Mendacity 21 Of a Sumptuous Feast and a Bumpkin Fleeced 22 Of Fate's Rack and the Zodiac 23 Of Hever the Kenite's Wretched Hour and Sudden Rise to Wealth and Power 24 Of A Jolly Cantor and Folly Instanter 25 Of a Hid Place and a Champion of the Chase 26 Travels: Kudos and Cavils 27 Of the Cup's Joys and Other Alloys 28 Praise and Pity for David's City 29 Beggars' Arts versus Frozen Hearts 30 Of a Quack and his Bogus Pack 31 Of a Mocking Knight and a Wormwood Cup of Fright 32 Needlepoint: Point-Counterpoint 33 Homily, Hymn, and Homonym 34 Of a Host Bombastic and a Feast Fantastic 35 Of the Grave of Ezra the Blest and Poems Celeste 36 Challenge and Reply: Sweet Words Fly 37 In the Clasp of a Deadly Asp 38 Of Men and Ship in the Storm's Grip 39 The Debate of Day and Night: Whose the Greater Might and Delight 40 The Battle of Sword and Pen for Mastery of Men 41 Badinage: Man and Woman Rage 42 Generosity or Greed-Which the Better Creed or Deed? 43 The Sea Roars its Worth against Proud Earth 44 Life's Laws: Proverbs and Saws 45 Hid Learning: Saws of Men of Discerning 46 Of This and That Community Sung with Impunity 47 Nation Contends with Nation for Rank and Station 48 The Heart's Grief and Relief 49 In Praise of the Fruits of the Garden Trees 50 Varia and Nefaria Analyses Introduction Gates 1-50 Afterword Bibliography Index of Biblical References Index of Persons and Peoples Index of Places General Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisBiblical ethics and eloquence reached a pinnacle with the great writing Prophets. Prophethood has also been central to Islam. Muhammad, its final messenger, is coupled with Allah in the Islamic faith, through confession or Shahadah. Is it proper, or feasible, to bring these two realms together, separated as they are by more than ten centuries? Many in each community of faith would disapprove. Yet there are clear common denominators the central role of personality; the mystery of language and inspiration; the bearing of circumstance and situation; and, through all these, the incidence of suffering. Among the Biblical Prophets, a basic descriptive for their vocation and meaning is the sense of burden. The title of the book is taken from Surah 73.5 of the Quran where Muhammad understands that he is to undergo the onset of a a heavy saying, or a weighty word. Exploration of this mutual theme leads to common features. While the weight Quran-wise is the obligation to give divine words perfect reproduction; for the Biblical Prophets the onus is more inherently personal, and is reflected in the essential loneliness of vocation. The Weight in the Word attempts to explore an alignment of Prophethood in the Bible and in Islam in one denominator, against the odds of mutual alienation. In the Quran, God and Messenger represent the dual unity of creed and command; for Christian theology, via Messiah crucified, the theology of Prophethood is found in knowing the Weight in the Word by the wounds in the soul, and the Word made flesh.Trade Review"This is a profound and courageous attempt to compare and contrast Islamic ideas of prophecy, as found uniquely in Muhammad, with the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Bible." -- John Barton, Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, Oriel College, OxfordTable of ContentsContents: Preface; Messengers with Burdens; The Casting, The Saying, The Weighting; Prophetic Personality; Prophethood and Language; Prophet and Situation; Prophethood and Conscience; Prophethood in Suffering; Prophethood and God; Ongoing Finality; Notes; Index of Themes; Index of Names and Terms; Scriptural Citations.

