Judaism Books

Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to be a Jew in the twenty-first century? Exploring the multifaceted and intensely complicated characteristics of this age-old, ever-changing community, this book examines how Jews are a culture, ethnicity, nation, nationality, race, religion, and more. Each chapter revolves around a single theme.Trade Review"Using a social psychology approach, Hahn Tapper...invite[s] readers to see their own identities reflected through the lens of what they [a]re reading and discovering about Judaism and the Jewish experience."-Renee Ghert-Zand, The Times of Israel The Times of Israel "Hahn Tapper hopes the book will 'convey academic ideas in a digestible way' - for anyone from the casual Jewish reader to the non-Jewish university student taking a course on Judaism. There is plenty in this book that will surprise even many well-read Jews, or recast common knowledge in a new light." J., the Jewish News Weekly "We've all been taught not to judge a book by its cover, but the cover images of "Judaisms" alert the reader that this is not your typical course reader on the Jewish religion...This book, which serves both as an easy-to-read text for undergrads as well as a more advanced selection for graduate students (footnotes are available online), articulates that today's Jewish community is vastly different than the one at the turn of the last century let alone a century ago." -- Rabbi Jason Miller Rabbi With a BlogTable of ContentsPREFACE: METHODS AND ASSUMPTIONS; EDITORIAL PRACTICES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Introduction 1. Narratives 2. Sinais 3. Zions 4. Messiahs 5. Laws 6. Mysticisms 7. Cultures 8. Movements 9. Genocides 10. Powers 11. Borders 12. Futures FIGURE CREDITS INDEX Supplementary Resources (see Downloads tab) Key Terms Timeline of Major Texts Activities Notes

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book ought to be read by every religious leader in every faith tradition, and by atheists and skeptics too. Few works are as important as this one, and I recommend it without hesitation." * Rabbi John Rosove's Blog *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction David N. Myers Part I. First Sermon 1. Chapel Sermon, October 30, 1948 Commentary by Rabbi Samuel Karff Part II. Inspirations 2. Sigmund Freud, May 11, 1956 Commentary by Professor Peter Loewenberg 3. Bertrand Russell’s Autobiography: Three Passions in Life Commentary by Dr. Joan Beerman 4. Looking at Kafka, January 8, 1982 Commentary by Professor Saul Friedlander 5. The Legacy of MLK, January 15, 1982 Commentary by the Reverend James M. Lawson Jr. 6. First Encounter with George (Regas), April 13, 2005 7. Why the Prophets Are Important, May 20, 1983 Commentary by Professor Jack Miles Part III. Faith, Doubt, and Duty 8. Handwritten Reflections on Doubt, undated Commentary by Rabbi Rachel Timoner 9. Can We Excommunicate God? April 30, 1965 Commentary by Professor Rabbi Rachel Adler 10. Duty of the Rabbi, undated Commentary by Rabbi Richard Levy 11. From the Diary of a Leo Baeck Temple Rabbi, February 5, 1971 Commentary by Rabbi Kenneth Chasen 12. Rabbi Beerman’s To-Do List 13. Yom Kippur Eve—Vocation of a Rabbi, September 17, 1972 Commentary by Rabbi Sharon Brous 14. Fast between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to Protest Munich and Vietnam, September 1972 Commentary by Professor Steven J. Ross 15. My Troubles with God; God’s Troubles with Me, February 9, 1979 Commentary by David Rintels 16. The Beginnings of an Outline for Jews to Consider, undated Commentary by Aziza Hasan Part IV. Social Justice 17. The Kindest Use a Knife, October 16, 1953 Commentary by Rabbi John L. Rosove 18. Is There a Relationship between Judaism and Social Justice? April 14, 1954 Commentary by Rabbi Zoë Klein 19. The Problems of the City: A Jewish Dilemma, February 4, 1966 Commentary by Professor Rabbi Aryeh Cohen 20. UCLA Teach-In on Vietnam War, March 24, 1966 Commentary by Rabbi Sanford Ragins 21. Notes for Symposium on Black Power, January 6, 1967 Commentary by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller 22. Letter to President Lyndon Johnson, April 13, 1967 Commentary by Judith Viorst 23. Rosh Hashanah Eve, September 30, 1970 (5731) Commentary by Professor Jonathan D. Greenberg 24. How I Lost the Election in St. Louis, July 9, 1971 Commentary by Professor William Cutter 25. Invocation for Religious Leaders for McGovern, June 1, 1972 Commentary by the Reverend J. Edwin Bacon 26. Survival in a Nuclear Age, February 17, 1984 Commentary by the Reverend George F. Regas 27. California People of Faith against the Death Penalty, October 16, 2001; April 20, 2002 Commentary by Mike Farrell 28. Piece on Human Condition Written for the Office of the Americas, November 2, 2002 Commentary by Stephen Rohde 29. A Vision for a Bewildering Time: Commencement Address at Washington & Jefferson College, May 18, 2007 Commentary by Professor David Ellenson 30. Letter to President George W. Bush, April 11, 2008 Commentary by Norman Lear 31. Human Rights Watch, November 17, 2009 Commentary by Jane Olson 32. A Sermon for All Saints, July 3, 2011 Commentary by Mel Levine Part V. Israel/Palestine 33. Time in Israel, Parts I and II, November 1967 Commentary by Daniel Sokatch 34. CCAR Breira Statement, 1977 Commentary by Professor Michael A. Meyer 35. Yom Kippur Morning, October 11, 1978 Commentary by Milton Viorst 36. Yom Kippur Eve, September 26, 1982 Commentary by Connie Bruck 37. Visions of Peace in the Middle East, October 31, 1992 Commentary by Salam al-Marayati 38. A Sermon for Yom Kippur Morning, October 1, 2006 Commentary by Rabbi Brant Rosen 39. Exchange of Letters with Bruce Ramer, October 2006–January 2007 Commentary by Bruce Ramer 40. A Sermon for Yom Kippur Morning, October 4, 2014 Commentary by Professor Nomi M. Stolzenberg Sayings of Leonard I. Beerman Notes List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisHasidism, a movement many believed had passed its golden age, has had an extraordinary revival since it was nearly decimated in the Holocaust and repressed in the Soviet Union. Hasidic communities, now settled primarily in North America and Israel, have reversed the losses they suffered and are growing exponentially. With powerful attachments to the past, mysticism, community, tradition, and charismatic leadership, Hasidism seems the opposite of contemporary Western culture, yet it has thrived in the democratic countries and culture of the West. How?Who Will Lead Us?finds the answers to this question in the fascinating story of five contemporary Hasidic dynasties and their handling of the delicate issue of leadership and succession. Revolving around the central figure of therebbe, the book explores two dynasties with too few successors, two with too many successors, and one that believes their lastrebbecontinues to lead them even after his death. Samuel C. Heilman, recognized as a foremost expert on modern Jewish Orthodoxy, here provides outsiders with the essential guide to continuity in the Hasidic world.Trade Review"One might expect to find these riveting succession stories—of the rebbes of the Munkacs, Boyan and Kopyczynitz, Bobover, Satmar, and Chabad Lubavitch dynasties—in a TV mini-series rather than in a work of sociology and history. While fueled by an enormous amount of research, they read more like page turners where the obsession is not sex, but succession." * Moment *"Riveting. . . . A great read!" * Haemtza *"An invaluable addition to the ranks of objective studies of a Jewish movement that continues to flourish in the U.S. even as more modern denominations decline." * Publishers Weekly *"Anyone interested in Jewish history mixed with a bit of palace intrigue will enjoy this book.” * Jewish Book Council *“...Heilman’s wellspring of facts and tidbits conveys empathy and sympathy to the old/new Hasidic yore on the American shore bounded by memory, defined by family genetics, and guided by a religion of law. . . . This is a well-researched tome.” * Reading Religion *"Anyone interested in Jewish history mixed with a bit of palace intrigue will enjoy this book." * Jewish Book Review *"Engrossing . . . . Required reading for anyone interested in the contemporary hasidic world." * Seforim *"Who Will Lead Us? includes many great stories, all of them sharply and engagingly told. Heilman’s account of the fight over the leadership of the Bobovers (resolved after years of infighting by the New York State Supreme Court) is worth the price of the hard cover volume alone." * Jewish Review of Books *“Heilman has drawn on many sources which he presents to us for the first time. He writes like a novelist thus making this a book that is hard to put down.” * Reviews by Amos Lassen *"Once again, students of Judaism and religious traditionalism are indebted to Heilman for his brilliant and insightful work." * Contemporary Jewry *"An in-depth analysis of how a very particular part of the Jewish world confronts modernity, post-Holocaust society, the modern nation-state of Israel, and a flourishing American Jewish community." * CHOICE *"Fascinating. . . . This book is worthwhile for insights into these insular societies; societies that many may find inspiring." * Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews *"Heilman is a master storyteller. . . .For readers interested in the internal dynamics of Hasidic communal life and in the adaptation of traditionalist Jewish groups to life in America, this book will be an enthralling and sometimes startling read." * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Prologue 1 Succession in Contemporary Hasidism: Who Will Lead Us? 2 Munkács: An Oedipal Challenge 3 Boyan and Kopyczynitz: Running Out of Rebbes 4 Bobov: A Clash of Families 5 Satmar: Succession Charged with Conflict 6 ChaBaD Lubavitch: A Rebbe Who Never Dies Final Thoughts Notes Index

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Book SynopsisAfter the Bible, the Passover haggadah is the most widely read classic Jewish text. Few editions are as exquisite as the Washington Haggadah in the Library of Congress. A stunning facsimile edition, meticulously reproduced in full color, brings this illuminated fifteenth-century manuscript to life for a new generation of readers.Trade ReviewBelknap Press of Harvard University Press has published an absolutely gorgeous volume, complete with a facsimile edition (in full color!) of The Washington Haggadah...Anyone who comes to the seder with The Washington Haggadah will easily win "most beautiful haggadah of the seder" award, and it'll make an absolutely delightful bar/bat mitzvah present. -- Menachem Butler * The Michtavim blog *If you're interested in deepening your Seder with a visual testimony of the ritual's antiquity, [The Washington Haggadah] can be a beautiful addition to your table. -- Jay Michaelson * Forward *The work is illuminating in more ways than one, and includes a color facsimile of the original 38 pages, as well as a description and explanation of each of the 11 illustrations. This academic review leaves one excited about medieval manuscripts, and wanting to delve into additional works created by ben Simeon. -- Mark Rebacz * In Jerusalem *No run-of-the-mill haggadah is quite as effective at making the past present as The Washington Haggadah. This beautifully produced book is a detailed facsimile of a 500-year-old haggadah in the collection of the Library of Congress, which explains the name...[Joel ben Simeon] is described by David Stern, in the introduction to this edition, as one of the most important and prolific scribes and illustrators in the history of the Jewish book...More powerful still, however, are the illustrations that Joel ben Simeon added to the margins of the text (usefully, The Washington Haggadah includes a descriptive catalog of all these illustrations)...The publishers have reproduced the manuscript so accurately that you can see wine and food spots on several pages, as well as places where the ink has smeared after being touched with a wet hand...From the Exodus to the Rabbis to 1478 to 1879 to 2011--in these pages, if anywhere, the past is present and the present past. -- Adam Kirsch * Tablet Magazine *The illustrations of contemporary Jewish life in the margins of the text draw one back into a lost world, shifting between medieval and modern. Even after all these years, the text is remarkably readable...David Stern provides a concise and enlightening introduction to the development of the Haggadah and ben Simeon's work, while Katrin Kogman-Appel reveals a sharp-eyed attention to detail in her examination of the Washington Haggadah itself and its place in the context of the artistic development revealed in other Haggadah manuscripts of the time. -- Ralph Amelan * Jerusalem Report *Belknap Press [is] to be complimented on bringing out a reasonably priced, attractively presented and scholarly facsimile of one of the treasures of the art of the illuminated Hebrew manuscript in its golden period. -- Yerachmiel Rubin * Jewish Tribune *This facsimile edition of one of Joel's best preserved manuscripts opens many doors on the Jewish world of the late Middle Ages...The pleasure in this facsimile lies in its delightful illustrations and innovative calligraphy, graced with Joel's unique decorative touches, and the wine stains and notes left by its various owners, indicating that the haggadah was actually used. In turning the pages of Joel's haggadah at leisure, readers may well imagine its use for over four centuries. * Jewish Book World *

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a major reassessment of scholarly commonplaces about the origins and nature of early Hasidism, the mystical movement which engulfed east European Jewry in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Four distinguished scholars contribute new research to what has been a most popular concern of Jewish historical study.

