The Way Into the Varieties of Jewishness

Sylvia Barack Fishman

Description

An accessible introduction to the many ways Jews understand Jewishness and identify themselves and their communities—throughout history and today.

For everyone who wants to understand the varieties of Jewish identity, its boundaries and inclusions, this book explores the religious and historical understanding of what it has meant to be Jewish from ancient times to the present controversy over “Who is a Jew?” Beginning with the biblical period, it takes readers era by era through Jewish history to reveal who the Jewish community included and excluded, and discusses the fascinating range of historical conflicts that Jews have dealt with internally. It provides an understanding of how the Jewish people and faith developed, and of what the major religious differences are among Jewish movements today.

About The Way Into … Timeline Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Ancient Jews, Homeland, and Exiles Memories Out of Biblical Texts The Early Jews: Hill Country Tribes and Ancient Israelites Kings and Kingdoms Divided Jewish Nations Diaspora Judaism, and a Chance to Return Characteristics of Early Jewishness Democratization and a Tradition of Sacred Interpretation Jewish Encounters with Western Cultures Hellenizers, Hasmoneans, and Jewish Pietists Pharisees and Sadduccees The Essenes Rabbinic Judaism and the Written "Oral" Law Magic, Messianism, and Early Christians Mirror, Mirror: Early Jewishness and Later Jews 2. The Wandering Jews Peoplehood and Jewish Culture in the Diaspora The Jewish Calendar and Life Cycle Jewish Integration on the Iberian Peninsula Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition Jewish Culture in Medieval Christian Europe The Jewish Experience in the Transition toward Modernity Sephardi Jews Strike Out for New Homes Trauma and Messianism in Polish Jewish Life Hasidic and Mitnagdic Jewish Rivalry 3. Emancipating into Modern Jewishness Piecemeal Emancipation and the "Brutal Bargain" Western Europe's Haskalah: Rationalism and the Jewish Enlightenment The Reformer's Challenge Traditionalists Who Synthesized—or Rejected—Modernity East European Haskalah: Secular Modern Movements and a Jewish Enlightenment Zionism and the "New Jew" Exodus to America—Another Kind of Zion 4. Reforming American Judaism A Large Movement with a Wide Tent Custom-Making American “Classic” Reform Judaism East European Jews—and Influence—Enter American Reform The 1960s Bring New—and Old—Styles of Worship and Practice Contemporary Developments: Choosing Covenantal Judaism—or Not 5. Shades of American Orthodoxy Dressing to Accommodate—or Resist—American Culture Centrist Orthodoxy Modern Orthodoxy Ultra-Orthodoxy The Evolution of American Modern and Antimodern Orthodox Models Synthesizing America into Orthodox Lives Day Schools and the Text-Based Revolution Triumphalism—and Tension 6. Conservative Judaism at the Crossroads Conservative “Folk” and “Elites” American Conservative Judaisms Evolve A Conservative Jewish Empire at Midcentury Challenge and Change: Civil Rights Gender Egalitarianism and Conservative Judaism From Comfort to Discomfort in the Center Conservation or Transformation in the Twenty-First Century? 7. An American Kaleidoscope: Reconstructionist, Renewal, and Secular Forms of American Jewishness Reconstructing American Jewish Life Renewing Jewish Spirituality Secular and Cultural Jews Jewish Secular Socialism Secular Social Activism American Secular Jewishness 8. Jews by Choice Converts in the Jewish Community Three Types of Converts Historical Jewish Approaches to Conversion Contemporary Communal Conversations about Conversion Conversion and Jewish Identification Conclusion: Diversity and the Future of the Jewish Renaissance Social Networks and the Jewish Enterprise The Hyphenation of American-Jewish Values Creating Ethnic Capital Jewish Ethnic Capital and the Melting Pot Jewish Counterculturalism A Jewish Renaissance Learning from Each Other Notes Glossary Suggestions for Further Reading Index

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish identity
• Jewish Currents (magazine)
• Jewish history
• Jewish philosophy
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 18 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580236768
• Langue: English