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Book SynopsisThe shocking massacre of the Jews in York, 1190, is here re-examined in its historical context along with the circumstances and processes through which Christian and Jewish neighbours became enemies and victims. The mass suicide and murder of the men, women and children of the Jewish community in York on 16 March 1190 is one of the most scarring events in the history of Anglo-Judaism, and an aspect of England's medieval past which is widely remembered around the world. However, the York massacre was in fact only one of a series of attacks on communities of Jews across England in 1189-90; they were violent expressions of wider new constructs of the nature of Christian and Jewish communities, and the targeted outcries of local townspeople, whose emerging urban politics were enmeshed within the swiftly developing structures of royal government. This new collection considers the massacreas central to the narrative of English and Jewish history around 1200. Its chapters broaden the contexts within which the narrative is usually considered and explore how a narrative of events in 1190 was built up, both at the timeand in following years. They also focus on two main strands: the role of narrative in shaping events and their subsequent perception; and the degree of convivencia between Jews and Christians and consideration of the circumstances and processes through which neighbours became enemies and victims. Sarah Rees Jones is Senior Lecturer in History, Sethina Watson Lecturer, at the University of York. Contributors: Sethina Watson, Sarah Rees Jones, Joe Hillaby, Nicholas Vincent, Alan Cooper, Robert C. Stacey, Paul Hyams, Robin R. Mundill, Thomas Roche, Eva de Visscher, Pinchas Roth, Ethan Zadoff, Anna Sapir Abulafia, Heather Blurton, Matthew Mesley, Carlee A.Bradbury, Hannah Johnson, Jeffrey J. Cohen, Anthony BaleTrade ReviewThe contributions offering insights into Jewish life in Angevin England are particularly interesting . . . but they all give a clearer sense of the triangular relationship of crown, Jews, and Christians-a pattern visual elsewhere in Europe well into recent centuries. * STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING *For all scholars of twelfth- and thirteenth-century England there is much to learn from this book. ... The editors and Press are to be congratulated on producing such an impressive and stimulating volume... York Medieval Press has, since 1999, added impressively to our knowledge of the history, literature and culture of the Middle Ages both in Britain and on the Continent. * NORTHERN HISTORY *A scholarly and stimulating volume. * YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL *Through its new approach to old sources and examination of new sources, the collection provides important insights into Christian attitudes toward Jews, as well as moments of violence against Jews and their everyday lives in medieval England. * JOURNAL OF CHURCH AND STATE *The volume as a whole makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of the Jewish community in medieval England and its relationship with the Christian population and English royal government. * CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW *A substantial addition to the growing corpus of recent work on the Jews of medieval England. ... An impressive volume. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *An impressive and rich collection of articles. Each and every one.repays careful attention. The reader gets filled up with a very solid mixture of facts about the inner workings of Jewish life in Angevin England as well as an appetite for more. * MEDIEVAL HISTORIES *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Moment and Memory of the York Massacre of 1190 - Sethina Watson Neighbours and Victims in Twelfth-Century York: A Royal Citadel, the Citizens and the Jews of York - Sarah Rees Jones Prelude and Postscript to the York Massacre: Attacks in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, 1190 - Joe Hillaby William of Newburgh, Josephus and the New Titus - Nicholas Vincent 1190, William Longbeard and the Crisis of Angevin England - Alan Cooper The Massacres of 1189-90 and the Origins of the Jewish Exchequer, 1186-1226 - Robert C. Stacey Faith, Fealty and Jewish 'Infideles' in Twelfth-Century England - Paul Hyams The 'archa' System and its Legacy after 1194 - Robin Mundill Making Agreements, with or without Jews, in Medieval England and Normandy - Thomas Roche An Ave Maria in Hebrew: The Transmission of Hebrew Learning from Jewish to Christian Scholars in Medieval England - Eva De Visscher The Talmudic Community of Thirteenth-Century England - Pinchas Roth and Ethan Zadoff Notions of Jewish Service