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Book SynopsisThe idea of the separation of powers, a bedrock of modern constitutionalism, has a deeper history. David Flatto uncovers striking antecedents in the writings of Jewish scholars and rabbis of antiquity. Under foreign rule, they constructed a vision of earthly separation of powers that made law and the courts, not the crown, supreme.Trade ReviewThanks to the publication of this panoramic work, future scholars have a wealth of writing to consult in separating out the strands of thought in early Jewish imagination regarding legal–political philosophy. -- David Nimmer * Journal of the Church and State *A work of consummate scholarship. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to know about the origins and nature of the separation of powers—a fundamental doctrine of modern constitutionalism, especially in the United States…Flatto demonstrates that the modern doctrine of separation of powers originated in certain biblical texts. -- Arthur J. Jacobson * Journal of Law and Religion *This is a profound and sharp study, which succeeds in revealing the complexity of the textual world of ancient Judaism and the multiplicity of views that existed there, while at the same time presenting a clear thesis about a common trend these various texts shared…An outstanding achievement. -- Ishay Rosen-Zvi * Journal of the American Oriental Society *[A] work of exceptional scholarship…We look to historical texts in view of our present concerns whether this is the status of nonhuman animals, the norming of human capacities, or constitutional theory. The challenge is to construct an interpretation of those texts that is animated by our interests while open to those expressed by them in their diversity, complexity, and even inconsistency. In this, The Crown and the Courts is a remarkable success. -- Yonatan Y. Brafman * Journal of Religion *[Flatto’s] work will inspire some new directions in historical studies of the eras in question. His excellent readings, of Josephus and the tannaim in particular, are welcome additions to the scholarship on both. -- Natalie Dohrmann * Dead Sea Discoveries *Was Josephus doing constitutional theory when he claimed that ancient Israel was a unique, theocratic polity, ruled by God and his laws, not men? This rich and provocative book deploys skillful close readings to argue that Josephus, the rabbis, and other important post-biblical Jewish thinkers made distinctive contributions to constitutional thought, developing an original account of separated powers. Flatto’s book should be read as a prequel to Eric Nelson’s scholarship showing how early modern Western political thought received rabbinic ideas. -- Noah Feldman, author of Arab Winter: A TragedyShould justice be administered independently of political authority? Through detailed consideration of a wide range of ancient Jewish texts, David Flatto adds a necessary and relevant new dimension to current thinking about the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary, and the rule of law. -- Timothy D. Lytton, author of Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial FoodThe Crown and the Courts offers us a learned and cogent analysis of the ways in which biblical and post-biblical Jewish sources sought to establish the independence of law from various forms of political authority. Flatto’s book is an important addition to the growing literature on rabbinic legal and political ideas. -- Eric Nelson, author of The Theology of Liberalism

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Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to the history and culture of the Sephardic dispersion through an exploration of forty-three responsa - questions about Jewish law that Jews asked leading rabbis, and the rabbis' responses.Trade Review"The selection of responsa in this book is a serious contribution to preserving not only memory of those responsa, but also perpetuating an understanding of the Jewish communities in which they were written."--Jay Levinson, Jewish Magazine "Taken on its merits ... this is a book that is not without charm, and will introduce general readers to a body of relatively unfamiliar and often graphically written sources."--Nichola De Lange, Journal of Jewish StudiesTable of ContentsPreface xi Introduction xvii Short Biographies of the Hakhamim lviii PART I: Life among Muslims and Christians Chapter 1: Caught in the Middle of Ottoman-Italian Wars (Greece, 1716) 5 Chapter 2: The Financial Fallout of a Blood Libel (Ragusa, 1622) 8 Chapter 3: A Blood Libel among the Sephardim (Ottoman Empire, mid-seventeenth century) 13 Chapter 4: Preparations for Siege (Algiers, 1732) 15 Chapter 5: The Jew Who Stood Up to the Governor--But Maybe Not Enough (Algiers, mid-eighteenth century) 16 PART II: Trade and Other Professions in the Sephardi Diaspora Chapter 6: An International Loan Gone Awry (Mediterranean, late-sixteenth century) 23 Chapter 7: The Woman with a Steel Welding Monopoly (Aleppo, ca. 1559) 26 Chapter 8: Death of a Salesman in Persia (Bursa and Persia, late sixteenth century) 29 Chapter 9: A Case of Mistaken Identity (Constantinople, late seventeenth century) 32 Chapter 10: The Death of Tall Aslan (Aleppo and Turkey, 1681) 35 Chapter 11: Egyptian Jews with Civet Cats (Egypt, mid-sixteenth century) 38 Chapter 12: Jewish Trade in a War Zone (Zante and Venice, ca. 1620) 39 Chapter 13: The Tale of the Clothier and the Vizier (Constantinople, 1641) 42 PART III: Life within the Sephardic Community Chapter 14: Divorce and an Indian Impostor (Greece, mid-sixteenth century) 53 Chapter 15: The Great Fire of Saloniki (Saloniki and Lepanto, 1620) 58 Chapter 16: An Apostate Soldier of Fortune (Zante, ca. 1620) 61 Chapter 17: The Fallout from a Tall Building (Ottoman Empire, early seventeenth century) 64 Chapter 18: Polish Fugitives in Egypt (Egypt, late seventeenth century) 66 Chapter 19: The Quarantine Colony in Spalato (Spalato, seventeenth century) 68 Chapter 20: Unscrupulous Partners and the Fear of Forced Conversion (Rhodes, early seventeenth century) 71 Chapter 21: A Change of Fortune, an Unwilling Wife, and a City in Panic (Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt, 1737) 73 Chapter 22: The Causes and Consequences of a Denunciation (Meknes, Morocco, 1721-1728) 77 Chapter 23: The Persecution of a Witness to Immorality (Tangier and Fez, 1744) 83 PART IV: Ritual Observance and Jewish Faith in Sephardic Communities Chapter 24: The Jew Accused of Heresy (Ottoman Empire, early sixteenth century) 93 Chapter 25: Jews Becoming Karaites and Karaites Becoming Jews (Egypt, late seventeenth century) 96 Chapter 26: Bequests of Conversos and Their Status as Jews (Istanbul, early sixteenth century) 99 Chapter 27: The Converso and the Charitable Fraternity (Amsterdam, late seventeenth century) 102 Chapter 28: Monstrous Births and Marvelous Creatures (Venice, mid-seventeenth century) 106 Chapter 29: Protestants Who Send Money to Poor Jews in the Land of Israel (Palestine, mid-seventeenth century) 109 Chapter 30: What May a Jew Do with a Nativity Medallion? (Greece, early sixteenth century) 112 Chapter 31: On Loaning Money to Priests (Jerusalem, ca. 1624) 115 Chapter 32: The Penitence of the Kastoria Community (Greece, late seventeenth century) 120 PART V: Marriage, Family, and Private Life Chapter 33: A Converso and His Flemish Concubine (Turkey, early sixteenth century) 127 Chapter 34: A Convert Repudiates Her Marriage (Ottoman Empire, early sixteenth century) 129 Chapter 35: The Melancholic Monogamist (Egypt, late seventeenth century) 131 Chapter 36: The Afflicted Bigamist (Morocco, early eighteenth century) 134 Chapter 37: A Suspicious Pregnancy (Shekhem [Nablus], Palestine, 1721) 136 Chapter 38: The Unrepentant Adulterer (Western Europe, 1730) 139 Chapter 39: A Slave among the Wars in Belgrade (Belgrade, late seventeenth century) 143 Chapter 40: A Sexually Abused Wife (Ottoman Empire, late seventeenth century) 147 Chapter 41: On the Manipulation of Women's Right to Divorce (Egypt, mid-seventeenth century) 150 Chapter 42: A Mother's Quest for Justice (Belgrade, 1698) 153 Chapter 43: The Runaway Groom (Bayonne, 1742) 155 Bibliography 159 Index 171

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Book SynopsisProvides a look at how Spinoza went from being one of Judaism's most notorious outcasts to one of its most celebrated, if still highly controversial, cultural icons, and a powerful and protean symbol of the first modern secular Jew. This book chronicles Spinoza's posthumous odyssey from marginalized heretic to hero.Trade ReviewCo-Winner of the 2012 Salo Wittmayer Baron Prize, American Academy for Jewish Research Finalist for the 2012 National Jewish Book Award in History "We have long needed a thorough and careful study of the various ways in which Spinoza has been appropriated by Jewish causes and movements. Daniel Schwartz's welcome book takes a close look for the first time at what the author calls 'the rehabilitation of Spinoza in Jewish culture.'"--Steven Nadler, Times Literary Supplement "Whether Baruch Spinoza was 'the first modern Jew,' as the title of this outstanding volume suggests, has been a subject of continuing debate... Schwartz displays admirable versatility in tracing the idolizations, disputes, and ambivalences evoked by Spinoza in Germany (Moses Mendelssohn and Berthold Auerbach) and eastern Europe (Salomon Rubin), within Zionism (Yosef Klausner), and in Yiddish literature (Isaac Bashevis Singer)... Essential."--M. A. Meyer, Choice "[P]assionate arguments, of the kind now richly documented by Schwartz, about Spinoza's Jewishness and his relevance to our times, still enrich and enrage ... and probably will continue to do so--without end."--Allan Nadler, Forward.com "This is the first full-scale history of Spinoza's reception among Jews... [I]t clearly demonstrates how this excluded philosopher could be viewed as religious or secular, as more Baruch or more Benedict, but almost necessarily as a touchstone in defining Jewish identity in the modern age."--Choice "With extensive and helpful notes, an index and a bibliography, this work is highly recommended for all academic collections that deal with Jews and Judaism in the modern age."--Marion M. Stein, Classical World "Schwartz has written a superb study that not only presents Spinoza as a thinker who fits uneasily into the modernist categories of 'religious' and 'secular': he has also composed a daring challenge to the popular interpretation of the modern age as a purely secular affair that left religion behind over 300 years ago."--Grant Havers, European LegacyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Note on Translations and Romanization xvii Introduction 1 Spinoza's Jewish Modernities Chapter 1: Ex-Jew, Eternal Jew: 15 Early Representations of the Jewish Spinoza Chapter 2: Refining Spinoza: 35 Moses Mendelssohn's Response to the Amsterdam Heretic Chapter 3: The First Modern Jew: 55 Berthold Auerbach's Spinoza and the Beginnings of an Image Chapter 4: A Rebel against the Past, A Revealer of Secrets: 81 Salomon Rubin and the East European Maskilic Spinoza Chapter 5: From the Heights of Mount Scopus: 113 Yosef Klausner and the Zionist Rehabilitation of Spinoza Chapter 6: Farewell, Spinoza: 155 I. B. Singer and the Tragicomedy of the Jewish Spinozist Epilogue: 189 Spinoza Redivivus in the Twenty-First Century Notes 203 Bibliography 247 Index 265