Extrait

About The Way Into
The Way Into is a major series that provides an accessible and highly usable guided tour of the Jewish faith and people, its history and beliefs-in total, a basic introduction to Judaism for adults that will enable them to understand and interact with sacred texts.
The Authors
Each book in the series is written by a leading contemporary teacher and thinker. While each of the authors brings his or her own individual style of teaching to the series, every volume s approach is the same: to help you to learn, in a life-affecting way, about important concepts in Judaism.
The Concepts
Each volume in The Way Into Series explores one important concept in Judaism, including its history, its basic vocabulary, and what it means to Judaism and to us. In the Jewish tradition of study, the reader is helped to interact directly with sacred texts.
The topics to be covered in The Way Into Series:

Torah
Jewish Prayer
Encountering God in Judaism
Jewish Mystical Tradition
Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
Judaism and the Environment
The Varieties of Jewishness
Covenant and Commandment
Holiness and Chosenness ( Kedushah )
Time
Zion
Money and Ownership
Women and Men
The Relationship between Jews and Non-Jews
In loving memory of my parents, Rabbi Nathan Abraham and Lillian Astrachan Barack
Contents
About The Way Into
Timeline
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Ancient Jews, Homeland, and Exiles
Memories Out of Biblical Texts
The Early Jews: Hill Country Tribes and Ancient Israelites
Kings and Kingdoms
Divided Jewish Nations
Diaspora Judaism, and a Chance to Return
Characteristics of Early Jewishness
Democratization and a Tradition of Sacred Interpretation
Jewish Encounters with Western Cultures
Hellenizers, Hasmoneans, and Jewish Pietists
Pharisees and Sadduccees
The Essenes
Rabbinic Judaism and the Written Oral Law
Magic, Messianism, and Early Christians
Mirror, Mirror: Early Jewishness and Later Jews
2. The Wandering Jews
Peoplehood and Jewish Culture in the Diaspora
The Jewish Calendar and Life Cycle
Jewish Integration on the Iberian Peninsula
Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition
Jewish Culture in Medieval Christian Europe
The Jewish Experience in the Transition toward Modernity
Sephardi Jews Strike Out for New Homes
Trauma and Messianism in Polish Jewish Life
Hasidic and Mitnagdic Jewish Rivalry
3. Emancipating into Modern Jewishness
Piecemeal Emancipation and the Brutal Bargain
Western Europe s Haskalah: Rationalism and the Jewish Enlightenment
The Reformer s Challenge
Traditionalists Who Synthesized-or Rejected-Modernity
East European Haskalah: Secular Modern Movements and a Jewish Enlightenment
Zionism and the New Jew
Exodus to America-Another Kind of Zion
4. Reforming American Judaism
A Large Movement with a Wide Tent
Custom-Making American Classic Reform Judaism
East European Jews-and Influence-Enter American Reform
The 1960s Bring New-and Old-Styles of Worship and Practice
Contemporary Developments: Choosing Covenantal Judaism-or Not
5. Shades of American Orthodoxy
Dressing to Accommodate-or Resist-American Culture
Centrist Orthodoxy
Modern Orthodoxy
Ultra-Orthodoxy
The Evolution of American Modern and Antimodern Orthodox Models
Synthesizing America into Orthodox Lives
Day Schools and the Text-Based Revolution
Triumphalism-and Tension
6. Conservative Judaism at the Crossroads
Conservative Folk and Elites
American Conservative Judaisms Evolve
A Conservative Jewish Empire at Midcentury
Challenge and Change: Civil Rights
Gender Egalitarianism and Conservative Judaism
From Comfort to Discomfort in the Center
Conservation or Transformation in the Twenty-First Century?
7. An American Kaleidoscope: Reconstructionist, Renewal, and Secular Forms of American Jewishness
Reconstructing American Jewish Life
Renewing Jewish Spirituality
Secular and Cultural Jews
Jewish Secular Socialism
Secular Social Activism
American Secular Jewishness
8. Jews by Choice
Converts in the Jewish Community
Three Types of Converts
Historical Jewish Approaches to Conversion
Contemporary Communal Conversations about Conversion
Conversion and Jewish Identification
Conclusion: Diversity and the Future of the Jewish Renaissance
Social Networks and the Jewish Enterprise
The Hyphenation of American-Jewish Values
Creating Ethnic Capital
Jewish Ethnic Capital and the Melting Pot
Jewish Counterculturalism
A Jewish Renaissance
Learning from Each Other
Notes
Glossary
Suggestions for Further Reading
List of Searchable Terms