in Twelfth and Thirteenth-Century England - Anna Sapir Abulafia Egyptian Days: From Passion to Exodus in the Representation of Twelfth-Century Jewish-Christian Relations - Heather Blurton 'De Judaea, Muta et Surda': Jewish Conversion in Gerald of Wales's Life of Saint Remigius - Matthew M. Mesley Dehumanizing the Jew at the Funeral of the Virgin Mary in the Thirteenth Century [c.1170 - c.1350] - Carlee Bradbury Massacre and Memory: Ethics and Method in Recent Scholarship on Jewish Martyrdom - Hannah Johnson The Future of the Jews of York - Jeffrey Jerome Cohen Afterword: Violence, Memory and the Traumatic Middle Ages - Anthony Bale Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBiblical ethics and eloquence reached a pinnacle with the great writing Prophets. Prophethood has also been central to Islam. Muhammad, its final messenger, is coupled with Allah in the Islamic faith, through confession or Shahadah. Is it proper, or feasible, to bring these two realms together, separated as they are by more than ten centuries? Many in each community of faith would disapprove. Yet there are clear common denominators the central role of personality; the mystery of language and inspiration; the bearing of circumstance and situation; and, through all these, the incidence of suffering. Among the Biblical Prophets, a basic descriptive for their vocation and meaning is the sense of burden. The title of the book is taken from Surah 73.5 of the Quran where Muhammad understands that he is to undergo the onset of a a heavy saying, or a weighty word. Exploration of this mutual theme leads to common features. While the weight Quran-wise is the obligation to give divine words perfect reproduction; for the Biblical Prophets the onus is more inherently personal, and is reflected in the essential loneliness of vocation. The Weight in the Word attempts to explore an alignment of Prophethood in the Bible and in Islam in one denominator, against the odds of mutual alienation. In the Quran, God and Messenger represent the dual unity of creed and command; for Christian theology, via Messiah crucified, the theology of Prophethood is found in knowing the Weight in the Word by the wounds in the soul, and the Word made flesh.Trade Review"This is a profound and courageous attempt to compare and contrast Islamic ideas of prophecy, as found uniquely in Muhammad, with the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Bible." -- John Barton, Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, Oriel College, OxfordThis is a profound and courageous attempt to compare and contrast Islamic ideas of prophecy, as found uniquely in Muhammad, with the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew Bible. It challenges Muslims, Jews, and Christians to understand their own traditions better and to be open to learn from each other. It rests on prolonged reflection about the character of the three Abrahamic religions. John Barton, Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, Oriel College, OxfordTable of ContentsContents: Preface; Messengers with Burdens; The Casting, The Saying, The Weighting; Prophetic Personality; Prophethood and Language; Prophet and Situation; Prophethood and Conscience; Prophethood in Suffering; Prophethood and God; Ongoing Finality; Notes; Index of Themes; Index of Names and Terms; Scriptural Citations.

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Book SynopsisThis book explains the rejection by Smith and Adams of 'normal' Christian replacement theology and sets out the apologetics by which Smith and Adams promoted courage and conviction in all who joined them in encouraging the gathering of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem. Joseph Smith Jr, founder of the Mormon movement and George J Adams, one of his least known followers -- two Gentile dreamers of Zion -- were instrumental in encouraging Jews and Christians to support the restoration of Israel.

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Book SynopsisThe enigmatic kabbalist Samuel Falk, known as the Ba'al Shem of London, has piqued the curiosity of scholars for enerations. Eighteenth-century London was fascinated by Jews, and as a miracle-worker and adventurer, well connected and well read, Falk had much to offer. Interest in the man was further aroused by rumours of his dealings with European aristocrats and other famous characters, as well as with scholars, Freemasons, and Shabbateans, but evidence was scanty. Michal Oron has now brought together all the known source material on the man, and her detailed annotations of his diary and that of his assistant give us rich insights into his activities over several years. We learn of his meetings and his travels; his finances; his disputes, his dreams, and