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Book SynopsisWhile the great medieval philosopher, theologian, and physician Maimonides is acknowledged as a leading Jewish thinker, his intellectual contacts with his surrounding world are often described as related primarily to Islamic philosophy. This title demonstrates that he was deeply influenced not only by Islamic philosophy but by Islamic culture.Trade Review"Stroumsa considerably broadens our understanding of Maimonides's Graeco-Arabic sources... Stroumsa does a fine job in bringing to life the Mediterranean setting in which Maimonides encountered this ideal, and tried to direct it towards the heart of Judaism. She challenges scholars of Jewish and Muslim thought to look beyond the artificial confines of their disciplines, and raises intriguing questions about the fluid intellectual boundaries of Jewish identity."--Carlos Fraenkel, Times Literary Supplement "Fascinating."--David Nirenberg, London Review of Books "The book is well written, presenting its dense material in an accessible way. Though there are many quotations in Arabic, nothing essential is left untranslated or unexplained. Stroumsa makes her points forcefully and persuasively, positioning Maimonides as a thinker of great importance to Muslims as well as to Jews."--Pinchas Roth, AJL Newsletter "Sarah Stroumsa's erudite and accessible Maimonidies in His World ... is an exceptional work of critical scholarship that remains readable and relevant beyond the ivory tower. Indeed, its true significance might be found among a more general readership... In the future conversations that are sure to ensue about Maimonides' place in contemporary Jewish life, Stroumsa's portrait will be a most welcome, indispensible guide."--Shai Secunda, Talmud Blog "Stroumsa is an intellectual historian whose mastery of her material is impressive on many levels... Maimonides in His World ... is a book that will be considered required reading for anyone who works on Maimonides' life and thought. Stroumsa's scholarship is much too good for anyone in the field to ignore."--Kenneth Seeskin, Shofar "The book delves into even more detail to discover many of Maimonides' innovations and the way in which they were enabled. Critical to Stroumsa's reading of Maimonides is her insistence that it is impossible to understand any of his texts without taking into account the scholarship of the Arabo-Islamic thinkers of his day."--David Shasha, Huffington Post "[T]he methodological underpinnings of Stroumsa's approach are rock-solid and eminently worthwhile. Stroumsa is never strident or lacking in critical self-reflection. For every bold position she stakes out, she raises the contra-indications and gives them their due. In trying to understand the personal biography, the intellectual, the theologian, the scientist, and the halakhic authority, Stroumsa has conceived the richest portrait yet of 'The Great Eagle.'"--Ronald C. Kiener, Journal of the American Oriental Society "Stroumsa brings her strengths as a scholar of Arabic thought to bear on Maimonides' biography and life's work."--Marc Herman, Sephardic HorizonsTable of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xvii Abbreviations xix Chapter One: Maimonides and Mediterranean Culture 1 Mediterranean Cultures 3 Maimonides as a Mediterranean Thinker 6 Horizons 13 Transformations in the Jewish World 18 Maimonides and Saadia 22 Chapter Two: The Theological Context of Maimonides' Thought 24 Islamic Theology 24 Heresies, Jewish and Muslim 38 Chapter Three: An Almohad "Fundamentalist"? 53 Almohads 53 Maimonides and the Almohads 59 Legal Aspects 61 Theology 70 Exegesis and Political Philosophy 73 Philosophy and Astronomy 80 Conclusion 82 Chapter Four: La Longue Duree: Maimonides as a Phenomenologist of Religion 84 Sabians 84 Maimonides as an Historian of Religion 106 "A Wise and Understanding People?": The Religion of the People 111 Chapter Five: A Critical Mind: Maimonides as Scientist 125 Medicine and Science 125 "Ravings": Maimonides' Concept of Pseudo-Science 138 Chapter Six: "From Moses to Moses": Maimonides' Vision of Perfection 153 "True Felicity": The Hereafter in Maimonides' Thought 153 Issues of Life and Death: The Controversy Regarding Resurrection 165 "Gates for the Righteous Nation": The Philosopher as Leader 183 Conclusion 189 Bibliography 193 Index 219

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Book SynopsisReveals the crucial ways in which various Jewish heresies, including Christianity, affected the development of rabbinic Judaism. The author even shows that some of the ideas that the rabbis appropriated from Christianity were actually reappropriated Jewish ideas.Trade ReviewPeter Schafer, Winner of the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation "This volume combines several provocative theses. Schafer suggests that arguments in the Talmud against ostensibly heretical teachings are aimed not only at opponents of the rabbis but also at circles among the ancient rabbis themselves that found such teachings attractive... The author is a highly respected scholar of ancient Judaism, and the present book continues lines of thought that appeared in his earlier writings, including Jesus in the Talmud. This volume's presentation is erudite yet accessible. The arguments against scholars with other views are especially robust and forthright."--Choice "Schafer's book is very illuminating and fascinating. The author examines a rich collection of rabbinic texts, which shed light and better understanding on many concepts included in the Old and New Testaments. His emphasis on the geographical distinction between Palestine and Babylonia, in the evaluation of the rabbinic sources is worthy of attention... [T]he book is an excellent presentation of the mutual interaction between the sister religions and deserves an important place amongst the studies about early Judaism and Christianity."--Miroslaw S. Wrobel, Biblical Annals "There have been a number of revelatory books in recent decades on the relations between early Christianity and Judaism, especially on how each influenced the other. This book by Peter Schafer ... is among them."--Glenn W. Olsen, European LegacyTable of ContentsList of Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Different Names of God 21 Offerings 22 Creation 24 R. Simlai's Collection of Dangerous Bible Verses 27 The Bavli Collection 37 R. Simlai and Christianity 42 Chapter 2. The Young and the Old God 55 Chapter 3. God and David 68 Aqiva in the Bavli 70 The David Apocalypse 85 David in Dura Europos 94 Chapter 4. God and Metatron 103 Rav Idith and the Heretics 104 Metatron the Great Scribe 115 The Celestial High Priest 116 The Prince of the World 123 The Instructor of Schoolchildren in Heaven 125 Two Powers in Heaven 127 Akatriel 131 Metatron in Babylonia 138 Metatron and Christianity 141 Chapter 5. Has God a Father, a Son, or a Brother? 150 Chapter 6. The Angels 160 When Were the Angels Created? 160 God's Consultation with the Angels 165 Angels and Revelation 179 Veneration of Angels 188 Chapter 7. Adam 197 Chapter 8. The Birth of the Messiah, or Why Did Baby Messiah Disappear? 214 The Arab 220 Elijah 222 The Messiah 223 The Mother of the Messiah 227 Christianity 228 Chapter 9. The Suffering Messiah Ephraim 236 Pisqa 34 238 Pisqa 36 242 Pisqa 37 261 Christianity 264 Notes 273 Bibliography 329 Index 343

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Book SynopsisThis is a general-interest introduction to the Old Testament from many disciplines. There are 23 essays with 23 individual reference lists.Trade Review"This collection provides a rich introduction to the Hebrew Bible for general readers, and is an invaluable companion for students and scholars."--Publishers Weekly "A compelling analysis of the document that embraces all phases of biblical scholarship, from every conceivable point of view."--John Mulryan, Cithara "The book is attractive and an easy read. Written by a group of contemporary scholars, the book will be a great aid to any student of the Old Testament."--Ralph Lee Scott, ARBATable of ContentsIntroduction ix John Barton List of Contributors xi Part I. The Hebrew Bible in Its Historical and Social Context 1 1. The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament 3 John Barton 2. The Historical Framework 24 Biblical and Scholarly Portrayals of the Past Francesca Stavrakopoulou 3. The Social and Cultural History of Ancient Israel 54 Katherine Southwood 4. Israel in the Context of the Ancient Near East 86 Anthony J. Frendo Part II. Major Genres of Biblical Literature 107 5. The Narrative Books of the Hebrew Bible 109 Thomas Romer 6. The Prophetic Literature 133 R. G. Kratz 7. Legal Texts 160 Assnat Bartor 8. The Wisdom Literature 183 Jennie Grillo 9. The Psalms and Poems of the Hebrew Bible 206 Susan Gillingham Part III. Major Religious Themes 237 10. Monotheism 239 Benjamin D. Sommer 11. Creation 271 God and World Hermann Spieckermann 12. The Human Condition 293 Hilary Marlow 13. God's Covenants with Humanity and Israel 312 Dominik Markl 14. Ethics 338 C. L. Crouch 15. Religious Space and Structures 356 Stephen C. Russell 16. Ritual 378 Diet, Purity, and Sacrifice Seth D. Kunin Part IV. The Study and Reception of the Hebrew Bible 403 17. Reception of the Old Testament 405 Alison Gray 18. Historical-Critical Inquiry 431 Christoph Bultmann 19. Literary Approaches 455 David Jasper 20. Theological Approaches to the Old Testament 481 R.W.L. Moberly 21. Political and Advocacy Approaches 507 Eryl W. Davies 22. Textual Criticism and Biblical Translation 532 Carmel McCarthy 23. To Map or Not to Map? 556 A Biblical Dilemma Adrian Curtis Index of Scripture 575 Index of Modern Authors 589 Index of Subjects 596

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Book SynopsisThe author brings to a focus his interpretation of biblical religion as an existential confrontation between God and man in which God calls man, individual and collectivee, to decision; man responds, and God judges.Trade Review"[In] The Prophetic Faith ... Buber does not get lost in the details of compositional, religious, or political history, nor does he hyperfocus on the exegesis of particular verses. Rather, his attention lies on what is most important to him, as it is to many today as well--the personally and socially transformative encounter with the eternal You."--Jon D. Levenson, Harvard Divinity SchoolTable of ContentsIntroduction to the 2016 Edition ix 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 THE SONG OF DEBORAH 10 3 ORIGINS 17 A The Shechem Assembly 17 B Mount Sinai 24 C YHVH and Israel 30 4 THE GOD OF THE FATHERS 38 5 HOLY EVENT 53 6 THE GREAT TENSIONS 74 A The Rule of God and the Rule of Man 74 B YHVH and the Baal 87 C The Struggle for the Revelation 99 7 THE TURNING TO THE FUTURE 119 A For the Sake of Righteousness .119 B For the Sake of Lovingkindness .137 C The Theopolitical Hour .156 8 THE GOD OF THE SUFFERERS 192 A Against the Sanctuary .192 B The Question .227 C The Mystery .251 Index of Scripture References 293

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Book SynopsisIn the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as German Jews struggled for legal emancipation and social acceptance, they also embarked on a program of cultural renewal, two key dimensions of which were distancing themselves from their fellow Ashkenazim in Poland and giving a special place to the Sephardim of medieval Spain. Where they saw Ashkenazic Jewry as insular and backward, a result of Christian persecution, they depicted the Sephardim as worldly, morally and intellectually superior, and beautiful, products of the tolerant Muslim environment in which they lived. In this elegantly written book, John Efron looks in depth at the special allure Sephardic aesthetics held for German Jewry.Efron examines how German Jews idealized the sound of Sephardic Hebrew and the Sephardim''s physical and moral beauty, and shows how the allure of the Sephardic found expression in neo-Moorish synagogue architecture, historical novels, and romanticized depictions of Sephardic history. He argTrade Review"Anyone who researches German-Jewish culture in the age of assimilation discovers a series of inner tensions that demand tactful handling and empathy. John Efron provides both in this wide-ranging book. His analysis of the conflict among Jews between Ashkenazic and Sephardic self-images makes a valuable corrective to simplified views of the past, and an essential contribution to the flourishing field of German-Jewish cultural history."--Ritchie Robertson, Times Literary Supplement "Challenging, invigorating, and inspiring, Professor John M. Efron's study opens up a swath of Jewish cultural history that is familiar to few scholars and fewer general readers... Efron's fine study, [is] at once erudite and accessible."--Philip K. Jason, Jewish Book Council "Efron is very precise and clear-eyed... [He] very convincingly locates Ashkenazi longing for Sephardic lustre in every field of artistic and intellectual endevour... Efron offers us a whole new way of looking at German Jewry."--Fabian Wolff, Jewish Quarterly "There have been studies dealing with aspects of the fascination that the Sephardic Jewish experience held for modernizing German Jews, but none as comprehensive and nuanced as this book, which considers the subject from the angles of language, aesthetics, character, physical features, synagogue architecture, belles lettres, and historiography... Efron's scholarship is impeccable, his writing fluent."--Choice "[This] is a beautiful book that reveals tremendous craftsmanship. Each chapter is a finely wrought marvel of crystalline prose, careful scholarship, and often exquisite analysis... No one can read this book without feeling their eyes opened wide to the remarkable range and complex motivations of 19th-century German Jewish Sephardism."--Jewish Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Chapter One. The Sound of Jewish Modernity: Sephardic Hebrew and the Berlin Haskalah 21 Chapter Two. "Castilian Pride and Oriental Dignity": Sephardic Beauty in the Eye of the Ashkenazic Beholder 53 Chapter Three. Of Minarets and Menorahs: The Building of Oriental Synagogues 112 Chapter Four. Pleasure Reading: Sephardic Jews and the German-Jewish Literary Imagination 161 Chapter Five. Writing Jewish History: The Construction of a Glorious Sephardic Past 190 Epilogue 231 Notes 239 Bibliography 291 Index 321

