British Chief Rabbis tells how they achieved what, in retrospect, seems almost the impossible. The survival of the Jewish Community in Britain in the last 350 years as an Orthodox body has been an extraordinary story of success against all odds. Most of the credit goes to 22 men who acted as the spiritual leaders of this community.

The book sheds light on various chapters in the long history of Protestant-Jewish relations, from the Reformation to the present. Going beyond questions of antisemitism and religious animosity, it aims to disentangle some of the intricate perceptions, interpretations, and emotions that have characterized contacts between Protestantism and Judaism, and between Jews and Protestants. While some papers in the book address Luther's antisemitism and the NS-Zeit, most papers broaden the scope of the investigation: Protestant-Jewish theological encounters shaped not only antisemitism but also the Jewish Reform movement and Protestant philosemitic post-Holocaust theology; interactions between Jews and Protestants took place not only in the German lands but also in the wider Protestant universe; theology was crucial for the articulation of attitudes toward Jews, but music and philosophy were additional spheres of creativity that enabled the process of thinking through the relations between Judaism and Protestantism. By bringing together various contributions on these and other aspects, the book opens up directions for future research on this intricate topic, which bears both historical significance and evident relevance to our own time.

How have American Zionists maintained the delicate balance between their "Americanism" and their Zionism? How did they, as Americans, support the principle of democracy and at the same time, as Jews, support the creation of a Jewish homeland despite the pre-1948 Arab majority in Palestine? Looking at America-Holy Land relations during the years prior to the establishment of the state of Israel, Medoff explores this crucial question of American Jewish identity. Using original, previously unpublished archival material, this study presents an engaging account of a dilemma that is still very much an issue in today's political climate.

The story of Zenon Neumark's experiences as a teenager in Nazi-occupied Europe, from escaping a labour camp to life in Warsaw and Vienna.

In this powerful and wide-ranging study, Sander Gilman explores the idea of "the multicultural" in the contemporary world, a question he frames as the question of the relationship between Jews and Muslims. How do Jews define themselves, and how are they in turn defined, within the global struggles of the moment, struggles that turn in large part around a secularized Christian perspective?
Gilman uses his subject to unpack a sequence of important issues: what does it mean to be multicultural? Can the experience of diaspora Judaism serve as a useful model for Islam in today's multicultural Europe? What is a multicultural ethnic? Other chapters look at specific figures in Jewish cultural history--Albert Einstein, Franz Kafka, Israel Zangwill, Philip Roth, the hermaphrodite N.O. Body (aka Karl Baer, raised as Martha Baer)--to explore issues within Jewish identity. Throughout, Gilman pays keen attention to the ways in which contemporary literature--Chabon, Ozick, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Safran Foer, Gary Shteyngart--is taking the idea of Jewishness and multiculturalism into new arenas.

THE FREEHOF INSTITUTE OF PROGRESSIVE HALAKHAH The Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah is a creative research center devoted to studying and defining the progressive character of the halakhah in accordance with the principles and theology of Reform Judaism. It seeks to establish the ideological basis of Progressive halakhah, and its application to daily life. The Institute fosters serious studies, and helps scholars in various portions of the world to work together for a common cause. It provides an ongoing forum through symposia, and publications including the quarterly newsletter, HalakhaH, published under the editorship of Walter Jacob, in the United States. The foremost halakhic scholars in the Reform, Liberal, and Progressive rabbinate along with some Conservative and Orthodox colleagues as well as university professors serve on our Academic Council. This collection on Essays is the product of the second colloquium held in Florida during June 1991.

The volume contributes to the knowledge of the Samaritan history, culture and linguistics. Specialists of various fields of research bring a new look on the topics related to the Samaritans and the Hebrew and Arabic written sources, to the Samaritan history in the Roman-Byzantine period as well as to the contemporary issues of the Samaritan community.

