Boundaries of Jewish Identity

Boundaries of Jewish Identity

Author: Susan A Glenn

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2011-07-01

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0295800836

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The subject of Jewish identity is one of the most vexed and contested issues of modern religious and ethnic group history. This interdisciplinary collection draws on work in law, anthropology, history, sociology, literature, and popular culture to consider contemporary and historical responses to the question �Who and what is Jewish?� These essays are focused especially on the issues of who creates the definitions, and how, and in what social and political contexts. The ten leading authorities writing here also look at the forces, ranging from new genetic and reproductive technologies to increasingly multicultural societies, that push against established boundaries. The authors examine how Jews have imagined themselves and how definitions of Jewishness have been established, enforced, challenged, and transformed. Does being a Jew require religious belief, practice, and formal institutional affiliation? Is there a biological or physical aspect of Jewish identity? What is the status of the convert to another religion? How do definitions play out in different geographic and historical settings? What makes Boundaries of Jewish Identity distinctive is its attention to the various Jewish �epistemologies� or ways of knowing who counts as a Jew. These essays reveal that possible answers reflect the different social, intellectual, and political locations of those who are asking. This book speaks to readers concerned with Jewish life and culture and to audiences interested in religious, cultural, and ethnic studies. It provides an excellent opportunity to examine how Jews fit into an increasingly diverse America and an increasingly complicated global society.


Book Synopsis Boundaries of Jewish Identity by : Susan A Glenn

Download or read book Boundaries of Jewish Identity written by Susan A Glenn and published by University of Washington Press. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of Jewish identity is one of the most vexed and contested issues of modern religious and ethnic group history. This interdisciplinary collection draws on work in law, anthropology, history, sociology, literature, and popular culture to consider contemporary and historical responses to the question �Who and what is Jewish?� These essays are focused especially on the issues of who creates the definitions, and how, and in what social and political contexts. The ten leading authorities writing here also look at the forces, ranging from new genetic and reproductive technologies to increasingly multicultural societies, that push against established boundaries. The authors examine how Jews have imagined themselves and how definitions of Jewishness have been established, enforced, challenged, and transformed. Does being a Jew require religious belief, practice, and formal institutional affiliation? Is there a biological or physical aspect of Jewish identity? What is the status of the convert to another religion? How do definitions play out in different geographic and historical settings? What makes Boundaries of Jewish Identity distinctive is its attention to the various Jewish �epistemologies� or ways of knowing who counts as a Jew. These essays reveal that possible answers reflect the different social, intellectual, and political locations of those who are asking. This book speaks to readers concerned with Jewish life and culture and to audiences interested in religious, cultural, and ethnic studies. It provides an excellent opportunity to examine how Jews fit into an increasingly diverse America and an increasingly complicated global society.


2010

2010

Author: Massimo Mastrogregori

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2014-12-12

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 3110341743

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Every year, the Bibliography catalogues the most important new publications, historiographical monographs, and journal articles throughout the world, extending from prehistory and ancient history to the most recent contemporary historical studies. Within the systematic classification according to epoch, region, and historical discipline, works are also listed according to author’s name and characteristic keywords in their title.


Book Synopsis 2010 by : Massimo Mastrogregori

Download or read book 2010 written by Massimo Mastrogregori and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2014-12-12 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year, the Bibliography catalogues the most important new publications, historiographical monographs, and journal articles throughout the world, extending from prehistory and ancient history to the most recent contemporary historical studies. Within the systematic classification according to epoch, region, and historical discipline, works are also listed according to author’s name and characteristic keywords in their title.


Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism

Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism

Author: Maria Diemling

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781138786431

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Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism addresses these new dimensions, bringing together experts in the field to explore the various and fluid modes of expressing and defining Jewish identity in the modern world. Its interdisciplinary scholarship opens new perspectives on the prominent questions challenging scholars in Jewish Studies. Beyond simply being born Jewish, observance of Judaism has become a lifestyle choice and active assertion. Addressing the demographic changes brought by population mobility and 'marrying out, ' as well as the complex relationships between Israel and the Diaspora, this book reveals how these shifting boundaries play out in a global context, where Orthodoxy meets innovative ways of defining and acquiring Jewish identity.