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Modern Jewish Thought and Experience, Dorot Foundation Award in Memory of Joy Ungerleider Mayerson""Mittleman presents Jews and all those with a more spiritual, religious, value-seeking bent much to think about in their efforts to sanctify their lives."---James A. Diamond, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"A carefully and lucidly argued book about the relationship between violence, holiness, and Judaism."---Martin Shuster, Reading Religion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2005""As John L. Esposito makes clear in his helpful foreword, Professor F.E. Peters' revision of this important, accessible discussion of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition is a welcome contribution for a new generation of readers facing an international political environment where respectful engagement is imperative." * Jewish Book World *"The new edition of Francis E. Peters' The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam . . . is written in a direct and accessible style with thorough and nuanced discussions of each of the three Abrahamic traditions. . . . We have to try our best to understand other religions and our own. Perhaps Peters' book can help us in this."---Horst Jesse, European Legacy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Long-listed for the 2017 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize""It's refreshing to read a Jewish book on death that does not presume to offer guidance, either through that dark portal, or around it. Instead, Hillel Halkin . . . has written a brief, pellucid account of the role death has played in Jewish texts, law, thought and lives--including his own."---Esther Schor, Wall Street Journal"Halkin combines an accessible and trenchant exploration of Judaism's evolving concepts of death with his own struggle with understanding it. He leavens what could be a depressing read with humor. . . . Halkin's frankness about his own difficulties . . . help make this nuanced quest for meaning personal and affecting." * Publishers Weekly *"Well-rounded and thoroughly readable."---Jeff Fleischer, ForeWord"Deeply moving."---Ray Olson, Booklist"A very user-friendly historical account of Jewish ideas about death . . . and how those ideas change. . . . [Halkin] is a master at 'popularisation' in the best sense of that term, bringing to a non-academic audience what are, in essence, some very complicated ideas."---David Hillel-Ruben, Jewish Chronicle"Hillel Halkin, an American-born Israeli scholar and novelist, poignantly explores his own experiences while providing a history of Jewish thought."---Amy Frykholm, Christian Century"Instructive and thought-provoking. . . . One would be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable or astute guide through the vast literature of Jewish thanatology than Hillel Halkin. . . . The Biggest of Mysteries being tackled by one of our best and brightest."---Matt Nesvisky, Jerusalem Post"Learned and beautifully written." * Choice *"At once scholarly and passionate, secular and religious, detached and autobiographical."---Edward Alexander, Chicago Jewish Star"Charming, frankly vulnerable, and deceptively deep."---Abraham Socher, Jewish Review of Books"In this important new book, Hillel Halkin explores Jewish attitudes towards death and the world to come. . . . A highly readable book which provokes reflection on an often uncomfortable subject. It would prove a valuable resource for all those involved in the field of pastoral care."---Randall C. Belinfante, Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“No great textual scholar, no master of philology and historical criticism commands a technique at once more scrupulously attentive to its object and more instinctive with the writer’s voice [than Scholem]. That voice reaches out and grabs the layman.”—George Steiner, New Yorker“[Scholem’s] work on Jewish mysticism, messianism, and sectarianism, spanning now half a century, constitutes … one of the major achievements of the historical imagination in our time. I would contend that it is of vital interest not only to anyone concerned with the history of religion but to anyone struggling to understand the underlying problematics of the human predicament.”—Robert Alter, Commentary“This book has been a classic in its field since it was first issued in 1950, and it still stands as uniquely authoritative and intriguingly instructive…. [It is] a monument of revelation and insight bridging anthropology, religion, sociology, and history.”—Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisIn 1665, as Jews abandoned reason for the ecstasy of enthusiasm for self-proclaimed Messiah Sabbetai Zevi, Jacob Sasportas watched in horror. Dweck tells the story of the Sephardic rabbi who challenged Sabbetai Zevi's improbable claims and warned his fellow Jews that their Messiah was not the answer to their prayers..Trade Review"Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in Sephardic Culture""Dweck’s new book is not merely another study of the Sabbatian affair; it canvasses seventeenth-century Sephardic diaspora, rabbinic epistemology and the crises between them, a crisis of which Sasportas’ anti-Sabbatian campaign was only an external manifestation."---Zvi Kunshtat, Studia Rosenthaliana

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the National Jewish Book Award in Scholarship""Winner of the Jordan Schnitzer Award in Biblical Studies, Rabbinics, and Jewish History and Culture in Antiquity, Association for Jewish Studies""An important addition to the field of Jewish Studies, for it makes a significant contribution to scholarly discussions on ways of constructing identity in rabbinic literature."---Michail Kitsos, Religious Studies Review"Time and Difference in Rabbinic Judaism effortlessly weaves together ruminations on time and temporality, rabbinic traditions (both legal and narrative), and Greek and Roman literary sources and material remains. . . . A remarkable achievement."---Max K. Strassfeld, The Journal of Religion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Jewish Ideas Daily.com's 40 Best Jewish Books of 2012"

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Teter] draws incisive parallels between disparate time periods and parts of the world and fruitfully interweaves legal, religious, cultural, and political analysis. It’s a noteworthy look at the origins and mechanics of oppression." * Publishers Weekly *"In this accessible and comprehensive study, Teter traces the twisted historic origins of white supremacy and its centuries of suppressing the civil and political rights of Jewish individuals and people of color. . . . A disturbing read at times, but an important one, especially given the growth of the white supremacy movement in this era." * Library Journal *"Meticulous and nuanced."---Howard Cooper, Jewish Chronicle"Intriguing. . . . A timely, brave intellectual stand."---Nathan Ron, The European Legacy"Steeped in primary sources, Christian Supremacy is informative and provocative" * Jerusalem Post *

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Book SynopsisPublished just in time for Passover 5779, this Haggadah from the Jewdas collective is a satirical, political and downright hilarious take on a Jewish tradition. With a multitude of dangerous ideas such as workers’ rights, liberation of the oppressed and the dismantling of nation-states, this Haggadah is for every left-wing Jewish household.Trade Review`I learnt a lot ... a lovely time' -- Jeremy Corbyn, on the 2018 Jewdas seder `They raised a beetroot in the air and shouted f*** capitalism!' -- Daily Mail, on the 2018 Jewdas seder

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Book SynopsisThe main aim of this work is to understand Jesus as he saw himself, and to compare that self--understanding with the ways in which others have grasped the nature of his mission.Trade Review'A tour de force, an intellectual feat of great distinction.' Arnold Age s, University of Waterloo 'An important addition to the scholarship of the most critical period in the formation of what has come to be called the 'Judeo-Christian heritage'. It will be of great interest to general readers.' St Louis Jewish Light 'Zeitlin has digested a great deal of scholarly material and imparts it with brevity and clarity.' Canadian Jewish News 'A well-written project with many other admirable features' Toronto Journal of Theology 'Admirable in its clarity, its clean, direct, unpretentious style, and its careful arrangement.' Contemporary Sociology 'Zeitlin offers Christians the opportunity to rise to the challenge of understanding the gospels from a Jewish perspective, historically based, while returning to the basics of the faith of the church in their simplest expressions, i.e., the expressions of the gospel accounts themselves. 'Didaskalia ‘How Jewish was Jesus? Did he consider himself the Messiah? Why was he executed by the Romans as a political rebel? What did Jesus really think about the Sabbath, dietary laws, and the idea of divorce? How did Paul misinterpret Jesus’ major concepts? How did the early church separate form Judaism? These are some of the contentious and complex questions that Irving M. Zeitlin, professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, examines in this concise and scholarly study. The author reviews Jesus’ life and teaching in relation to his social milieu and historical period. His method is sociological and proves to be a fruitful approach to problems, questions and issues that have been discussed by scholars over the centuries.’ Canadian Jewish News ‘…a tour de force, an intellectual feat of great distinction.’ Arnold Ages, University of Waterloo ‘… an important addition to the scholarship of the most critical period in the formation of what has come to be called the “Judeo-Christian heritage”. It will be a great value to serious scholars and a great interest to general readers.’ St. Louis Jewish LightTable of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. Part I: Judaism in the Time of Jesus. Part II: Jesus of Nazareth: Charismatic Religious Virtuoso. Part III: The Road to Golgotha. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive account of how the Jews became a diaspora people. The term ''diaspora'' was first applied exclusively to the early history of the Jews as they began settling in scattered colonies outside of Israel-Judea during the time of the Babylonian exile; it has come to express the characteristic uniqueness of the Jewish historical experience. Zeitlin retraces the history of the Jewish diaspora from the ancient world to the present, beginning with expulsion from their ancestral homeland and concluding with the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In mapping this process, Zeitlin argues that the Jews'' religious self-understanding was crucial in enabling them to cope with the serious and recurring challenges they have had to face throughout their history. He analyses the varied reactions the Jews encountered from their so-called ''host peoples'', paying special attention to the attitudes of famous thinkers such as Luther, Hegel, Nietzsche, WaTrade Review"Zeitlin successfully sums up extensive and detailed historical data while keeping them within a framework of the ideas he seeks to get across."Insight Turkey"Of Jewish histories there is no shortage. But this remarkable book offers history from the critical perspective of sociology - itself critically examined in the light of history. In short, an intellectual feast."Norman Miller, Trinity College, Hartford "This comprehensive study provides a profound discourse on the meanings and boundaries of 'Diaspora' as a central dimension of Jewish history. The author launches his historical tour of diverse Jewish religious, social, geographical, political and cultural communities with a probing "genealogy" of the very concept of Diaspora, including contemporary theories."Frederick M. Denny, University of Colorado at Boulder "A prominent sociologist employs the concepts of his discipline to write diaspora Jewish history, as the story of national-religious Jewish peoplehood. Zeitlin shows that separate accounts of Jews living in different nations often miss the real connections in Jewish history."Jacques Kornberg, University of TorontoTable of ContentsPreface Chapter One "Diaspora" on the Genealogy of a Concept The Relation of Theory to History and the Role of the Ideal Type Global Diasporas by Robin Cohen Ethnic Immigration in the Early Eras of American History Diasporas by Stéphane Dufux Static Thinking About Dispersion Powers of Diaspora by Jonathan Boyarin and Daniel Boyarin The Socratic Inversion of Values The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness by Paul Gilroy Children of Israel or Children of the Pharaohs Black Culture and Ineffable Terror Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century by James Clifford Chapter Two Varieties of Jewish Religious Experience Resting, however, on Unifying Jewish Religious Principles Moshe Rosman's Rethinking European Jewish History Cultures of the Jews Syncretism in Jewish History Polytheism and Monotheism The Nature of Polytheism Chapter Three Max Weber's Ancient Judaism The Hebrew Prophets: The Setting The Prophetic Ethic Chapter Four The Babylonian Empire The Revolt and the Destruction of the First Temple The Emigration to Egypt Chapter Five The Babylonian Exile and the Persian Supremacy (586-332BCE) The Diaspora in Babylon and Persia Chapter Six Alexander the Great and the new Hegemony of the West Chapter Seven The World Diaspora The Beginnings of the European Diaspora: Greece and Rome Chapter Eight The Diaspora in the 1st Century CE Judaism's Proselytism Chapter Nine The Jews in the Roman Near East Chapter Ten The Jews Move to Poland The Chmelnitzky Uprising of 1648-1649 Chapter Eleven Sabbatai Zevi Chapter Twelve Gershom Scholem's Error Dubnow on the Sabbatian Movement Chapter Thirteen The Rise of Hasidism and the Baal-Shem-Tob Enter the Man, Israel, Who Became the Baal-Shem-Tob (abbreviated the Besht) The Fundamental Principles of the Besht's Teachings The Growth of Tzaddikism Hasidism, Rabbinism and the Forerunners of the Enlightenment Chapter Fourteen The Jews of Spain The Inquisition The Jews, the Spanish and the "Conversos Problem" The Aftermath of the Pogroms Jewish Mysticism: The Kabbalah in Spanish-Jewish Life Chapter Fifteen The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain The Conquest of Granada Chapter Sixteen The Enlightenment and the Jews The English Deists Varieties of Enlightenment Views on Religion Voltaire Rousseau Rousseau on Judaism and the Jews Chapter Seventeen The Germanies The Emerging German National Mind Luther Luther's Attitude toward the Jews Hegel Hegel on Jews and Judaism Chapter Eighteen The Left Hegelians and the "So-Called" Jewish Question Bruno Bauer on the "Jewish Question" Marx Marx's Use of the Terms "Jew" and "Judaism" Weber vs. Sombart on the Spirit of Capitalism Chapter Nineteen From Religion to Race Afro-American Ð Jewish Parallels Arthur de Gobineau Chapter Twenty From Gobineau and H. Stewart Chamberlain to Wagner Nietzsche, the Jews, and Judaism Nietzsche's Legacy Chapter Twenty One The Rise of Nazism The Versailles Treaty The Origins of the Nazi Party After the Putsch Chapter Twenty Two The Early Nazi Regime and the Jews as Perceived by Non-Jewish Contemporaries Chapter Twenty Three The First World War, the Collapse of the Old Regimes and the Rise of Totalitarianism More on Nazi Ideology, Internal Factions and Foreign-Policy Aims The Turning Point: The Attack on Poland Chapter Twenty Four Max Weber on Bureaucracy and its Relevance for an Analysis of the Shoah (Holocaust) Bureaucracy German Ideology and Bureaucracy Weber's Serious Error Chapter Twenty Five Charisma, Bureaucracy and the "Final Solution" Raul Hilberg's, The Destruction of the European Jews The Administration of the Destructive Process The Reich-Protektorat Area The Creation of a Centralized authority in Ghettoized Jewish Communities The Polish Jews under the Nazis The Jewish Councils (Judenräte) Nazi Food Controls Mobile Killing Operations The Role of the Other Ethnic Groups Definition of "Jew" Again, and Himmler Ian Kershaw's Recent Re-Examination of the Issues Chapter Twenty Six Leon Poliakov's Complementary Analysis of the Shoah Hitler's Euthanasia Program Auschwitz The "Death's Head" Formations (SS Totenkopf) Back to the Question of a Distinctive German National Character Significant Political Differences Between Eastern and Western Europe The Role of the Christian Churches Postscript Chapter Twenty Seven The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto A Reflection on Jewish Resistance Chapter Twenty Eight Zionism, Israel and the Palestinians Theodore Herzl The Historical Jewish Presence in the Arab World The Peace Conference of 1919 "The Unseen Question" Arab Rebellion Works Cited