This book is a moving testimony to a world that no longer exists. It recreates the richness of life in a Jewish shtetl before the German invasion without sentimentality. It documents the savage destruction of this Jewish world with the aid of documents, photographs, and family memoirs, and includes stories of extraordinary bravery and survival. - Dr Joanna Newman, Executive Director, London Jewish Cultural Centre --- Jack Kagan was born in Novogrudok, when it was a town in inter-war Poland. He was there when it became part of the Soviet Union in 1939, and when the German army marched in, in 1941. ... This book is a remarkable and lasting memorial to four hundred years of Jewish life, edited with devotion. - Sir Martin Gilbert, Honorary Fellow, Merton College, Oxford --- This book ... is a tribute of love from a citizen to his native town. It is a valuable document which brings greater understanding to the terrible course of events that brought so much misery and suffering to the J

When the German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig entitled his 1926 collection of essays on Jewish and universal cultural topics Zweistromland -- a land of two rivers -- he meant to underscore, indeed celebrate, the fact that German-Jewish culture is nurtured by both German culture and the Jewish religious and cultural heritage. In this thought-provoking book, Paul Mendes-Flohr explores through the prism of Rosenzweig's image how German Jews have understood and contended with their twofold spiritual patrimony. He deepens the discussion to consider also how the German-Jewish experience bears upon the general modern experience of living with multiple cultural identities.

German Jews assimilated the cultural values of Germany but were not themselves assimilated into German society, Mendes-Flohr contends. Yet, by virtue of their adoption of values sponsored by enlightened German discourse, they were no longer unambiguously Jewish. The author discusses how their identity and cultural loyalty became fractured and how German Jews -- dike other Jews and indeed like all denizens of the modern world -- were obliged to confront the challenges of living with plural identities and cultural affiliations.

This is the first systematic study of the Jews in the Greek resistance based on archival research and personal interviews. It covers Jews in various aspects of resistance in Greece and other concentration camps. The book is a contribution to the overall story of Greek resistance against the Nazi occupiers and provides hitherto unknown stories of their contributions to that fight. Based on interviews and archival research Bowman has assembled a preliminary list of over 650 individuals who fought or served with the Greek Resistance forces. These include andartes and andartissas, interpreters, recruiters, doctors, spies, nurses, organizers, and a number of non Greek Jews who volunteered or were trapped in Greece during the war years. While the murder of nearly 90% of Greek Jews by the Nazis has begun to enter the holocaust story, the participation of Greek Jews in the war against the Nazis is virtually unknown. Greek Jews actively fought in the war against the Italian and German invaders. Veterans and young Jewish males and females went to the mountains to fight or serve in various ways in the andartiko among the several Greek Resistance movements. Other Jews remained in urban areas where they joined different Resistance cells whether as active saboteurs or in leadership roles. A number of Jews appear on the payrolls of Force 133. Additionally Greek Jews participated in the Sonderkommando revolt in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in October 1944 while others fought in the Warsaw revolt from August to October 1944.

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"Cohen and Soyer have done a masterful job of collecting and translating these gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America."
--Beth S. Wenger, Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania.

"This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies."
--"Shamash"

"A treasure trove of Yiddish autobiographical gems available for the first time in English. These heartfelt and moving narratives reveal the rich, complex and multi-textured experience of the East European Jewish immigrant milieu. The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions. To this considerable achievement, Cohen and Soyer add a valuable introductory essay and detailed notes that make the book accessible to students, researchers and thoughtful readers alike. This volume plugs a significant gap in the field of modern Jewish studies and belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like "A Bintel Brief "and "World of Our Fathers,"
"--Mark A. Raider, author of "American Jewish Women and the Zionist Enterprise"and "The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine"

In 1942, YIVO held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme "Why I Left the Old Country and What I HaveAccomplished in America." Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life in the immigrant generation at the turn of the twentieth century.

The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals who came from all parts of Eastern Europe and ushered in a new era in American Jewish history. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.

An Introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.

Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

This book tells the story of Holocaust survivor and prominent banker Marcel Goldman, born in Krakow in 1926. Goldman started his studies in economics in Krakow and completed them in Israel, where he became a respected banker. In telling his story, this book analyzes Israel's social and economic development, its causes and circumstances. Following Goldman as our main character, we take a close look at the birth of the private banking sector and the building of modern economy in Israel. The book also describes the life of Polish Jews in Israel in general, the way in which they settled there, and built the prosperity of the state. The story of Marcel Goldman is an example of how Israel's success is the sum of its citizens' successes.