Book Synopsis Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism by : Maria Diemling

Download or read book Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism written by Maria Diemling and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism addresses these new dimensions, bringing together experts in the field to explore the various and fluid modes of expressing and defining Jewish identity in the modern world. Its interdisciplinary scholarship opens new perspectives on the prominent questions challenging scholars in Jewish Studies. Beyond simply being born Jewish, observance of Judaism has become a lifestyle choice and active assertion. Addressing the demographic changes brought by population mobility and 'marrying out, ' as well as the complex relationships between Israel and the Diaspora, this book reveals how these shifting boundaries play out in a global context, where Orthodoxy meets innovative ways of defining and acquiring Jewish identity.


What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans)

What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans)

Author: Naomi B. Sokoloff

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2018-08-14

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0295743778

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Why Hebrew, here and now? What is its value for contemporary Americans? In What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans) scholars, writers, and translators tackle a series of urgent questions that arise from the changing status of Hebrew in the United States. To what extent is that status affected by evolving Jewish identities and shifting attitudes toward Israel and Zionism? Will Hebrew programs survive the current crisis in the humanities on university campuses? How can the vibrancy of Hebrew literature be conveyed to a larger audience? The volume features a diverse group of distinguished contributors, including Sarah Bunin Benor, Dara Horn, Adriana Jacobs, Alan Mintz, Hannah Pressman, Adam Rovner, Ilan Stavans, Michael Weingrad, Robert Whitehill-Bashan, and Wendy Zierler. With lively personal insights, their essays give fellow Americans a glimpse into the richness of an exceptional language. Celebrating the vitality of modern Hebrew, this book addresses the challenges and joys of being a Hebraist in America in the twenty-first century. Together these essays explore ways to rekindle an interest in Hebrew studies, focusing not just on what Hebrew means—as a global phenomenon and long-lived tradition—but on what it can mean to Americans.


Book Synopsis What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans) by : Naomi B. Sokoloff

Download or read book What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans) written by Naomi B. Sokoloff and published by University of Washington Press. This book was released on 2018-08-14 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why Hebrew, here and now? What is its value for contemporary Americans? In What We Talk about When We Talk about Hebrew (and What It Means to Americans) scholars, writers, and translators tackle a series of urgent questions that arise from the changing status of Hebrew in the United States. To what extent is that status affected by evolving Jewish identities and shifting attitudes toward Israel and Zionism? Will Hebrew programs survive the current crisis in the humanities on university campuses? How can the vibrancy of Hebrew literature be conveyed to a larger audience? The volume features a diverse group of distinguished contributors, including Sarah Bunin Benor, Dara Horn, Adriana Jacobs, Alan Mintz, Hannah Pressman, Adam Rovner, Ilan Stavans, Michael Weingrad, Robert Whitehill-Bashan, and Wendy Zierler. With lively personal insights, their essays give fellow Americans a glimpse into the richness of an exceptional language. Celebrating the vitality of modern Hebrew, this book addresses the challenges and joys of being a Hebraist in America in the twenty-first century. Together these essays explore ways to rekindle an interest in Hebrew studies, focusing not just on what Hebrew means—as a global phenomenon and long-lived tradition—but on what it can mean to Americans.


Border Lines

Border Lines

Author: Daniel Boyarin

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2010-11-24

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 0812203844

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The historical separation between Judaism and Christianity is often figured as a clearly defined break of a single entity into two separate religions. Following this model, there would have been one religion known as Judaism before the birth of Christ, which then took on a hybrid identity. Even before its subsequent division, certain beliefs and practices of this composite would have been identifiable as Christian or Jewish.In Border Lines, however, Daniel Boyarin makes a striking case for a very different way of thinking about the historical development that is the partition of Judaeo-Christianity. There were no characteristics or features that could be described as uniquely Jewish or Christian in late antiquity, Boyarin argues. Rather, Jesus-following Jews and Jews who did not follow Jesus lived on a cultural map in which beliefs, such as that in a second divine being, and practices, such as keeping kosher or maintaining the Sabbath, were widely and variably distributed. The ultimate distinctions between Judaism and Christianity were imposed from above by "border-makers," heresiologists anxious to construct a discrete identity for Christianity. By defining some beliefs and practices as Christian and others as Jewish or heretical, they moved ideas, behaviors, and people to one side or another of an artificial border—and, Boyarin significantly contends, invented the very notion of religion.