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Book Synopsis* A groundbreaking new study by a leading scholar on the history of the Jews and the process by which they became a diaspora people. * Wide-ranging in scope, from the expulsion of Jews from their ancestral homeland in the Ancient world to the 'Final Solution' and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Trade Review"Zeitlin successfully sums up extensive and detailed historical data while keeping them within a framework of the ideas he seeks to get across."Insight Turkey"Of Jewish histories there is no shortage. But this remarkable book offers history from the critical perspective of sociology - itself critically examined in the light of history. In short, an intellectual feast."Norman Miller, Trinity College, Hartford "This comprehensive study provides a profound discourse on the meanings and boundaries of 'Diaspora' as a central dimension of Jewish history. The author launches his historical tour of diverse Jewish religious, social, geographical, political and cultural communities with a probing "genealogy" of the very concept of Diaspora, including contemporary theories."Frederick M. Denny, University of Colorado at Boulder "A prominent sociologist employs the concepts of his discipline to write diaspora Jewish history, as the story of national-religious Jewish peoplehood. Zeitlin shows that separate accounts of Jews living in different nations often miss the real connections in Jewish history."Jacques Kornberg, University of TorontoTable of ContentsPreface Chapter One "Diaspora" on the Genealogy of a Concept The Relation of Theory to History and the Role of the Ideal Type Global Diasporas by Robin Cohen Ethnic Immigration in the Early Eras of American History Diasporas by Stéphane Dufux Static Thinking About Dispersion Powers of Diaspora by Jonathan Boyarin and Daniel Boyarin The Socratic Inversion of Values The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness by Paul Gilroy Children of Israel or Children of the Pharaohs Black Culture and Ineffable Terror Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century by James Clifford Chapter Two Varieties of Jewish Religious Experience Resting, however, on Unifying Jewish Religious Principles Moshe Rosman's Rethinking European Jewish History Cultures of the Jews Syncretism in Jewish History Polytheism and Monotheism The Nature of Polytheism Chapter Three Max Weber's Ancient Judaism The Hebrew Prophets: The Setting The Prophetic Ethic Chapter Four The Babylonian Empire The Revolt and the Destruction of the First Temple The Emigration to Egypt Chapter Five The Babylonian Exile and the Persian Supremacy (586-332BCE) The Diaspora in Babylon and Persia Chapter Six Alexander the Great and the new Hegemony of the West Chapter Seven The World Diaspora The Beginnings of the European Diaspora: Greece and Rome Chapter Eight The Diaspora in the 1st Century CE Judaism's Proselytism Chapter Nine The Jews in the Roman Near East Chapter Ten The Jews Move to Poland The Chmelnitzky Uprising of 1648-1649 Chapter Eleven Sabbatai Zevi Chapter Twelve Gershom Scholem's Error Dubnow on the Sabbatian Movement Chapter Thirteen The Rise of Hasidism and the Baal-Shem-Tob Enter the Man, Israel, Who Became the Baal-Shem-Tob (abbreviated the Besht) The Fundamental Principles of the Besht's Teachings The Growth of Tzaddikism Hasidism, Rabbinism and the Forerunners of the Enlightenment Chapter Fourteen The Jews of Spain The Inquisition The Jews, the Spanish and the "Conversos Problem" The Aftermath of the Pogroms Jewish Mysticism: The Kabbalah in Spanish-Jewish Life Chapter Fifteen The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain The Conquest of Granada Chapter Sixteen The Enlightenment and the Jews The English Deists Varieties of Enlightenment Views on Religion Voltaire Rousseau Rousseau on Judaism and the Jews Chapter Seventeen The Germanies The Emerging German National Mind Luther Luther's Attitude toward the Jews Hegel Hegel on Jews and Judaism Chapter Eighteen The Left Hegelians and the "So-Called" Jewish Question Bruno Bauer on the "Jewish Question" Marx Marx's Use of the Terms "Jew" and "Judaism" Weber vs. Sombart on the Spirit of Capitalism Chapter Nineteen From Religion to Race Afro-American Ð Jewish Parallels Arthur de Gobineau Chapter Twenty From Gobineau and H. Stewart Chamberlain to Wagner Nietzsche, the Jews, and Judaism Nietzsche's Legacy Chapter Twenty One The Rise of Nazism The Versailles Treaty The Origins of the Nazi Party After the Putsch Chapter Twenty Two The Early Nazi Regime and the Jews as Perceived by Non-Jewish Contemporaries Chapter Twenty Three The First World War, the Collapse of the Old Regimes and the Rise of Totalitarianism More on Nazi Ideology, Internal Factions and Foreign-Policy Aims The Turning Point: The Attack on Poland Chapter Twenty Four Max Weber on Bureaucracy and its Relevance for an Analysis of the Shoah (Holocaust) Bureaucracy German Ideology and Bureaucracy Weber's Serious Error Chapter Twenty Five Charisma, Bureaucracy and the "Final Solution" Raul Hilberg's, The Destruction of the European Jews The Administration of the Destructive Process The Reich-Protektorat Area The Creation of a Centralized authority in Ghettoized Jewish Communities The Polish Jews under the Nazis The Jewish Councils (Judenräte) Nazi Food Controls Mobile Killing Operations The Role of the Other Ethnic Groups Definition of "Jew" Again, and Himmler Ian Kershaw's Recent Re-Examination of the Issues Chapter Twenty Six Leon Poliakov's Complementary Analysis of the Shoah Hitler's Euthanasia Program Auschwitz The "Death's Head" Formations (SS Totenkopf) Back to the Question of a Distinctive German National Character Significant Political Differences Between Eastern and Western Europe The Role of the Christian Churches Postscript Chapter Twenty Seven The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto A Reflection on Jewish Resistance Chapter Twenty Eight Zionism, Israel and the Palestinians Theodore Herzl The Historical Jewish Presence in the Arab World The Peace Conference of 1919 "The Unseen Question" Arab Rebellion Works Cited

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Book SynopsisA survey of intertestamental Judaism focusing on the customs and controversies which provide insight into the New Testament.

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Book SynopsisCohen argues that it was in the thirteenth century that a fundamental shift occurred in the Christian perception of both Judaism and Jews in Western Europe, and he attributes this change to the activities of the newly-formed mendicant ordersthe Dominicans and Franciscans. In order to make this case as effectively as he does, the author has to approach his problem from two different perspectivesthat of the historian of the medieval church, and that of the Jewish historian. Each of these approaches has its own scholarly literature, its own emphases, its own particular blind spots. It is the principal quality of this book that it focuses a steady, clear light on those dark corners, and will make sense to a variety of readers.... Cohen''s views will be taken seriously. Indeed, the calm and sensible tone of this book may help stimulate a new scholarly debate.American Jewish HistoryTrade ReviewCohen not only presents the ideology and strategy of such leading figures as Raymond de Peñaforte, Pablo Christiani, Raymond Martini, Nicholas of Lyra, and Raymond Lull, but also some Jewish responses to their attacks.... This book is thoroughly researched, documented, and convincing. * Religious Studies Review *Important, richly documented, and beautifully written.... Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations IntroductionPART ONE: THE EMERGENCE OF MENDICANT ANTI-JUDAISM 1. The Early Medieval Background 2. The Mendicant Orders 3. The Attack on Rabbinic Literature 4. The Spread of Inquisitorial ActivityPART TWO: IDEOLOGICAL REFINEMENTS 5. The School of Raymond de Peñiaforte: Pablo Christiani 6. The School of Raymond de Peñiaforte: Raymond Martini 7. Synthesis and Diffusion: Nicholas of LyraPART THREE: THE IDEOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE: ITS APPLICATIONS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE 8. Raymond Lull 9. Involving the Laity: Mendicant Poetry and Preaching 10. Conclusion: Mendicant Anti-Judaism and the Evolving Self-Consciousness of Latin ChristendomAppendix: Textual Parallels in Nicholas of Lyra's Quodlibeturn and Raymond Martini's Pugio fidei Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn Nadler's account, Mithnagdism emerges as a highly developed religious outlook that is essentially conservative, deeply dualistic, and profoundly pessimistic about humanity's spiritual potential-all in stark contrast to Hasidism's optimism and aggressive encouragement of mysticism and religious rapture among its followers.Trade ReviewAllan Nadler has performed a great service by bringing the Mithnagdim more to light. The spiritual universe that he has unearthed with erudition, imagination, and care is now more accessible to students of Jewish history and of religion in general. New Republic After reading this book, and as one who was brought up by teachers of Judaismsin the Mitnagdic tradition, I found myself wondering whether Nadler's picture of Mitnagdic pessimism, other worldliness and asceticism is really typical of that movement or only of some of its early leaders. Perhaps the answer to this will be in a forthcoming book. But whatever Nadler's future plans, this reviewer feels that he has presented us with an important, interesting, and readable work for anyone seeking a better and more balanced understanding of Judaism in the modern age. -- Joshua Adler Jerusalem Post In many ways Nadler's work defines the model of a first-rate monograph on an important subject... It is lucidly argued and carefully drafted. The technical achievement of figuring out what is going on in difficult texts matches the intellectual achievement of framing the whole in terms that bear consequence for a wide audience interested in the history of Judaism within the history of religion-work that makes a difference, indeed a huge difference. -- Jacob Neusner Conservative Judaism In reconstructing the 'faith of the Mithnagdim,' Nadler introduces us to a remarkable universe of individuals and ideas. His pioneering reconstruction of Mithnagdic thought marks a turning point in our understanding of a crucial moment in Jewish history. From now on, anyone interested in the development of modern Judaism will have to take into account what he has done. -- Jay Harris Commentary Nadler's work is a significant contribution to Jewish intellectual history and has wider significance in that it is also the first attempt to come to terms with thinkers who, until now, have been greatly misunderstood. It would not be surprising if Nadler's book became the impetus for much further research in this area. -- Marc B. Shapiro Journal of Jewish Studies