Learn ways to address domestic and sexual abuse in your community Breaking the cycle of domestic violence and abuse poses unique problems for the Jewish community, owing to the internal divisions of politics, religious practice, and culture. However, creating strategies to work together based upon the shared values of Judaism can strip away those differences. Domestic Abuse and the Jewish Community: Perspectives from the First International Conference brings together an outstanding and diverse selection of notable presentations from the First International Conference on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community held in July 2003 in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference, entitled Pursuing Truth, Justice, and Righteousness: A Call to Action, brought to the forefront the disturbing, many times hidden issue of domestic abuse within the Jewish community. Respected scholars, clergy, social service professionals, and survivors provide insightful presentations that lay an essential foundation for the building of a collaborative global Jewish movement to respond to this sensitive issue. Domestic Abuse and the Jewish Community: Perspectives from the First International Conference marks the start of a quiet revolution aimed at ending domestic abuse in various Jewish communities by revealing the many facets of the problem while offering ways to address them. Sexual and domestic abuse issues in the Jewish communities of the US, Israel, South Africa and the UK are illuminated and described, and practical strategies are discussed, keeping in mind the common goals within the varied communities. Jewish religious law is reviewed, along with an analysis of Maimomides' response to domestic abuse, and a vision is offered to respond to child sexual abuse. Domestic Abuse and the Jewish Community: Perspectives from the First International Conference is separated into five categories of presentations: Illuminating the Issue; Healing and Wholeness; Promising Practices; Creating Change; and Breaking the Cycle, each section progressing logically to present a unified discussion of the issues. The book discusses: helping religious women escape domestic abuse the Jewish tradition and the treatment of battered women the widespread claim that Maimonedes condoned wife-battering the spiritual movement called neohasidism the issues of reconciliation between survivors and former perpetrators the Ayelet Programa project which provides long-term mentoring to past victims starting a new life organizing the community to address domestic violence in immigrant populations the response to domestic violence in the South African Jewish community services for victims in Israel child sexual abuse and incest Domestic Abuse and the Jewish Community: Perspectives from the First International Conference is informative, eye-opening reading for social workers, clergy, direct service providers for survivors of domestic/sexual abuse, directors/staff of Jewish Family Service agencies, Jewish Federations, Jewish women's organizations, and Jewish foundations.

This single volume traces three approaches to the "study" of the Holocaust--through notions of history, theories of memory, and a focus on art and representation. It introduces readers to the different ways we have come to "understand" the Holocaust, gives them an opportunity to ask questions about those conclusions, and examines how this event can be understood once all the survivors are gone. In addition, the book looks at the different disciplines -- history, sociology, religious studies, and literary interpretation, among others -- through which studies of the Holocaust take place. A three section organization covers history, the treatment of eyewitness and the testimonies produced by them, and the possibility of literature and other arts presenting a better understanding of Holocaust events than the former. MARKET For individuals interested in a historical interpretation of the Holocaust-- even more complex and troubling than the event itself.

This work includes international secondary literature on anti-Semitism published throughout the world, from the earliest times to the present. It lists books, dissertations, and articles from periodicals and collections from a diverse range of disciplines. Written accounts are included among the recorded titles, as are manifestations of anti-Semitism in the visual arts (e.g. painting, caricatures or film), action taken against Jews and Judaism by discriminating judiciaries, pogroms, massacres and the systematic extermination during the Nazi period. The bibliography also covers works dealing with philo-Semitism or Jewish reactions to anti-Semitism and Jewish self-hate. An informative abstract in English is provided for each entry, and Hebrew titles are provided with English translations.

Described by the book's Polish publisher as a literary take on the author's experience in the Lodz ghetto and the Nazi concentration camps. Arnold Mostowicz, a Polish Jew was a doctor in the Lodz ghetto and intermittently in the camps. He was a witness to and participant in situations that have received little attention. The book contains a unique account of a worker demonstration in 1940, and a description of the Gypsy camp that the Nazis had created on the edge of the Lodz ghetto. It also gives an analysis of how the antagonism between the Lodz Jews and the German and Czech Jews, deported to the ghetto, played itself out in everyday life.