Book Synopsis Border Lines by : Daniel Boyarin

Download or read book Border Lines written by Daniel Boyarin and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2010-11-24 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The historical separation between Judaism and Christianity is often figured as a clearly defined break of a single entity into two separate religions. Following this model, there would have been one religion known as Judaism before the birth of Christ, which then took on a hybrid identity. Even before its subsequent division, certain beliefs and practices of this composite would have been identifiable as Christian or Jewish.In Border Lines, however, Daniel Boyarin makes a striking case for a very different way of thinking about the historical development that is the partition of Judaeo-Christianity. There were no characteristics or features that could be described as uniquely Jewish or Christian in late antiquity, Boyarin argues. Rather, Jesus-following Jews and Jews who did not follow Jesus lived on a cultural map in which beliefs, such as that in a second divine being, and practices, such as keeping kosher or maintaining the Sabbath, were widely and variably distributed. The ultimate distinctions between Judaism and Christianity were imposed from above by "border-makers," heresiologists anxious to construct a discrete identity for Christianity. By defining some beliefs and practices as Christian and others as Jewish or heretical, they moved ideas, behaviors, and people to one side or another of an artificial border—and, Boyarin significantly contends, invented the very notion of religion.


Portrait of American Jews

Portrait of American Jews

Author: Samuel C. Heilman

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 9780295974705

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Argues that while American life permits Jews to live in security, this security has led to new concerns--assimilation, intermarriage, and large numbers ignoring their heritage.


Book Synopsis Portrait of American Jews by : Samuel C. Heilman

Download or read book Portrait of American Jews written by Samuel C. Heilman and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that while American life permits Jews to live in security, this security has led to new concerns--assimilation, intermarriage, and large numbers ignoring their heritage.


Boundaries, Not Barriers

Boundaries, Not Barriers

Author: Samuel M. Stahl

Publisher:

Published: 2005-12-01

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 9781571688644

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Human beings traditionally have shunned others who are different because of their skin color, religious beliefs, or social status. Tragically, all too often, these differences have provoked hostility and bloodshed. Such has been true of many who have encountered Jews over the centuries. In the last few decades, however, the world has witnessed a remarkable transformation in attitude, even though fringes of hate groups still persist. We have discovered that differences need not be threatening. Rather they may be positive and may even enrich interpersonal relations. Jews and others can fully embrace their own unique identity, while reaching out to those outside of their own communities. Indeed, boundaries need not be barriers.


Book Synopsis Boundaries, Not Barriers by : Samuel M. Stahl

Download or read book Boundaries, Not Barriers written by Samuel M. Stahl and published by . This book was released on 2005-12-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human beings traditionally have shunned others who are different because of their skin color, religious beliefs, or social status. Tragically, all too often, these differences have provoked hostility and bloodshed. Such has been true of many who have encountered Jews over the centuries. In the last few decades, however, the world has witnessed a remarkable transformation in attitude, even though fringes of hate groups still persist. We have discovered that differences need not be threatening. Rather they may be positive and may even enrich interpersonal relations. Jews and others can fully embrace their own unique identity, while reaching out to those outside of their own communities. Indeed, boundaries need not be barriers.


Jewish Identity

Jewish Identity

Author: David Theo Goldberg

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9781566390408

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In this collection of essays focused on the conceptual features of cultural identity, philosophers discuss the conditions underlying committment to contemporary Jewishness, and the cultural and moral obligations this committment May entail.


Book Synopsis Jewish Identity by : David Theo Goldberg

Download or read book Jewish Identity written by David Theo Goldberg and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection of essays focused on the conceptual features of cultural identity, philosophers discuss the conditions underlying committment to contemporary Jewishness, and the cultural and moral obligations this committment May entail.


