Reli 123
What was Zunz biggest accomplishment? Why was it significant?
"The Sermon of the Jews"-was significant because it was a clear representation of the Midrash throughout history; demonstrated to German authorities that preaching in the vernacular was traditional and not suspicious
Jacques Derrida
- (not an ID, but he would be good to mention), he believed in the idea of deconstruction which is the process of undoing the assumptions that texts have one stable meaning, symbols are arbitrary and we only know what they are because other things are absent
Diglossia
- A situation in which two languages are used under different conditions within a community; very apparent in Yiddish sphere
Agudat Israel
- In 1912, an organization was established to serve as a political arm of traditional orthodoxy. Active in this movement were several Hasidic groups, Lithuanian -style yeshivahs, and German orthodoxy. Decisions of the movement had to be ratified by a council. Separate schooling system for this movement. Hostile towards Zionism. Thought Jews were a religious community and not a normal nation.
Shoah
- translates to "calamity" or "destruction"; preferred term used to describe the Holocaust, which translates to "a completely burned sacrifice"
Hegel calls the collective consciousness of a given society the _____, which shapes the ________________________
1- "spirit," 2- ideas and consciousness of each individual
Why did Orthodox Jews believe that reform was wrong?
1- Believe that an attempt to reform is to say that God can change His mind 2- Changes aren't truly changes, they are an application of the same law to different circumstances
Who was Frankel?
1- Conservatism 2- Modern reformer who became the leader of the conservative movement (successor of Positive-Historical approach) because he was upset that the reformers were dismissing folk religion and traditionalist
How did zunz contribute to the Wissenbchaft movement? What did he found? And what was he the editor of?
1- Considered the founder 2- The Society for the Culture and Science of the Jews 3- The Journal for the Science of Judaism
What and who were the 3 Major pogroms?
1- Czar Alexander had been assassinated and the anti semitic Russian people spread a rumor that it was the jews that murdered him, which resulted in governmental discrimination of the jews 2- Russian Government gives the people freedom to publish articles full of crap against he jews and resulted in a great nationalistic feeling amount the jewish people who worked together to create a stronger defense 3- small groups of peasants fought against the red army
What is Yom Kippur?
1- Day of Atonement 2- Holiest day of the year 3- Day symbolizes the last chance, the last day to ask for pardon for sins and to be written in the Book of Life for the next year 4- Fasting from food, water, any behavior that removes focus from God 5- Customary to wear white, color of purity
What are the 5 major points of Modern Jewish Era?
1- Emancipation 2- Haskalah (Enlightenment) 3- Reform 4- Orthodox 5- Conservatism
Who is Hegel?
1- German Philosopher 2- One of the most influential philosophers of era (NOT a Jewish scholar) 3- All of these points are an example of ideas of contemporary German thou
What is Rosh Hashanah?
1- Jewish new year 2- Blowing of the shofar 3- Kingship, remembrance, trumpeting 4- Tashlikh- "casting off" of sin 5- empty pockets
What were Mendelssohn's contributions? Why did he do this?
1- Literary figure in German 18th century intellectual world and translated the Bible into German 2- He translates it as German in Hebrew letters, which accelerates the literacy of European Jews in the German language, an effort to have Jewish people assimilate by learning to speak German 3- Wanted to bring secular(religious and nonreligious people coexist) culture to orthodox judaism valued reason 4- Anyone could arrive at theological reasoning-discourages elitism 5- Judaism accords very well with philosophy
What are the 2 Reform Judaism core values?
1- Monotheistic theology 2- Moral precepts
What 5 ways did it reflect European Enlightenment?
1- No superstition 2- Encouragement of rationalism 3- Reason 4- Tolerance 5- Morality
What are the 3 Pilgrimage Festivals?
1- Pesach (Passover) 2- Shavuot 3- Sukkot
What is Purim? 7 ideals
1- Rowdy holiday 2- A smaller holiday to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plan to kill the Jews 3- Esther (a Jew herself) tells the king she is set to marry of her Jewish status and begs him to stop Haman from killing her people as he had originally planned to do 4- The book of Esther is read on the day before 5- Boo, hiss, stomp when the name of Haman is read aloud 6- Carnival 7- Give to poor
Hegel: ideas that we have are _____. ideas we possess individually are shaped by ______________________.
1- Social 2- the ideas that other people possess
What other ways did Reform Judaism change traditional ways? 3 ways
1- Women, ritual, egalitarianism ( Integrating women in religion and ritual by allowing women to study at Yeshivas and even become Rabbis) 2- Wissenschaft 3- Change in attitude towards language ( Hebrew is not just used for religious purposes)
What were the set of Commandments Mendelssohn created?
7 Noachide commandments which are just things everyone should live by
Who is Zunz?