his remedies; and lists of his books. We see London's social life and commerce, its landed gentry and its prisons, and what people ate, wore, and possessed. The burgeoning Jewish community of London and its religious practices, as well as its communal divisiveness, is depicted especially colourfully. The scholarly introductions by Oron and by Todd Endelman and the informative appendices help contextualize the diaries and offer an intriguing glimpse of Jewish involvement in little-known aspects of London life at the threshold of the modern era.Trade ReviewReviews ‘The legend of Samuel Falk is tantalising… Dr. Oron examines Falk’s magisterial ‘successes’ in the line of self-isolation, survival and prophecy.’Stephen Massil, editor of Jewish Book News and Reviews'Oron’s translation and annotation of Falk’s diary is a fascinating window into the lives of both Falk and his associates... Falk’s diaries only add to the complexity of a figure who was undoubtedly anything but conventional.' Joel S. Davidi Weisberger, Jewish Link & the Times of Israel‘Will be welcomed by researchers and historians of eighteenth-century Jewish mysticism and esoteric freemasonry . . . the actual texts of the diaries make a valuable contribution to scholarship and open up many new avenues for future research . . . the final translation is excellent, and the raw material presented in the diaries (Hirsch’s covering 1747-51, Falk’s covering 1772-81) provides a remarkable account of kabbalistic magical practices and the survival of esoteric interests among a wide range of English and European Freemasons and ‘adventurers’ during the years of the so-called Enlightenment.’Marsha Keith Schuchard, British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies'A glimpse into the kind of “superstitious,” bizarre, “irrational” beliefs and practices that the Enlightenment thought was part of a past that rational people had cast aside [...] Without [Oron’s] invaluable notes, much of this material would remain incomprehensible.'Achsah Guibbory, The North American Conference on British StudiesTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration and Conventions Used in the Text Translator's Note Note on the Editing of the Diaries Introduction to the English Edition Todd M. Endelman INTRODUCTION I. A Brief History of Ba'alei Shem II. A Biography of Samuel Falk III. Falk's Activities According to the Diary of Zevi Hirsch IV. Samuel Falk as Seen by Jacob Emden V. Samuel Falk and the Freemasons VI. The Diaries and Their Research THE DIARIES The Diary of Zevi Hirsch of Kalisz The Diary of Samuel Falk APPENDICES A. People Featuring Prominently in the Diaries B. Falk's Dreams C. The Letter of Sussman Shesnowzi to His Son D. The Letter of Jacob Emden E. Falk's Library F. Falk's Will Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisMore than forty years have passed since Louis Jacobs first put forward the argument that traditionally observant Jews have no reason to take issue with the results obtained by the historical critics in their investigation into the Bible and the other classical sources of Judaism. In his numerous works on Jewish theology and in lectures worldwide, Jacobs has argued that the traditional doctrine which claims that ‘the Torah is from Heaven’ can and should be maintained — provided that the word ‘from’ is understood in a non-fundamentalist way to denote that there is a human as well as a divine element in the Torah: God revealing His will not only to but through the Jewish people in their historical experiences as they reached out to Him. As a result of these views, which were first published in the still-controversial text We Have Reason to Believe, the Anglo-Jewish Orthodox hierarchy banned Jacobs from serving as an Orthodox rabbi. This was the cause of the notorious ‘Jacobs affair’, which culminated in the creation of the New London Synagogue and, eventually, in the establishment of the Masorti movement in the UK with strong affinities with Conservative Judaism in the United States. In this book, Louis Jacobs examines afresh all the issues involved. He does so objectively but with passion, meeting the objections put forward by critics from the various trends within the Jewish world, both Orthodox and Reform, and inviting readers to follow the argument and make up their own minds.Trade Review‘Jacobs cogently and clearly presents his views on diverse topics.’ Roger S. Kohn, Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter ‘Brims with scholarship and is powerfully argued. Jacobs's mastery of the full range of Jewish religious sources—legal, philosophical, and mystical—is apparent on every page, and is well deployed in making his case for liberal supernaturalism as a breakthrough religious synthesis. And that case is hardly a timely one, for Jacobs is hardly alone in hungering for a form of traditionalism that can combine halakhic observance with an open intellectual outlook. Indeed, this is today the shared meeting ground of the right wing of Conservative Judaism and the left wing of the Orthodox movement.’ David Singer, Commentary ‘A learned and compelling argument for an enlightened form of traditional Judaism . . . written in a lucid, accessible style for lay readers, who will benefit enormously from Rabbi Jacobs's honest and critical assessment of the major tendencies in contemporary Judaism . . . a major critique of Jewish fundamentalism and a compelling alternative to it.' Allan Nadler, Forward ‘Here is a scholar who . . . has much to offer British Jewry.’ Cecil Bloom, Jerusalem Post ‘The book will enlighten because Jacobs is a reliable and lucid authority on the issues discussed.’ Robert Weissman, Jewish Quarterly ‘A very personal, and very mature and honest, statement of “where I stand”.’ Norman Solomon, Journal of Jewish Studies ‘The most engaging aspect of the book is the personal style in which it is written. The book is positively brought alive by a wealth of personal anecdotes and stories.’ Emma Conway, Le'elaTable of Contents1 Introduction: The ‘Jacobs Affair’ 2 Liberal Supernaturalism 3 Is it Traditional? 4 Is it Scientific? 5 The Mitsvot: God-Given or Man-Made? 6 Orthodoxy 7 Reform 8 Secular Judaism 9 Mysticism 10 Modernism and Interpretation 11 Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSephardi identity has meant different things at different times, but has always entailed a connection with Spain, from which the Jews were expelled in 1492. While Sephardi Jews have lived in numerous cities and towns throughout history, certain cities had a greater impact in the shaping of their culture. This book focuses on those that may be considered most important, from Cordoba in the tenth century to Toledo, Venice, Safed, Istanbul, Salonica, and Amsterdam at the dawn of the seventeenth century. Each served as a venue in which a particular dimension of Sephardi Jewry either took shape or was expressed in especially intense form. Significantly, these cities were mostly heterogeneous in their population and culture—half of them under Christian rule and half under Muslim rule—and this too shaped the Sephardi world-view and attitude. While Sephardim cultivated a distinct identity, they felt at home in the cultures of their adopted lands. Drawing upon a variety of both primary and secondary sources, Jane Gerber demonstrates that Sephardi history and culture have always been multifaceted. Her interdisciplinary approach captures the many contexts in which the life of the Jews from Iberia unfolded, without either romanticizing the past or diluting its reality.Trade ReviewReviews'Highly readable and enlightening... Gerber paints an illuminating picture of a vivid Jewish sub-culture always in contact with the non-Jewish, Christian and Muslim, surroundings... Cities of Splendour will be of great value for many scholars and students of Sephardic and Jewish history.'Carsten Schapkow, Sephardic Horizons'This book is a gem. It is an appetizer, the main course, and the dessert, depending on the reader’s choice and level of knowledge. There are sufficient footnotes supporting the facts to allow the serious researcher to go beyond the text... There is something delicious here for all our readers, and the book will leave you well informed and satisfied.'Claudia Hagadus Long, Ha Lapid‘Cities of Splendour weaves a wonderfully rich tapestry of Sephardic history, and offers, like Gerber’s earlier Jews of Spain, an accessibly written resource for teaching on a diaspora, whose self-fashioning in relation to Spain, and to its various diasporic contexts, was an ever-evolving process.’ Matthias B. Lehmann, Medieval Encounters"This is a refreshing, encompassing, and fascinating study, penned by an experienced and knowledgeable researcher, and supported by a rich bibliography. It offers a new look and an original interpretation of the story of Sephardi Jewry from the medieval period to the eighteenth century. Moreover, the author’s flowing prose and the book’s careful editing make it a suitable choice for skilled researchers, as well as for students seeking to study the chapters of a long and painful history, but one that is also full of the glory and splendor of one of the most prominent diasporas of the Jewish people." Nimrod Gaatone, Journal of Modern History‘This is a refreshing, encompassing, and fascinating study, penned by an experienced and knowledgeable researcher, and supported by a rich bibliography. It offers a new look and an original interpretation of the story of Sephardi Jewry from the medieval period to the eighteenth century. Moreover, the author’s flowing prose and the book’s careful editing make it a suitable choice for skilled researchers, as well as for students seeking to study the chapters of a long and painful history, but one that is also full of the glory and splendor of one of the most prominent diasporas of the Jewish people.’ Nimrod Gaatone, Journal of Modern HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Poetry and Politics in the Medieval Caliphate of Cordoba, 950–1150 2. Crossing the Borders of Art and Society: Toledo as a Meeting Place of Cultures, 1150–1350 3. The Search for Redemption in Safed, 1500–1600 4. The Jews of Venice between Toleration and Expulsion, 1516–1648 5. Reconstructing Sepharad in Istanbul and Salonica, 1492–1600 6. Portuguese Jews in the City of Amsterdam `The Praiseworthy’: The Formation of the Western Sephardi Diaspora, 1600–1700 Conclusions Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe crucial question for today's Jewish world, Menachem Kellner argues, is not whether Jews will have Jewish grandchildren, but how many different sorts of mutually exclusive Judaisms those grandchildren will face. Kellner’s short, brisk, and accessible book examines how the split that threatens the Jewish future can be avoided. The first six chapters of this strongly argued book analyse what religious faith means in classical Judaism and will be of interest to anyone seeking lucid insights into the nature of Judaism. The final chapter builds upon the conclusions of the first six in order to argue for a new way of construing the relationship of Orthodoxy to non-Orthodox Jews and institutions. Kellner argues that the Orthodox practice of framing the debate with non-Orthodox movements in terms of dogmatic fidelity contrasted with heresy is not the traditional Jewish approach, and that the debate could well be framed in other ways, ways that would allow all Jews to work together towards a less polarized Jewish future. Undoubtedly, Must a Jew Believe Anything? has the potential to make a difference to how Orthodoxy understands itself and its relationship to other Jewish movements in the modern world. For the second edition, the author has added a substantial Afterword, reviewing his thinking on the subject and addressing the reactions to the original edition.Trade Review'An important work in constructive Jewish philosophy by a leading international scholar of the field. It is also important as a document of the kind of thinking that characterizes modern Orthodoxy. The book is intelligent and academically solid as well as thought-provoking and controversial. It is a must read by anyone concerned with modern Jewish life who wants to understand an approach that affirms both Orthodoxy and a pluralistic sense of k'lal Yisrael without compromising integrity and religious commitment.'Norbert Samuelson, CCAR Journal 'Kellner's book makes an important contribution to the possibility of dialogue between the different trends within Judaism and to the possibility of reducing the hostility and tension between them.'Daniel Statman, Ha'aretz 'Kellner is especially provocative. The challenge in his title almost jumps off the page as a cri de coeur, inviting a re-examination of beliefs taken for granted by Orthodox Jews for almost a millennium ... [he] demonstrates with passion and elegance how Maimonides radically transformed Judaism into an "ecclesiastical community" ... his social critique of the implication of dogma uniquely enhances our understanding of the Maimonidean project ... His thesis is an important one and should be read by all, encouraging urgently needed debate in the academy and the four ells of the yeshiva as well,'James A. Diamond, Jewish History 'A main contribution to a very timely question regarding the proper attitude of orthodox Judaism to non-orthodox and non-observant groups ... written with admirable clarity and touches of a highly relevant topic.' Daniel Statman, Journal of Jewish Studies 'This book has much to recommend it. Both scholarly and accessible, it is marked by a humane vision and a passionate commitment to a vibrant, outward looking Orthodox Judaism.'David Berger, Tradition'Over the last few years, an increasing number of people have been approaching me with crises of faith. One of the resources to which I direct them is Menachem Kellner's Must a Jew Believe Anything? It is, I believe, an outstanding work.'Natan Slifkin, Rationalist Judaism‘Outstanding'David S. Zinberg, Times of IsraelTable of ContentsIntroduction1 Two Types of FaithFaith, Belief, and Trust • Emunah in the Torah • Theology and the Torah • Classical Judaism and the Absence of Dogma2 Rabbinic ThoughtTesting for ‘Required Beliefs’ • An Objection: Mishnah Sanhedrin x. 1 • A Defence of Dogma • Heretics and Sectarians • A ‘Theology’ of Action3 Why Judaism Acquired a Systematic TheologyBehaviour and Belief • Extrinsic Reasons for the Lack of Systematic Theology in Judaism • Why Systematic Theology Developed among the Jews • The Importation of Theology4 Maimonides: Dogma without DogmatismMaimonides’ Dogmas • Maimonides on Inadvertent Heresy • Maimonides on Conversion and the Nature of Faith • Maimonides on Leaving Judaism • Maimonides’ ‘Non-dogmatic’ Dogmas: Science and Religious Faith • Maimonides on Truth • The Logic of Righteousness: Reason and Faith5 Maimonides: Impact, Implications, ChallengesThe Impact • The Implications • Challenges to Maimonides • Was Maimonides Inconsistent? The Karaites6 Heresy-huntingOrthodoxy and Heresy • Theology and Halakhah: A Category Mistake • Three Contemporary Orthodox Statements: Freedom of Enquiry; The Illegitimacy of the Non-Orthodox; Inclusivism • The Three Statements: A Critique • Why has Maimonides’ Position become Dominant? • The Maimonidean Bind7 How to Live with Other JewsAsking the Right Question • So Who or What is a Jew Anyway? • Non-Orthodox Jews and Judaisms • Maimonides and the Objectivity of TruthAfterwordAppendix 1 Maimonides on Reward and PunishmentAppendix 2 The Thirteen PrinciplesAppendix 3 Yigdal and Ani ma’aminNote on TransliterationNote on Citation of Classical SourcesGlossaryBiographical Notes on Jewish ThinkersBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Jewish Cultural Studies series offers a contemporary view of Jewish culture around the globe. Multidisciplinary, multi-focused, and eclectic, it covers the cultural practices of secular Jews as well as of religious Jews of all persuasions, and from historical as well as contemporary perspectives. It also considers the range of institutions that represent and respond to Jewishness, including museums, the media, synagogues, and schools. More than a series on Jewish ideas, it uncovers ideas of being Jewish. This volume proposes that the idea of 'Jewish', or what people think of as 'Jewishness', is revealed in expressions of culture and applied in constructions of identity and representation. In Part I, 'Expression', Elly Teman considers how the kabbalistic red string found at sites throughout Israel conveys a political and psychological response to terrorism. Sergey Kravtsov examines Jewish and non-Jewish narratives concerning a synagogue in eastern Europe. Miriam Isaacs looks at expressions of cultural continuity in DP camps in the aftermath of the Holocaust, and Jascha Nemtsov discusses how Jewish folk music was presented as high art in early twentieth-century Germany. In Part II, 'Identity', Joachim Schlor enquires how the objects taken by emigrants leaving Germany for Palestine after Hitler's rise to power represented their identities. Hanna Kliger, Bea Hollander-Goldfein, and Emilie Passow examine how survivors' narratives become integrated into family identities. Olga Gershenson offers close readings of how the identities of Jews as enacted in post-perestroika films highlight conflicting Russian attitudes towards Jews. Ted Merwin considers commercial establishments as 'sacred spaces' for Jewish secular identities. Part III, 'Representation', opens with stories collected in Israel by Ilana Rosen from Jews who lived in Carpatho-Russia, while Judith Lewin considers the characterization of the Jewish woman in French literature. Holly Pearse and Mikel Koven, respectively, decode the Jewishness of modern radio comedy and Hollywood film. The idea of Jewishness is applied in the volume with provocative interpretations of Jewish experience, and fresh approaches to the understanding of Jewish cultural expressions. CONTRIBUTORS Simon J. Bronner, Olga Gershenson, Bea Hollander-Goldfein, Miriam Isaacs, Hannah Kliger, Mikel J. Koven, Sergey R. Kravtsov, Judith Lewin, Ted Merwin, Jascha Nemtsov, Emilie S. Passow, Holly A. Pearse, Ilana Rosen, Joachim Schlor, Elly TemanTrade Review'These essays often get to the heart of how Jewish cultural identity is still constructed today by Jews-religious and secular-and by non-Jews ... Recommended.' S. Ward, ChoiceTable of ContentsNote on Transliteration Preface SIMON J. BRONNERIntroduction: The Chutzpah of Jewish Cultural Studies SIMON J. BRONNER Part I: Expression1 The Red String: The Cultural History of a Jewish Folk Symbol ELLY TEMAN2 A Synagogue in Olyka: Architecture and Legends SERGEY R. KRAVTSOV3 Yiddish in the Aftermath: Speech Community and Cultural Continuity in Displaced Persons Camps MIRIAM ISAACS4 'National Dignity' and 'Spiritual Reintegration': The Discovery and Presentation of Jewish Folk Music in Germany JASCHA NEMTSOV Part II: Identity5 'Take Down Mezuzahs, Remove Name-Plates': The Emigration of Objects