The Boundaries of Judaism

The Boundaries of Judaism

Author: Donniel Hartman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2007-09-27

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1441106979

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The factionalism and denominationalism of modern Jewry makes it supremely difficult to create a definition of the Jewish people. Instead of serving as a uniting force around which community is formed, Judaism has itself become a source of divisions. Consequently, attempts to identify beliefs or practices essential for membership in the Jewish people are almost doomed to failure.Aiming to take readers beyond the divisions that characterize modern Jewry, this book explores the ever contentious question of "who is a Jew." Through a historical survey of the shifting boundaries of Jewish identity and deviance over time, the book provides new insights into how Jewish law over the centuries has erected boundaries to govern and maintain the collective identity of the Jewish people. Drawing on these historical strategies the book identifies the causes and reasons that underlie them, and employs these in order to help construct a guide for creating a structure of boundaries relevant for contemporary Jewish existence.


Book Synopsis The Boundaries of Judaism by : Donniel Hartman

Download or read book The Boundaries of Judaism written by Donniel Hartman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2007-09-27 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The factionalism and denominationalism of modern Jewry makes it supremely difficult to create a definition of the Jewish people. Instead of serving as a uniting force around which community is formed, Judaism has itself become a source of divisions. Consequently, attempts to identify beliefs or practices essential for membership in the Jewish people are almost doomed to failure.Aiming to take readers beyond the divisions that characterize modern Jewry, this book explores the ever contentious question of "who is a Jew." Through a historical survey of the shifting boundaries of Jewish identity and deviance over time, the book provides new insights into how Jewish law over the centuries has erected boundaries to govern and maintain the collective identity of the Jewish people. Drawing on these historical strategies the book identifies the causes and reasons that underlie them, and employs these in order to help construct a guide for creating a structure of boundaries relevant for contemporary Jewish existence.


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.


Boundaries, Identity and belonging in Modern Judaism

Boundaries, Identity and belonging in Modern Judaism

Author: Maria Diemling

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-09-07

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1317662970

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The drawing of boundaries has always been a key part of the Jewish tradition and has served to maintain a distinctive Jewish identity. At the same time, these boundaries have consistently been subject to negotiation, transgression and contestation. The increasing fragmentation of Judaism into competing claims to membership, from Orthodox adherence to secular identities, has brought striking new dimensions to this complex interplay of boundaries and modes of identity and belonging in contemporary Judaism. 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. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of Jewish Studies, as well as general Religious Studies and those interested in the sociology of belonging and identities.


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 2015-09-07 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The drawing of boundaries has always been a key part of the Jewish tradition and has served to maintain a distinctive Jewish identity. At the same time, these boundaries have consistently been subject to negotiation, transgression and contestation. The increasing fragmentation of Judaism into competing claims to membership, from Orthodox adherence to secular identities, has brought striking new dimensions to this complex interplay of boundaries and modes of identity and belonging in contemporary Judaism. 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. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of Jewish Studies, as well as general Religious Studies and those interested in the sociology of belonging and identities.


The Beginnings of Jewishness

The Beginnings of Jewishness

Author: Shaye J. D. Cohen

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 0520226933

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This is a study of the notion of Jewishness from c. 200 BCE to c. 200 CE. Reasonable and well-informed people disputed whether a given person was Jewish or not; Cohen opens by discussing just such an argument, about Herod the Great.


Book Synopsis The Beginnings of Jewishness by : Shaye J. D. Cohen

Download or read book The Beginnings of Jewishness written by Shaye J. D. Cohen and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a study of the notion of Jewishness from c. 200 BCE to c. 200 CE. Reasonable and well-informed people disputed whether a given person was Jewish or not; Cohen opens by discussing just such an argument, about Herod the Great.


Earliest Christianity within the Boundaries of Judaism

Earliest Christianity within the Boundaries of Judaism

Author: Alan Avery-Peck

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2016-02-02

Total Pages: 501

ISBN-13: 9004310339

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Top scholars of early Christianity and Judaism consider methodological issues, earliest Christianity’s Judaic setting, Gospel studies, and the emergence of later Christianity. These essays honor Bruce Chilton, recognizing his seminal contribution to the study of earliest Christianity in its Judaic setting.


Book Synopsis Earliest Christianity within the Boundaries of Judaism by : Alan Avery-Peck

Download or read book Earliest Christianity within the Boundaries of Judaism written by Alan Avery-Peck and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Top scholars of early Christianity and Judaism consider methodological issues, earliest Christianity’s Judaic setting, Gospel studies, and the emergence of later Christianity. These essays honor Bruce Chilton, recognizing his seminal contribution to the study of earliest Christianity in its Judaic setting.


Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction

Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction

Author: Benjamin Hary

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-08-04

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 9004453156

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Several years ago an international conference was held at the University of California to honor Professor William Brinner, whose personal scholarship throughout the years has focused on both the Jewish and Muslim historical, cultural, and intellectual experiences. This volume, which consists of the works of many of the conference participants, is a collection of essays that deal with the interaction of Judaism and Islam over history from different perspectives. The book is divided into nine parts: introduction, overview, Jewish-Muslim interaction in medieval times, Jewish-Muslim interaction in modern times, Bible and Qur'ān, law, philosophy and ethics, sectarian communities, and language, linguistics and literature. As a resolution the Arab-Israeli conflict slowly edges forward, we believe that this publication will serve the purposes of both serious scholarship and better cultural understanding.


Book Synopsis Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction by : Benjamin Hary

Download or read book Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction written by Benjamin Hary and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-08-04 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several years ago an international conference was held at the University of California to honor Professor William Brinner, whose personal scholarship throughout the years has focused on both the Jewish and Muslim historical, cultural, and intellectual experiences. This volume, which consists of the works of many of the conference participants, is a collection of essays that deal with the interaction of Judaism and Islam over history from different perspectives. The book is divided into nine parts: introduction, overview, Jewish-Muslim interaction in medieval times, Jewish-Muslim interaction in modern times, Bible and Qur'ān, law, philosophy and ethics, sectarian communities, and language, linguistics and literature. As a resolution the Arab-Israeli conflict slowly edges forward, we believe that this publication will serve the purposes of both serious scholarship and better cultural understanding.


The Soul of Judaism

The Soul of Judaism

Author: Bruce D Haynes

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2018-08-14

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1479800635

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A glimpse into the diverse stories of Black Jews in the United States What makes a Jew? This book traces the history of Jews of African descent in America and the counter-narratives they have put forward as they stake their claims to Jewishness. The Soul of Judaism offers the first exploration of the full diversity of Black Jews, including bi-racial Jews of both matrilineal and patrilineal descent; adoptees; black converts to Judaism; and Black Hebrews and Israelites, who trace their Jewish roots to Africa and challenge the dominant western paradigm of Jews as white and of European descent. Blending historical analysis and oral history, Haynes showcases the lives of Black Jews within the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstruction and Reform movements, as well as the religious approaches that push the boundaries of the common forms of Judaism we know today. He illuminates how in the quest to claim whiteness, American Jews of European descent gained the freedom to express their identity fluidly while African Americans have continued to be seen as a fixed racial group. This book demonstrates that racial ascription has been shaping Jewish selfhood for centuries. Pushing us to reassess the boundaries between race and ethnicity, it offers insight into how Black Jewish individuals strive to assert their dual identities and find acceptance within their respective communities. Putting to rest the simplistic notion that Jews are white and that Black Jews are therefore a contradiction, the volume argues that we can no longer pigeonhole Black Hebrews and Israelites as exotic, militant, and nationalistic sects outside the boundaries of mainstream Jewish thought and community life. The volume spurs us to consider the significance of the growing population of self-identified Black Jews and its implications for the future of American Jewry.


Book Synopsis The Soul of Judaism by : Bruce D Haynes

Download or read book The Soul of Judaism written by Bruce D Haynes and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2018-08-14 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A glimpse into the diverse stories of Black Jews in the United States What makes a Jew? This book traces the history of Jews of African descent in America and the counter-narratives they have put forward as they stake their claims to Jewishness. The Soul of Judaism offers the first exploration of the full diversity of Black Jews, including bi-racial Jews of both matrilineal and patrilineal descent; adoptees; black converts to Judaism; and Black Hebrews and Israelites, who trace their Jewish roots to Africa and challenge the dominant western paradigm of Jews as white and of European descent. Blending historical analysis and oral history, Haynes showcases the lives of Black Jews within the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstruction and Reform movements, as well as the religious approaches that push the boundaries of the common forms of Judaism we know today. He illuminates how in the quest to claim whiteness, American Jews of European descent gained the freedom to express their identity fluidly while African Americans have continued to be seen as a fixed racial group. This book demonstrates that racial ascription has been shaping Jewish selfhood for centuries. Pushing us to reassess the boundaries between race and ethnicity, it offers insight into how Black Jewish individuals strive to assert their dual identities and find acceptance within their respective communities. Putting to rest the simplistic notion that Jews are white and that Black Jews are therefore a contradiction, the volume argues that we can no longer pigeonhole Black Hebrews and Israelites as exotic, militant, and nationalistic sects outside the boundaries of mainstream Jewish thought and community life. The volume spurs us to consider the significance of the growing population of self-identified Black Jews and its implications for the future of American Jewry.