Images of Joshua in the Bible and Their Reception

Images of Joshua in the Bible and Their Reception

Author: Zev Farber

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2016-07-11

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 3110343363

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The central theme of the book is the relationship between a hero or cultural icon and the cultures in which he or she is venerated. On one hand, a hero cannot remain a static character if he or she is to appeal to diverse and dynamic communities. On the other hand, a traditional icon should retain some basic features in order to remain recognizable. Joshua son of Nun is an iconic figure of Israelite cultural memory described at length in the Hebrew Bible and venerated in numerous religious traditions. This book uses Joshua as a test case. It tackles reception and redaction history, focusing on the use and development of Joshua’s character and the deployment of his various images in the narratives and texts of several religious traditions. I look for continuities and discontinuities between traditions, as well as cross-pollination and polemic. The first two chapters look at Joshua’s portrayal in biblical literature, using both synchronic (literary analysis) as well as diachronic (Überlieferungsgeschichte and redaction/source criticism) methodologies. The other four chapters focus on the reception history of Joshua in Second Temple and Hellenistic Jewish literature, in the medieval (Arabic) Samaritan Book of Joshua, in the New Testament and Church Fathers, and in Rabbinic literature.


Book Synopsis Images of Joshua in the Bible and Their Reception by : Zev Farber

Download or read book Images of Joshua in the Bible and Their Reception written by Zev Farber and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2016-07-11 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The central theme of the book is the relationship between a hero or cultural icon and the cultures in which he or she is venerated. On one hand, a hero cannot remain a static character if he or she is to appeal to diverse and dynamic communities. On the other hand, a traditional icon should retain some basic features in order to remain recognizable. Joshua son of Nun is an iconic figure of Israelite cultural memory described at length in the Hebrew Bible and venerated in numerous religious traditions. This book uses Joshua as a test case. It tackles reception and redaction history, focusing on the use and development of Joshua’s character and the deployment of his various images in the narratives and texts of several religious traditions. I look for continuities and discontinuities between traditions, as well as cross-pollination and polemic. The first two chapters look at Joshua’s portrayal in biblical literature, using both synchronic (literary analysis) as well as diachronic (Überlieferungsgeschichte and redaction/source criticism) methodologies. The other four chapters focus on the reception history of Joshua in Second Temple and Hellenistic Jewish literature, in the medieval (Arabic) Samaritan Book of Joshua, in the New Testament and Church Fathers, and in Rabbinic literature.


Rahel Varnhagen

Rahel Varnhagen

Author: Hannah Arendt

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2022-02-22

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1681375893

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A biography of a Jewish woman, a writer who hosted a literary and political salon in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Germany, written by one of the twentieth century's most prominent intellectuals, Hannah Arendt. Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewish Woman was Hannah Arendt’s first book, largely completed when she went into exile from Germany in 1933, though not published until the 1950s. It is the biography of a remarkable, complicated, passionate woman, and an important figure in German romanticism. Rahel Varnhagen also bore the burdens of being an unusual woman in a man’s world and an assimilated Jew in Germany. She was, Arendt writes, “neither beautiful nor attractive . . . and possessed no talents with which to employ her extraordinary intelligence and passionate originality.” Arendt sets out to tell the story of Rahel’s life as Rahel might have told it and, in doing so, to reveal the way in which assimilation defined one person’s destiny. On her deathbed Rahel is reported to have said, “The thing which all my life seemed to me the greatest shame, which was the misery and misfortune of my life—having been born a Jewess—this I should on no account now wish to have missed.” Only because she had remained both a Jew and a pariah, Arendt observes, “did she find a place in the history of European humanity.”


Book Synopsis Rahel Varnhagen by : Hannah Arendt

Download or read book Rahel Varnhagen written by Hannah Arendt and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of a Jewish woman, a writer who hosted a literary and political salon in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Germany, written by one of the twentieth century's most prominent intellectuals, Hannah Arendt. Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewish Woman was Hannah Arendt’s first book, largely completed when she went into exile from Germany in 1933, though not published until the 1950s. It is the biography of a remarkable, complicated, passionate woman, and an important figure in German romanticism. Rahel Varnhagen also bore the burdens of being an unusual woman in a man’s world and an assimilated Jew in Germany. She was, Arendt writes, “neither beautiful nor attractive . . . and possessed no talents with which to employ her extraordinary intelligence and passionate originality.” Arendt sets out to tell the story of Rahel’s life as Rahel might have told it and, in doing so, to reveal the way in which assimilation defined one person’s destiny. On her deathbed Rahel is reported to have said, “The thing which all my life seemed to me the greatest shame, which was the misery and misfortune of my life—having been born a Jewess—this I should on no account now wish to have missed.” Only because she had remained both a Jew and a pariah, Arendt observes, “did she find a place in the history of European humanity.”