from Germany to Palestine JOACHIM SCHLA-R6 Holocaust Narratives and their Impact: Personal Identification and Communal Roles HANNAH KLIGER, BEA HOLLANDER-GOLDFEIN and EMILIE PASSOW7 Ambivalence, Identity, and Russian-Jewish Culture OLGA GERSHENSON8 The Delicatessen as an Icon of Secular Jewishness TED MERWIN Part III: Representation9 Hasidism versus Zionism as Remembered by Carpatho-Russian Jews between the Two World Wars ILANA ROSEN10 The Sublimity of the Jewish Type: Balzac's Belle Juive as Virgin Magdalene aux Camelias JUDITH LEWIN11 As Goyish as Lime Jell-O? Jack Benny and the American Construction of Jewishness HOLLY A. PEARSE 12 Jewish Coding: Cultural Studies and Jewish-American Cinema MIKEL KOVENNotes on ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisFor a Jew, describing a place as 'home' conveys connotations of heritage as well as of residence. Additionally, feeling 'at home' suggests a sense of comfort in one's social surroundings. The questions at the heart of this volume are: what things make a home 'Jewish', materially and emotionally, and what is it that makes Jews feel 'at home' in their environment? The material dimensions are explored through a study of the symbolic and ritual objects that convey Jewishness and a consideration of other items that may be used to express Jewish identity in the home-something that the introduction identifies as 'living-room Judaism'. The discussion is geographically and ethnically wide-ranging, and the transformation of meaning attached to different objects in different environments is contextualized, as, for example, in Shalom Sabar's study of {h.}amsa amulets in Morocco and Israel. For diasporic Jewish culture, the question of feeling at home is an emotional issue that frequently emerges in literature, folklore, and the visual and performing arts. The phrase 'at-homeness in exile' aptly expresses the tension between the different heritages with which Jews identify, including that between the biblical promised land and the cultural locations from which Jewish migration emanated. The essays in this volume take a closer look at the way in which ideas about feeling at home as a Jew are expressed in literature originating in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States, and also at the political ramifications of these emotions. The question is further explored in a series of exchanges on the future of Jews feeling 'at home' in Australia, Germany, Israel, and the United States. Jews at Home is the first book to examine the theme of the Jewish home materially and emotionally from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including literature, history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, art history, and folk and popular culture. The essays in the collection use the theme of home and the concept of domestication to revise understanding of the lived (and built) past, and to open new analytical possibilities for the future. Its discussion of domestic culture and its relevance to Jewish identity is one with which readers should feel right at home.Table of ContentsNote on TransliterationPreface and AcknowledgementsIntroduction: The Dualities of House and Home in Jewish Culture SIMON J. BRONNERPart I: In and Out of the Home1 The Domestication of Urban Jewish Space and the North-West London Eruv JENNIFER COUSINEAU2 Every Wise Woman Shoppeth for her House: The Sisterhood Gift Shop and the American Jewish Home in the Mid-Twentieth Century JOELLYN WALLEN ZOLLMAN Part II: Sacred, Secular, and Profane in the Home3 Reimagining Home, Rethinking Sukkah: Rabbinic Discourse and Its Contemporary Implications MARJORIE LEHMAN4 From Sacred Symbol to Keychain: The Hamsah in Jewish and Israeli Societies SHALOM SABAR5 770 Eastern Parkway: The Rebbe's Home as Icon GABRIELLE A. BERLINGER6 From the Nightclub to the Living Room: Party Records of Three Jewish Women Comics GIOVANNA P. DEL NEGROPart III: Writing Home7 Samuel Rawet's Wandering Jew: Jewish Brazilian Monologues of Home and Displacement ROSANA KOHL BINES8 Home in the Pampas: Alberto Gerchunoff's Jewish Gauchos MONICA SZURMUK9 Domesticity and the Home(Page): Blogging and the Blurring of Public and Private among Orthodox Jewish Women ANDREA LIEBERPart IV: Forum: Feeling at HomeIntroduction10 Culture Mavens: Feeling at Home in America JENNA WEISSMAN JOSELITResponses11 At Home in the World DAVID KRAEMER12 The Co-Construction of Europe as a Jewish Home JOACHIM SCHLÖR13 'Culture Mavens' from an Australian Jewish Perspective SUZANNE D. RUTLAND14 There's No Place Like Home: America, Israel, and the (Mixed) Blessings of Assimilation MICHAEL P. KRAMER15 The Last Word: A Response JENNA WEISSMAN JOSELITNotes on ContributorsIndex

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