Passing Over Easter

Passing Over Easter

Author: Shoshanah Feher

Publisher: Rowman Altamira

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780761989530

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Chosen by Yahweh, saved by Jesus, Messianic Jews identify themselves as both Christian and Jewish and yet neither. Passing Over Easter brings this peculiar movement to life with an ethnographic look at Adat HaRauch, a Messianic Jewish congregation in Southern California. The ethnic Jews who have "found the Lord," the Gentiles with a "heart for Israel" that make up Adat HaRauch negotiate their identity borrowing from both traditions. The congregants see Yshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) as the Jewish Messiah, the passover matzoh as symbolic of Yshua's body being broken for sinners, the New Testament as a fulfillment of the Old. Through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and reflections on her own beliefs and role as researcher, Feher paints a fascinating picture of this fluctuating religious group. Passing Over Easter makes a compelling read for sociologists concerned with new religious movements and group formation, students of Jewish identity and Jewish-Christian relations and anyone interested in the contemporary American religious scene.


Book Synopsis Passing Over Easter by : Shoshanah Feher

Download or read book Passing Over Easter written by Shoshanah Feher and published by Rowman Altamira. This book was released on 1998 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chosen by Yahweh, saved by Jesus, Messianic Jews identify themselves as both Christian and Jewish and yet neither. Passing Over Easter brings this peculiar movement to life with an ethnographic look at Adat HaRauch, a Messianic Jewish congregation in Southern California. The ethnic Jews who have "found the Lord," the Gentiles with a "heart for Israel" that make up Adat HaRauch negotiate their identity borrowing from both traditions. The congregants see Yshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) as the Jewish Messiah, the passover matzoh as symbolic of Yshua's body being broken for sinners, the New Testament as a fulfillment of the Old. Through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and reflections on her own beliefs and role as researcher, Feher paints a fascinating picture of this fluctuating religious group. Passing Over Easter makes a compelling read for sociologists concerned with new religious movements and group formation, students of Jewish identity and Jewish-Christian relations and anyone interested in the contemporary American religious scene.


The Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity

The Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity

Author: Mark Leuchter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0190665092

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The biblical record attempts to present the Levites as a clerus minor under the Aaronides, a second class priestly order occupying a mediating role between them and the larger Israelite public. But scholars have long recognized that this literary presentation obscures a much more complicated reality pertaining to the origin of the Levites and their role in the development of Israelite religion. This study provides a renewed examination of the Levites as a social entity within ancient Israel, providing a detailed picture of their origins, their ideas, their response to adversity, and the deep impact of the traditions they forged and preserved in literary form.


Book Synopsis The Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity by : Mark Leuchter

Download or read book The Levites and the Boundaries of Israelite Identity written by Mark Leuchter and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biblical record attempts to present the Levites as a clerus minor under the Aaronides, a second class priestly order occupying a mediating role between them and the larger Israelite public. But scholars have long recognized that this literary presentation obscures a much more complicated reality pertaining to the origin of the Levites and their role in the development of Israelite religion. This study provides a renewed examination of the Levites as a social entity within ancient Israel, providing a detailed picture of their origins, their ideas, their response to adversity, and the deep impact of the traditions they forged and preserved in literary form.


The Way of the Boundary Crosser

The Way of the Boundary Crosser

Author: Gershon Rabbi Winkler Ph. D.

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 9780742545106

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The Way of the Boundary Crosser, by highly regarded rabbi and author Gershon Winkler, offers us an in-depth understanding of the teachings of Jewish tradition that challenges the notion that there is only one way to be Jewish, and that allows ample room for alternatives in Jewish theology, observance, and law.


Book Synopsis The Way of the Boundary Crosser by : Gershon Rabbi Winkler Ph. D.

Download or read book The Way of the Boundary Crosser written by Gershon Rabbi Winkler Ph. D. and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Way of the Boundary Crosser, by highly regarded rabbi and author Gershon Winkler, offers us an in-depth understanding of the teachings of Jewish tradition that challenges the notion that there is only one way to be Jewish, and that allows ample room for alternatives in Jewish theology, observance, and law.