When Nicholas Winton met a friend in Prague in December 1938, he was shocked by the plight of thousands of refugees and Czech citizens desperate to flee from the advancing German army. A British organization had been set up to help the adults, but who would save the children? Winton felt he could not walk away. He set up a makeshift office and in just three weeks interviewed thousands of distraught parents who had the courage to part with their children and send them alone to England. Armed with their details and photos, he returned to London to convince the Home Office of the urgency of the situation. He knew he was working against time. His supreme efforts resulted in eight train-loads bringing 669, mainly Jewish, children to London.

This book traces the German-Hebrew contact zones in which Gershom Scholem, Werner Kraft and Ludwig Strauss lived and produced their creative work in early twentieth-century Germany and later in British Mandate Palestine after their voluntary or forced migration in the 1920s and 1930s. Set in shifting historical contexts and literary debates - the notion of the German vernacular nation, Hebraism and Jewish Revival in Weimar Germany, the crisis of language in modernist literature, and the fledgling multilingual communities in Jerusalem, the writings of Scholem, Kraft and Strauss emerge as unique forms of counterlanguage. The three chapters of the book are dedicated to Scholem's Hebraist lamentation, Kraft's Germanist steadfastness and Strauss's polyglot dialogue, respectively. The examination of their correspondences, diaries, scholarship and literary oeuvres demonstrates how counteractive writing practices helped confront concrete and metaphorical crises of language to produce compelling alternatives to literary silence, amnesia or paralysis that were prompted by cultural marginality and dislocation.

Auschwitz. Treblinka. The very names of these Nazi camps evoke unspeakable cruelty. Sobibor is less well known, and this book discloses the horrors perpetrated there.Established in German-occupied Poland, the camp at Sobibor began its dreadful killing operation in May 1942. By October 1943, approximately 167,000 people had been murdered there. Sobibor is not well documented and, were it not for an extraordinary revolt on 14 October 1943, we would know little about it. On that day, prisoners staged a remarkable uprising in which 300 men and women escaped. The author identifies only forty-seven who survived the war.Sent in June 1943 to Sobibor, where his wife and family were murdered, Jules Schelvis has written the first book-length, fully documented account of the camp. He details the creation of the killing centre, its personnel, the use of railways, selections, forced labour, gas chambers, escape attempts and the historic uprising.In documenting this part of Holocaust history, this compelling and well-researched account advances our knowledge and understanding of the Nazi attempt to annihilate the European Jews.Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The Encyclopedia of Modern Jewish Culture is an extensively updated revision of the very successful Companion to Jewish Culture published in 1989 and has now been updated throughout.

Experts from all over the world contribute entries ranging from 200 to 1000 words broadly, covering the humanities, arts, social sciences, sport and popular culture, and 5000-word essays contextualize the shorter entries, and provide overviews to aspects of culture in the Jewish world.

Ideal for student and general readers, the articles and biographies have been written by scholars and academics, musicians, artists and writers, and the book now contains up-to-date bibliographies, suggestions for further reading, comprehensive cross referencing, and a full index.

This is a resource, no student of Jewish history will want to go without.

Does David Still Play Before You? explores the ways that contemporary Israeli poets have made use of images from the Bible in their poetry. Through close readings of fifty poems, featured in their original Hebrew and in English translation, David Jacobson studies how Israeli poets respond to and incorporate the Bible in their work and reflect on the presence of the Bible in contemporary Israeli culture. The book provides a stunning collection of powerful and moving voices. Jacobson organizes the works according to subjects that recur with great frequency in Israeli poetry based on the Bible: the Arab-Israel conflict, responses to the Holocaust, relations between men and women, and modern challenges to traditional religious faith. Jacobson's literary analysis is informed by an astute awareness of the role of the Bible in Israeli culture. This volume is the first comprehensive study of the use of the Bible by Israeli poets, a phenomenon that is central to the development of Israeli poetry.