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Book SynopsisThe constraints of the ghetto and the concomitant interaction of various Jewish traditions produced a remarkable cultural flowering.Trade Review[ The Jews of Early Modern Venice] is a particularly good study of how a minority group can fit into a general culture, yet retain its identity and develop new forms of culture. -- Donald B. Epstein History: Reviews of News Books The Jews of Early Modern Venice is a rich anthology of essays on ethinicity and identity, commerce and culture, and other matters relating to a time well before the great wooden gates of the ghetto of Venice were taken down. -- L. R. N. Ashley Bibliotheque d'Humanism et Renaissance [This volume] contributes to an enhanced understanding of the varied social groups, the traditions of faith and thought, and the art produced in the Venetian ghetto... These essays demonstrate the remarkable cultural and religious complexity of Jewish life in early modern Venice. -- Stephen D. Benin Religious Studies Review We have reason to welcome this collection of essays on the Jews of Venice... [ The Jews of Early Modern Venice] offers a unified portrait that poionts the way toward understanding modes of acculturation: how Jews might be insiders and outsiders at the same time. -- Kenneth Stow Renaissance Quarterly This unusually coherent collection of essays on the theme of Jewish community life in early modern Venice deserves a wide readership. -- John K. Brackett H-Net Reviews The essays in this fine volume are the result of years of intensive research of a diverse collection of source materials by a cadre of some of the most renowned scholars in numerous fields within the history of early modern Venice and early modern Judaism... The volume eloquently contextualizes the history and development of Jewish settlement in Venice and the role of the Jews in the broader city and its territories. -- Dean Phillip Bell HistorianTable of ContentsContents and Contributors: Introduction, Robert C. Davis I. Settlement The Venetian Government and the Jews, Benjamin Ravid * The "City of the Jews," Donatella Calabi II. Ethnicities and Identities Jewish Banks and Monti di Pieta, Brian Pullan * Jews in International Trade: The Emergence of the Levantines and Ponentines, Benjamin Arbel * Jews, Crypto-Jews, and the Inquisition, Pier Cesare Ioly Zorattini * The Ghetto Republic, David J. Malkiel * Jewish Women and Family Life, Inside and Outside the Ghetto, Howard Tzvi Adelman III. Cultures A Cultural Profile, Robert Bonfil * Medicine and Scientific Thought: The World of Tobias Cohen, David B. Ruderman * Jewish Musical Culture: Leon Modena, Don Harran * Processions, Piety, and Jewish Confraternities, Elliott Horowitz

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Book SynopsisThis new chronology provides the framework for a fresh consideration of the literary and archeological evidence, as well as new understandings of the religious and social dynamics that shaped the image of the Temple Mount as a sacred space for Jews and Christians.Trade ReviewEliav uses his impressive knowledge of Talmud, the Bible, archeology, languages, rabbinic texts, the classics and patristic literature to debunk the notion that the Temple Mount was a sacred space for ancient Jews and Christians. According to him, it did not achieve this status until long after the Second Temple was destroyed. In a dazzling display of erudition, he supports his thesis by providing new readings of familiar sources and by citing many little-known references. Publishers Weekly Readable and well illustrated and documented, this book is recommended for religion and seminary collections of all stripes. Library Journal 2005 Eliav writes in a clear style that makes it accessible to most readers. Highly recommended. -- Aaron Howard Jewish Herald-Voice 2005 This is a wide-ranging book on a fascinating topic. Its main thesis is that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem became an important concept invested with religious significance only after the Temple had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. -- Pieter W. van der Horst Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2006 All readers will be rewarded by Eliav's judicious insights, his nuanced reinterpretations, and his wide-ranging scholarship. Choice 2006 This book means to awaken an important scholarly debate and it deserves to succeed. Shofar 2007Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceA Note on Translation and TransliterationIntroduction1. Transmuting Realities: From David to Herod, From Micah to Josephus2. Locus Memoriae: The Temple Mount and the Early Followers of Jesus and James3. Delusive Landscapes: From Jerusalem to Aelia4. A Lively Ruin: The Temple Mount in Byzantine Jerusalem5. The New Mountain in Christian Homiletics6. The Temple Mount, the Rabbis, and the Poetics of MemoryAfterword: A Mount without a TempleAbbreviationsNotesBibliographyPrimary SourcesScholarly WorksIndex of Ancient CitationsGeneral Index

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Book SynopsisWeb of Life weaves its suggestive interpretation of Jewish culture in the Palestine of late antiquity on the warp of a singular, breathtakingly tragic, and sublime rabbinic text, Lamentations Rabbah. The textual analyses that form the core of the book are informed by a range of theoretical paradigms rarely brought to bear on rabbinic literature: structural analysis of mythologies and folktales, performative approaches to textual production, feminist theory, psychoanalytical analysis of culture, cultural criticism, and folk narrative genre analysis.The concept of context as the hermeneutic basis for literary interpretation reactivates the written text and subverts the hierarchical structures with which it has been traditionally identified. This book reinterprets rabbinic culture as an arena of multiple dialogues that traverse traditional concepts of identity regarding gender, nation, religion, and territory. The author''s approach is permeated by the idea that scTrade Review"Web of Life is a brilliant study that makes an ancient text relevant to the modern reader . . . Hasan-Rokem demonstrates not only a thorough scholarly knowledge of folklore and Jewish studies, but also a familiarity with current theoretical trends in literary analysis and interpretation."—Dan Ben-Amos, University of Pennsylvania"Hasan-Rokem provides a deeply suggestive analysis of the poignant midrashic text, Lamentations Rabbah, employing and blending folkloristic techniques, structural analysis of mythologies, feminist theory, cultural criticism and other theoretical trends in literary analysis and interpretive techniques . . . This is an engaging and enlightening book."—Religious Studies Review"By adding the folkloristic dimension to the scholarly discourse associated with amoraic stories, Hasan-Rokem's book addresses a long-felt need . . . [Hasan-Rokem] is the first to present a comprehensive discussion associating folklore with rabbinics."—Hebrew Studies"Lamentations Rabbah presents Jewish society in its daily, but not mundane, actions. It is a literature of disaster, of personal and collective tragedy that leaves the reader pondering the meaning of life. The breadth of folklore enables Hasan-Rokem to explore these tales in a multifaceted analysis that situates them in the their textual, historical and comparative contexts and that transcends them all by presenting narratives and riddles as a search for meaning."—Dan Ben-Amos, University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsPreface 1. The study of folk narratives in Rabbini literature 2. The literary context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: interpreting narrative structure 3. The genre context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: riddles about the wise people of Jerusalem 4. The comparative context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: tales of dream interpretation 6. The social context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: the feminine power of laments, tales, and love 7. The religious context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: the rhetoric of intimacy as a rhetoric of the sacred 8. The historical context of folk narratives in the Aggadic Midrash: three tales on Messianism Epilogue: Rabbi Joshua's Odyssey Notes Bibliography Index.

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Book SynopsisElisha ben Abuya is one of the most intriguing figures in early rabbinic literature, consistently capturing the Jewish imagination as the arch-heretic, apostate, and great sinner. Because of the vague nature of the rabbinic sources relating to him, later generations, particularly in modern times, have been able to project upon him the visions of whatever they saw as either negative or ideal in the figure of the rebel apostate.This book systematically analyzes all sources referring to Elisha ben Abuya, and in so doing, confronts the difficulties of deriving reliable information from rabbinic materials and of writing the biography of a rabbinic hero. The author argues that we have no way of discovering the historical Elisha ben Abuya; he is the product of the creative handling of traditions by later generations. Later generations do not fancifully invent the figure of Elisha but interpret and transmit earlier traditions, trying to resolve the contradictions and to interpret theTrade Review"Goshen-Gottstein's book is a masterful analysis of the texts and traditions regarding Elisha ben Abuya and Eleazar ben Arach, and offers great insight not only into the texts relating to these two rabbinic figures, but into the very nature of rabbinic stories and historiography." -- Hebrew Studies"Provides a refreshing examination of the stories of Elisha ben Abuya and R. Eleazar ben Arach . . . .Goshen-Gottstein's systematic treatment and masterful reading of rabbinic texts yields penetrating insights into rabbinic storytelling as a mode of religious and cultural expression." -- Journal of the American Academy of ReligionTable of ContentsIntroduction: the quest for Rabbinic biography: history, hermeneutics, and ideology; Part I. Elisha Ben Abuya: A Critical Biography: 1. The study of Elisha Ben Abuya: methodological considerations; 2. Elisha Ben Abuya in tannaitic literature; 3. Elisha Ben Abuya in post-tannaitic sources; 4. Bavli hagiga I: coming into sin; 5. Elisha and Rabbi Meir; 6. The story of Yerushalmi II; 7. Bavli and Yerushalmi: ideology, literary formation, and historical influence; Part II. Rabbi Eleazar Ben Arach: A Critical Biography: 8. Rabbi Eleazar Ben Arach: symbol and reality; Conclusion: collective torah culture and individual rabbinic biography; Appendix; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book on culture and consciousness in history concerns the worldwide transformations of Jewish culture and society and the revival of the ancient Hebrew language following the waves of pogroms in Russia in 1881.Trade Review“With his customary versatility and lucidity Harshav has given us . . . a host of new and provocative insights into modern Jewish history. . . . This book is an outstanding attempt to juxtapose the revolution in Jewish life with that of the Hebrew language in such a way that each informs our understanding of the other.”—Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, Columbia UniversityTable of ContentsCONTENTS PART I: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 PART II: 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 PART III: Harshav Barbara

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Book SynopsisPerhaps more than any other aspect of rabbinic literature, the laws about and discussions of menstruation have polarized current discussions of gender relations in Jewish culture. Is the designated impurity of menstruation sexist? Or does ritual absence from sex during menstruation encourage a rhythmic reaffirmation of conjugal intimacy?This book offers a new perspective on the extensive rabbinic discussions of menstrual impurity, female physiology, and anatomy, and on the social and religious institutions those discussions engendered. It analyzes the functions of these discussions within the larger textual world of rabbinic literature and in the context of Jewish and Christian culture in late antiquity.How did gender workhow was it made to workin rabbinic literature? How did that literature dictate the place of women in Jewish culture? In search of answers to these questions, the author analyzes the architectural metaphors deployed to describe female anatomy, arguing Trade Review"This book is of central importance in the field of Rabbinic studies and the history of Judaism in late antiquity. The originality of Fonrobert's work lies in the skill and nuance with which she brings a series of reading strategies and hermeneutical perspectives to Rabbinic texts." -- Martin S. Jaffe * University of Washington *"Fonrobert's analysis throughout is sophisticated and nuanced, avoiding false dichotomies between rabbis as good for or bad for women, looking instead for ways to talk about traditional texts about women and their bodies in new and productive ways that do not define women solely in terms of male-centered discourse. . . . Challenging and illuminating . . . Fonrobert's work is an important contribution to the study of an area of Jewish ritual and gender that is at once sensitive to the complexities of the traditional sources and to the contemporary significance of her inquiries." -- The Forward"Among the many complex, technical and obscure topics in the study of the Bible and early Judaism and Christianity, purity remains as perhaps the most recalcitrant. . . . [Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert's Mentrual Purity, and Jonathan Klawans's Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism] are thus particularly welcome—both are revised dissertations as well as co-winners of the 2001/2 Salo W. Barton Book Prize of the American Academy for Jewish Research. Both books do an exemplary job of revitalizing the study of purity in antiquity and demonstrating how the combination of careful scholarship with modern methodological approaches can create new insights into an exceedingly difficult topic." -- Journal of Jewish Studies"...Fonrobert's book is a ground-breaking study that channels the researchof talmudic literature into a new and promising scholarly direction." * Prooftexts *Table of ContentsCONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Book Synopsis"Remains of the Jews" studies the rise of Christian Empire in late antiquity through the dense and complex manner in which Christian authors wrote about Jews in the charged space of the "holy land".Trade Review"This is an extensive and well-constructed book. The use of post-colonial criticism is novel and thought-provoking, and provides many new and interesting readings of relevant ancient literature. Jacobs makes his case with skill and enthusiasm." -- Hebraic Political Studies"He presents the detailed exegetical, historical, and critical analysis of imperial Christianity in an accessible and highly engaging style." -- Review of Biblical Literature"[Jacobs's] skillful use of postmodern and postcolonial theories, coupled with his solid knowledge of the relevant sources and scholarly literature, are remarkable....Overall this is a challenging and thought-provoking study that forces the reader to reconsider accepted assumptions and hypotheses." -- Histoire Sociale/Social History"[Jacobs] gives smart readings of some familiar sources and draws connections that no one has seen before." -- Theological Studies