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Acknowledgments
Writing this book was much like touring a vast continent, deciding which locales to visit and which to regretfully pass over, in order to create an itinerary that reflects the diversity of the land as a whole. It was an exhilarating trip, opening up new vistas, and creating a desire for longer stays and detours into neglected regions. I hope that reading this book accomplishes similar goals for readers as writing it did for me.
My thanks go first to Jewish Lights Publishing s publisher, Stuart M. Matlins, who suggested the concept and has been unfailingly supportive; to Alys R. Yablon Wylen, my skilled and thoughtful editor; and to Emily Wichland, who expedited the book s publication in numerous ways. I am indebted to my friends and colleagues, expert travel guides who generously discussed the journey and read individual chapters: Shaye Cohen on Ancient Jews, Homelands, and Exiles ; Jonathan Decter on The Wandering Jews ; Eugene Sheppard on Emancipating into Modernity ; and Jonathan Sarna on the chapters on contemporary American Judaisms. Their comments improved these chapters, and any remaining infelicities are my own responsibility.
As always, I am grateful to Brandeis University, to my colleagues in the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department, to the lively staff of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, and to the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, especially for enabling Hillary Hampton, Rachel Werner, and Sarah Krevsky to help me gather materials.
Last but never least, substantive thanks go to my husband, Phil, an avid reader of Jewish history who has been interested in this intellectual journey long before I started writing it. Our ongoing discussions about various dimensions of the Jewish experience have been immensely helpful, and he remains my best critical reader. Thanks too to my children and grandchildren, and our conversations about the ways they creatively make Jewishness central in their busy lives. This book is dedicated to the blessed memory of my parents, Rabbi Nathan and Lillian Barack, who served diverse Jewish and non-Jewish communities with inclusive love and dedication-but still made our Shabbat home a joyous anchor for life.
Introduction
Inside every Jew there is a mob of Jews, writes Philip Roth. 1 Observers of the American Jewish community sometimes comment that when William James wrote his famous commentary on The Varieties of Religious Experience 2 at the turn of the twentieth century, he would have needed several more volumes to deal with all the varieties represented by the Jews.
Contemporary American Jews are often perceived as being uniquely divided into a plethora of groups. Some of those divisions have to do with Judaism as a religious faith: More than half of American Jews describe themselves as associated with (although not necessarily members of) wings of American Judaism, such as Orthodox, Traditional, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, or Secular Jewish Humanist congregations. Other divisions are based on geography and culture, as Jews bring traditions from their roots in North American, Israeli, European, Latin and South American, Australian, Middle Eastern, North African, Asian, former Soviet, and other Jewish communities. Still other divisions have to do with Jewish peoplehood, or secular cultural experiences that seem unconnected to religiosity: Jews who relate to their Jewishness primarily through Zionism, or Jewish social action, or Jewish intellectualism, or Jewish culture. Not least, gender provides an important-and often under-recognized-division: The Jewish experiences of many women vary significantly from those of men, and gender can play a crucial role in the ways in which people identify as Jews.
Jewish humor plays up this dividedness. One common joke describes a Jew on a desert island building two synagogues-one where he worships and the other that he wouldn t set foot into!
The many varieties of the contemporary American Jewish experience are often bewildering to the casual observer. The primary purpose of this book is to describe the historical emergence and development of the diverse ways in which Jews today connect to their Jewishness. This book is not a comprehensive history of all the times and places in which Jews lived. Rather, The Way Into the Varieties of Jewishness highlights some significant and striking diversities of Jewish experiences in earlier times and portrays the broad spectrum of contemporary American modes of Jewishness.
Although observers generally recognize that Jewish societies and ideas of Jewishness today take many forms, homogeneous stereotypes about the past often prevail. Historical Jewish communities are sometimes imagined to have been monolithic. However, scholarship increasingly shows that from biblical through modern times Jews have existed in diverse contexts and have responded to the challenges presented by those contexts in diverse ways.
Thus, this book begins with an exploration of the shifting and sometimes coexisting forms of early Jewishness reflected in ancient texts. Chapter 1 discusses some of the biblical narratives that became part of Jewish memory and draws on archaeologists and historia