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Book SynopsisPlease see the Zohar Home Page for ancillary materials, including the publication schedule, press release, Aramaic text, questions, and answers.Trade Review"This sensitive commentary and translation of the classic text of Kabbalah is of foundational importance for an understanding of "Jewish mysticism.'"—Jewish Book World"While translation may be an art, it can also be genuine scholarship of the highest order. . . . Restoring the Zohar to our comprehension, these volumes are a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought." —Koret Jewish Book Award, Philosophy and Thought, 2003-2004, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volumes I and II"A powerfully poetic rendition of this spiritual masterpiece. . . . Matt's new Zohar is a classic already in its first two volumes. The edition alone, or the translation alone, or the commentary alone would be a major contribution. The whole is a work of art." —Journal of the American Academy of Religion"More than a translation, this projected twelve-volume Pritzker edition amounts to an encyclopedia of the Zohar and is set to become one of the single most important contributions to the topic in the English-speaking world."—Times Literary SupplementTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Foreword iii @tocca:Margot Pritzker @toc4:Translator's Introduction iii @tocca:Daniel C. Matt @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Diagram of the Ten Sefirot iii Introduction iii @tocca:Arthur Green @toc2: Haqdamat Sefer ha-Zohar 000 Parashat Be-Reshit 000 Parashat Noah 000 @toc4: List of Abbreviations 000 Transliteration of Hebrew and Aramaic 000 Glossary 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000 Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Bible, O, T, Pentateuch Commentaries Early works to 1800, Cabala Early works to 1800, Zohar

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Book SynopsisPlease see the Zohar Home Page for ancillary materials, including the publication schedule, press release, Aramaic text, questions, and answers.Trade Review"This is more than a useful corrective for the pop-Kabbalah fantasies that have become fashionable among some spiritual seekers—it is also a serious aid to anyone seeking a serious encounter with Jewish spirituality."—Tikkun"...[Arthur Green's] 191-page introduction [to the Zohar] is so lucid and thorough that one almost does not notice how capably it has synthesized and presented the material."—The Forward"This is now the best introduction to the Zohar in English..."—CHOICE"...a succinct study that in distilling half a century's research, including Green's own, proves unflailingly lucid and illuminating: he is equally skillful at explicating ideas and at explaining their historical context."—Times Literary Supplement"This work can stand on its own as an excellent introduction to the Zohar, the central text of the Jewish mystical tradition. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in Jewish mysticism and would make an excellent text for undergraduate courses."—Religious Studies ReviewTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Preface iii @toc1:Part I. Introduction @toc2:1. Prologue 000 2. The Kabbalistic Tradition: A Brief History Until the Zohar 000 3. Teachings of the Kabbalists: The Ten Sefirot 000 @toc1:Part II. What Is the Zohar? @toc2:4. The Zohar: Midrash on the Torah 000 5. The Zohar Narrative 000 6. Mysticism of the Zohar 000 7. The Zohar in Historical Context 000 @toc1:Part III. Selected Themes Within the Zohar @toc2:8. Creation and Origins 000 9. Between Worlds 000 10. Evil and the Demonic 000 11. Torah and Revelation 000 12. The Commandments 000 13. Avodah: The Life of Worship 000 14. The Tsaddiq and the Life of Piety 000 15. The Jewish People, Exile, and Messiah 000 @toc1:Part IV. The Zohar @toc2:16. Special Sections of the Zohar 000 17. The Question of Authorship 000 18. The Language of the Zohar 000 19. Editing and Printing of the Zohar 000 20. Influence and Canonization of the Zohar 000 toc4: Bibliography 000 Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Zohar, Cabala Early works to 1800, Bible, O, T, Pentateuch Commentaries Early works to 1800

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Book SynopsisA Place in History is a cultural study of Tel Aviv, Israel's population center and one of the original settlements, established in 1909. The book describes how a largely European Jewish immigrant society attempted to forge a home in the Mediterranean, and explores the difficulties and challenges of this endeavor.Trade Review"A Place in History is an important contribution to the growing body of knowledge about Israeli public space in general and urban space in particular... Highly recommended to those who seek a theoretical perspective on Israeli urbanism, or are interested in its ideological roots or its spatial transformations. Though the book focuses on Tel Aviv, in many ways it conveys the broader story of Israeli territorialization. Mann's book could also serve visitors as an excellent critical guide to the city's modern geography and history."—H-Net Reviews"While her love for Tel Aviv is palpable, Mann maintains a critical distance from her subject, which assures A Place in History its own place as an authoritative guide to the complex textualities of Israel's largest urban area."—Tikkun"A very important contribution, this book adds a crucial layer to the discussion of the city of Tel Aviv in its local, national, and historical context. I would even venture to claim that it offers the most complex and multi-layered view to date, a Renaissance text in which the author/flaneuse strolls, researches, interprets, writes, and even makes photographs, all at the same time." —Hebrew StudiesTable of ContentsContents @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Preface iii @toc2:1 Jews in Space 000 2 The Zionist Uncanny: Reading the Old Cemetery on Trumpeldor 000 3 Rothschild Boulevard: When a Street Becomes a Monument 000 4 A View from the Balcony: Public and Private Spaces/Public and Private Selves 000 5 The Edge of Town: Depicting the City's Periphery as a Way of Naming Its Center 000 6 Rabin Square, Summayl, and the Rhetoric of Walking 000 @toc4: Appendix: Poems Cited in the Original Hebrew iii Notes iii Index iii

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Book SynopsisA Place in History is a cultural study of Tel Aviv, Israel's population center and one of the original settlements, established in 1909. The book describes how a largely European Jewish immigrant society attempted to forge a home in the Mediterranean, and explores the difficulties and challenges of this endeavor.Trade Review"A Place in History is an important contribution to the growing body of knowledge about Israeli public space in general and urban space in particular... Highly recommended to those who seek a theoretical perspective on Israeli urbanism, or are interested in its ideological roots or its spatial transformations. Though the book focuses on Tel Aviv, in many ways it conveys the broader story of Israeli territorialization. Mann's book could also serve visitors as an excellent critical guide to the city's modern geography and history." -- H-Net Reviews"While her love for Tel Aviv is palpable, Mann maintains a critical distance from her subject, which assures A Place in History its own place as an authoritative guide to the complex textualities of Israel's largest urban area." -- Tikkun"A very important contribution, this book adds a crucial layer to the discussion of the city of Tel Aviv in its local, national, and historical context. I would even venture to claim that it offers the most complex and multi-layered view to date, a Renaissance text in which the author/flaneuse strolls, researches, interprets, writes, and even makes photographs, all at the same time." -- Hebrew StudiesTable of ContentsContents @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Preface iii @toc2:1 Jews in Space 000 2 The Zionist Uncanny: Reading the Old Cemetery on Trumpeldor 000 3 Rothschild Boulevard: When a Street Becomes a Monument 000 4 A View from the Balcony: Public and Private Spaces/Public and Private Selves 000 5 The Edge of Town: Depicting the City's Periphery as a Way of Naming Its Center 000 6 Rabin Square, Summayl, and the Rhetoric of Walking 000 @toc4: Appendix: Poems Cited in the Original Hebrew iii Notes iii Index iii

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Book SynopsisIn Geography of Hope, French sociologist and historian Pierre Birnbaum examines the work of the some of the prominent Jewish social scientists of the past two centuries in order to analyze their range of responses to the tensions between the Enlightenment call for universalism and the reality of Jewish particularism.Trade Review"Pierre Birnbaum's Geography of Hope is a penetrating analysis of the grappling of eight prominent Jewish social thinkers. . . Birnbaum's scholarship is meticulous and uncompromising. The book is detailed and well argued. . . And as in other grand interpretations, the well-versed scholar will be surprised to learn how the great experiment of humanity—the Enlightenment—reproduced anti-Semitic attempts to abolish Judaism while promising it new avenues for regeneration. In his thorough and compassionate analysis, Birnbaum charts the geography of this historical movement, suggesting that perhaps true enlightenment is indeed coming."—Gad Yair, American Journal of Sociology"Birnbaum offers a fascinating rendering of the last hundred years of Jewish self-fashioning in the diaspora founded on what one might call the reversal of Jewish modernity....It is the beginning, perhaps, of a new canon, making social theory, if not the new 'theology of Judaism.'"—Shaul Magid American Historical Review"Pierre Birnbaum's Geography of Hope: Exile, the Enlightenment, disassimilation is a rich, complex, and occasionally perplexing book. ...clearly, a prodigious amount of research and thought has gone into the making of it. This sprawling, multi-subject volume is also a deeply personal and passionate book."—Times Literary SupplementTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc2:Introduction: Toward a Counterhistory 1 1. Karl Marx: Around a Surprising Encounter with Heinrich Graetz 000 2. 'mile David Durkheim: The Memory of Masada 000 3. Georg Simmel: The Stranger, from Berlin to Chicago 000 4. Raymond Aron: An "Authentic French Jew" in Search of His Roots 000 5. Hannah Arendt: Hannah and Rahel, "Fugitives from Palestine" 000 6. Isaiah Berlin: The Awakening of a Wounded Nationalism 000 7. Michael Walzer: The End of Whispering 000 8. Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi: A Home for "Fallen Jews" 000 Conclusion: Exile, the Enlightenment, Disassimilation 000 @toc4:Notes 000

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the ways modern Jewish thinkers, writers, and artists appropriated the figure of Jesus as part of the process of creating modern Jewish culture.Trade Review"Hoffman's detailed and meticulous research ranges over Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian literature, as well as modernist painting, and he effectively uses the insights of contemporary critical theory as he develops his analysis. By including these works, he goes beyond many of his predecessors in chronicling the modern Jewish engagement with Jesus." -- David Fox Samuel * CCAR Journal *"The history of the relationship between modern Judaism and the figure of Jesus—especially the Passion and the Crucifixion—is long and complex. Professor Matthew Hoffman's treatise provides a fascinating examination of the topic, and a detailed exploration of its development in early 20th-century Russian literature and art." -- Association of Jewish Libraries"From Rebel to Rabbi is a comprehensive exploration of the figure of Christ in Yiddish and Hebrew literature and in modern Jewish art. Matthew Hoffman explores the intriguing and highly controversial ways in which Jewish culture was able to address the ideological fault lines of modernity through considerations of Jesus, the Jew. In representing Jesus to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, writers and artists often sought to subvert dominant (Christian) European culture while also placing Jews in the very center of that culture." -- Anita Norich * University of Michigan *"In his intelligent and well-written monograph, Matthew Hoffman is the first scholar to juxtapose the treatment of Jesus by maskilim, Yiddish writers, and Jewish visual artists His book offers a penetrating analysis of a controversial and still relevant phenomenon. It is a crucial new contribution to the study of modern Jewish history, Yiddish literature, and Jewish-Christian relations." -- American Historical ReviewTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Acknowledgments iii @toc2:Introduction Jesus and the Jewish Question 1 Chapter 1 The Quest for the Jewish Jesus 000 Chapter 2 The Crucifix Question 000 Chapter 3 Yiddish Modernism and the Landscape of the Cross 000 Chapter 4 The Passion of Jewish History 000 Chapter 5 The Artist Crucified 000 Epilogue The Jesus Question Revisited 000 @toc4:Notes 000 Index 000

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Book SynopsisGlory and Agony is the first history of the shifting attitudes toward national sacrifice in Hebrew culture over the last century. Its point of departure is Zionism''s obsessive preoccupation with its haunting primal scene of sacrifice, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, as evidenced in wide-ranging sources from the domains of literature, art, psychology, philosophy, and politics. By placing these sources in conversation with twentieth-century thinking on human sacrifice, violence, and martyrdom, this study draws a complex picture that provides multiple, sometimes contradictory insights into the genesis and gender of national sacrifice. Extending back over two millennia, this study unearths retellings of biblical and classical narratives of sacrifice, both enacted and aborted, voluntary and violent, male and femaleIsaac, Ishmael, Jephthah''s daughter, Iphigenia, Jesus. Glory and Agony traces the birth of national sacrifice out of the ruins of religious martyrdom, exposTrade Review"Despite the vast historiography [of Akedat Yitzhak], Yael Felman's contribution is significant. Glory and Agony presents and interprets Modern Hebrew literature of the trope of Akedat Yitzhak in the Palestine and the State of Israel of the twentieth century . . . Readers with access to Hebrew will derive the most from this thoroughly engaging text. Everyone will learn much from a careful reading." -- Paul Howard Hamburg * University of California, Berkeley *"Yael Feldman's Glory and Agony: Isaac's Sacrifice and National Narrative is an enthralling engagement with one of humanity's most ancient and consequential tropes . . . Though there have been numerous studies of the ever-evolving and sometimes oppressive nature of this myth, none has come close to providing the kind of brave interdisciplinary acumen Feldman's scholarship delivers . . . Glory and Agony is a work of forceful originality yet always meticulously researched, containing illustrative, provocative epigraphs as well as nearly ninety pages of informative and lively notes that engage with extraordinarily eclectic sources." -- Ranen Omer-Sherman * Religion and Literature *"This book by Yael Feldman presents a detailed, complex and sometimes provocative study of the way writers, poets, dramatis, critics, some scholars, and a few visual artists in the State of Israel during the last century have dealt with this account. . . This brief summary only begins to suggest the variety and complexity of material covered in this book. Anyone who knows the Israeli literary scene will find this book an illuminating discussion of that scene and a significant contribution to it." -- William Sheperd * Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception *"Feldman's book is extremely important and a much needed contribution; a Hebrew version is a desideratum. I know of no other comprehensive study of the akedah, the Sacrifice of Isaac, that compares to this superb multidisciplinary investigation of the Hebrew sources, that demonstrates a rare erudition in both the Jewish tradition and contemporary literature, that suggests original links and connections, and that offers very productive comparative readings." -- Galili Shahar * Cathedra: Journal for the Study of Land-of-Israel [Translated from Hebrew] *"In one of the most comprehensive and impressive historiographies of Hebrew national culture, Feldman elegantly yet passionately presents a multi-dimensional narrative of the Israeli preoccupation with Genesis 22 . . . [N]ew and fresh . . . Feldman's book is an outstanding achievement that is likely to engage scholars and readers for many years to come." -- Neta Stahl * Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations *"Feldman has undertaken an ambitious project [and] ranges over an abundance of literary material . . . [M]assively detailed and comprehensive . . . One of the book's strengths is that it helps demonstrate the significance of modern Hebrew culture to a wider audience." -- Naomi Sokoloff * Association for Jewish Studies Review *"The achievements of this [book] are outstandingly intriguing . . . Glory and Agony is a highly condensed, analytic encyclopedia of the trope of sacrifice in Western culture." -- Iris Milner * The Journal of Israeli History *"Feldman's study stands as a role model for continuing investigations of biblical tropes in modern literatures; indeed her book may even remain the crowning study of the binding of Isaac as a literary trope. But one thing is certain—its readers are unlikely to ever again encounter any kind of sacrificial narrative without harking back to Feldman's observations." -- Yael Halevi-Wise * Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies *"This fascinating, multifaceted, and erudite book traces the use of the narrative(s) of the 'binding of Isaac' (Hebrew Akedah) or 'sacrifice of Isaac' (English) in twentieth-century secular Israeli literature. It discusses the various and changing ways in which the motif of a father's willingness to sacrifice his son to God has been turned into a secular metaphor for military self-sacrifice and heroic death in battle . . . Feldman's book is both very enjoyable and highly thought provoking, and I can recommend it whole-heartedly." -- Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer * Review of Biblical Literature *"Feldman's first-rate interdisciplinary study demonstrates not only how modern ideologies produce re-readings and rewritings of ancient myth but also how ancient myths weight and reshape these very ideologies. A must read for any reader interested in Hebrew culture and the psyche of modern Israel, and an insightful read for inquisitive readers at large." -- Menachem Brinker, University of Chicago and Hebrew University * Jerusalem *"Glory and Agony is an excellent intellectual study that probes into the heart of contemporary Israeli identity while situating and arguing its construction in two mutually inclusive contexts: Jewish tradition and Western thought and philosophy. Clearly an academic work of the highest standards, this important book presents an outstandingly well thought out argument for reconsidering the violent nature of our conduct: personally, collectively, nationally, and globally-universally." -- Hannah Naveh * Tel Aviv University *"I find this book to be an outstanding work: it daringly broaches a topic of enormous scope and yet renders a review that is insightful, scholarly, and nevertheless accessible to the informed lay reader. Its presentation is unique, undertaken as an exploration, tracking the evolution of the discourse on sacrifice in order to arrive at the present moment. Feldman adeptly and convincingly shows how the archetypal myth of Isaac, interwoven throughout human history, has been absorbed into and projected by works of fine arts and belles lettres." -- Nitza Ben-Dov * University of Haifa *"Yael Feldman's Glory and Agony: Isaac's Sacrifice and National Narrative is a dazzling synthesis of political and religious history, particularly the history of the State of Israel and the tradition of Biblical interpretation that, to one's surprise, structures and determines it. This is a new way of writing history. Using the paradigmatic Biblical story of Isaac's binding as her template, Feldman shows that Israeli history, far from leaving the past behind, is actually a recapitulation of the history of Jewish theology, beginning with its invention of human sacrifice and the tradition of putting it to cultural use through centuries of interpretation. It is a true and audacious history, and one bound to draw both praise and fire." -- Perry Meisel * New York University *

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Book SynopsisReconstructing Ashkenaz shows that, contrary to traditional accounts, the Jews of Western Europe in the High Middle Ages were not a society of saints and martyrs. David Malkiel offers provocative revisions of commonly held interpretations of Jewish martyrdom in the First Crusade massacres, the level of obedience to rabbinic authority, and relations with apostates and with Christians. In the process, he also reexamines and radically revises the view that Ashkenazic Jewry was more pious than its Sephardic counterpart. Trade Review"Beautifully produced book." -- Harvey J. Hames * Speculum *"Malkiel's meticulous summary and evaluation of the extensive modern scholarship are of great value; his broader set of arguments is an important and welcome contribution toward recasting the image and historiography of medieval Franco-German Jewish society. This work is a wonderful and significant resource for the teaching and study of the medieval Ashkenazic community." -- Ethan Zadoff * AJS *"Malkiel documents clearly the past and current historiography, quoting judiciously from all the major Jewish historians of the 20th century and of this generation. He provides a clear, well-documented, well-written, and interesting summary of the major issues of the formative period of Ashkenazic Jewry and its heyday. Recommended for academic libraries with Jewish studies programs." -- Roger S. Kohn * AJL *"This is an interesting, attractive, and unusually well-written book. Malkiel's research reveals a culture that was deeply conflicted over the choice between martyrdom and apostasy, one whose members' daily conduct deviated from halakhic norms on a whole host of issues, and whose relations with the Christian majority were deep, pervasive, intimate, and complex. This new picture undermines many of the ways in which Ashkenaz has been constructed by historians as an opposing cultural model to Sepharad: exclusionary vs. assimilationist; religious vs. philosophical; mystical vs. skeptical; halakhically rigorous vs. halakhically lax." -- Robert Stacey, University of Washington * Seattle *"In this telling commentary on Franco-German Jewry during the High Middle Ages, David Malkiel examines old stereotypes, separating the fact from the myth. In this process, he paints a vivid portrait of what life was really like for Franco-German Jewry during this period, and he sets the historical record straight." -- The Jewish Eye"David Malkiel offers revisions of commonly held interpretations of Jewish martyrdom in the First Crusade massacres, the level of obedience to rabbinic authority, and relations with apostates and with Christians. In the process, he also reexamines and revises the view that Ashkenazic Jewry was more pious than its Sephardic counterpart." -- Shofar

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Book SynopsisThe Sparks of Randomness, Henri Atlan''s magnum opus, develops his whole philosophy with a highly impressive display of knowledge, wisdom, depth, rigor, and intellectual and moral vigor. Atlan founds an ethics adapted to the new power over life that modern scientific knowledge has given us. He holds that the results of science cannot ground any ethical or political truth whatsoever, while human creative activity and the conquest of knowledge are a double-edged sword. This first volume, Spermatic Knowledge, begins with the Talmudic tale about the prophet Jeremiah''s creation of a golem, or artificial man. Atlan shows that the Jewish tradition does not demonize man for creating and changing living thingsa charge often leveled at promoters of advanced technologies, like biologists, who are accused of playing God. To the contrary, man is depicted as being the co-creator of the world.Although Atlan believes that the fabrication of life from scratch will take pTrade Review"Atlan seeks to integrate the mechanistic worldview common in the biological sciences into a form of absolute monism that draws upon Kabbalah and Spinoza. . . Steeped in the biological sciences and remarkably learned in Judaica, it will set a standard for new creative forms of constructive Jewish thought. Anyone interested in the relation between religion and science will do well to turn here."—Zachary Braiterman, Religious Studies Review"Henri Atlan has undoubtedly become a great scholar and important international figure in the academic community. His approach to texts is original and stimulating, his ideas both lucid and insightful. He has written many volumes on a variety of subjects, but this one has special meaning due to the convulsions society has been undergoing in recent years. The book is steeped in psychology and religion, biology and sociology, mysticism and ethos. Drawing from Talmudic sources but also from secular ones, it is sure to find appeal in many circles."—Elie Wiesel"As a physician, biologist, and philosopher, Henri Atlan occupies a preeminent place in the present-day French intellectual landscape, carrying on a grand French tradition of scientist-philosophers that goes back to Pascal. His Sparks of Randomness is dedicated to reflecting upon the lesson that Jeremiah learned from the golem: that we should not renounce attaining the perfect knowledge that makes us capable of creating life, but once we attain the knowledge, we should abstain from acting on it. This book is not only fundamental for the future of biology, cognitive science, and the human sciences in general, but also constitutes one of the most important readings of Spinoza ever produced."—Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Stanford University

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Book SynopsisAn inquiry into the meaning of "renaissance" in modern Jewish thought, its place in the philosophical tradition of the West, and its moral possibilities.Trade Review"In Inventing New Beginnings: On the Idea of Renaissance in Modern Judaism, Asher Biemann invited his readers to rethink time . . . The book exemplifies the merits of meticulous problematizing without imposing answers. Beginning-anew is also a celebration of heritage, continuity, and seld-ascertainment, which is especially vital for marginalized minorities. Living with a fractured past can obtain a redemptive quality provided that it remains subject to retemporalizations of time rather than (elusive) radical new beginnings." -- Martina Urban * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"This is an ambitious book of immense complexity . . . certainly worthy of critical reflection." -- Michael A. Meyer * American Historical Review. *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments xxx Preamble 1 Part One (Recto) Thinking in Renaissance or A Grammar of Beginnings 1. Beginnings: Thresholds of Continuity 000 2. Beginning Again: The Palingenesis of Memory 000 3. Turning: Transformations into the Open 000 Part Two (Verso) Writing in Resurrection or The Semantics of Restoration 1. The Imperishability of Being: Writing Jewish History in Resurrection 000 2. The Retrieval of Ambivalence: Jewish Renaissance and the (Re-)Turn(-ing) to/of Tradition 000 3. The Unfinishedness of Return: Renaissance and the Re-Aestheticization of Judaism 000 Abbreviations 000 Notes 000 Index 000

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