A rabbi of the reform movement
What does the Sabbath have to do with other celebrations?
Although Shabbat is very important culturally, it is not considered one of the high holy days
What is Maskilim?
An identifier for individuals and ideas of the Haskalah movement, the European Jewish enlightenment between the 1770s and 1880s, who sought to reeducate Jews so that they could fit into modern society; they established schools and published works of cultural importance.
Pogrom
An organized massacre of a particular ethnic group led to tensions between minority and majority
What is Shavuot the anniversary of?
Anniversary of the revelation of Torah @ Mt. Sinai
Joann Sfar "The Rabbi's Cat"
Asks how to be a Jew-- in different ways than Maus the power to speak divides the human from the animal As soon as the cat begins to speak, the rabbi teaches him about Judaism "Judaism goes thesis, antithesis, antithesis, antithesis...
Dreyfus affair
Began the zionist movement because he believed that anti semitism that got dreyfus in trouble would continue and the appropriate response was the create a land entirely for their own people. it deeply divided france iincluding political, religious, economically, and national identity the actual affair was Dreyfus was a military captain and the army was convicted of giving military secrets to the Germans
What is Tashlikh?
Casting off of sin
Yeshiva
Devoted to Jewish Law Do dialectal analysis of the Talmud Done in lectures (shirum) and study pairs (chavrutas)
What is Conservative Judaism?
Encompasses the midway points between extreme Orthodoxy and liberalism and accommodates modern values within the structures of traditional Jewish Law
Who wrote a book regarding Mendelssohn? Significance?
Euchel "[History'consists'of]'the'events'that'take'place'in'every'state,' and'in'truth'knowing'it'is'of'great'benefit,'since'it'is'filled'with' the'occurrences'that'happened'to'human'beings'in'general' and'to'partcular'individuals'at'various'7mes.'From'it'one'can' learn'to'walk'in'the'way'of'one's'country,'to'compare' situa7ons,'7mes,'na7ons,'and'personsRwith'regard'to'laws,' religions,'and'customs.'In'the'end'one'strengthens'his'ability' to'dis7nguish'between'truth'and'falsehood'as'well'as'to' improve'his'moral'quali7es.'One'is'able'to'adapt'his'own' inclina7ons'to'the'virtues'of'upright'men,'the'performers'of' great'deeds,'whose'life'histories'he'has'found'in'these' narra7ves'Rand'many'other'such'benefits."'
What ideological ideas accompanied Emancipation and what did they want to help promote?
European enlightenment 1- Civil rights 2- Human equality
Ashkenazic School?
Exclusively talmudic Girls were not educated if they were they would be a rabbi's daughter
Positive Historical Judaism
FRANKEL Came in response to radical reform Became conservatism judaism Commitment to Halakha with open and rational analysis Religion didn't drop from heaven but its created under g-d He thinks on should be as dispassionate and objective as possible when studying Judaism but still caring about its present and future Judaism is not an abstract theology of ideas Natural religious expression of Jewish history and culture Temple can be changed so people can relate to it
What season is Pesach the festival of?
Festival of Spring
Who are the two people who argued for and against Jewish History?
Friedlander- neglect of historical religion Maimon- Since Judaism is stateless, there is no real history and tradition was dead
Rubenstein
G-d broke his convenient and wrote book after Aushwitz and talked about the meaning of the holocaust for jews and christians
attempt to validate Judaism through _______ academic standards to prevent pogroms, still effort to preserve tradition--keep balance
German
What is the term for Jewish enlightenment?
Haskalah
How Mendelssohn compare Christianity to Judaism?
He argues that Judaism was more universalistic than Christianity and more consistent with modern values
What did Beer believe?
He was active in the reform movement Published histories of Jewish Sects to de-naturalize the notion that rabbinism was the true form of Judaism Called Mosaic faith "Uureligion", the original religion which was pure rational, and in line with Enlightenment ideas
Modern Jewish Edu
Hebrew grammer and study the bible grammer and language of the bible (foundations) less reliant on unique separate schools
Gender studies in judaism
Heteronormativity was created in the modern period, and was not as policed in early judaism theology/jewish foundations are patriarchal and we need to deal with roots not fruits of sexism Palskow: females are always seen in other a non essential theology equality isn't just "add women and stir"
What does Sukkot commemorate?
Ingathering of the crops and sojourn of the ancient Israelites in Sinai wilderness
What kind of movement is it?
Intellectual
What is Mosaism?
It is Judaism being stripped of its rabbinic overlay
Mosaism
JUDAISM STRIPPED OF RABBINIC OVERLAYS BEER--> Denaturalized the notion that rabbinism was true form of judaism Unreligion not the original one that is pure, rational, and in line with enlightenment ideas Believed that enlightenment about end rabbinism
Hasia Diner "American Jewish History"
Jewish people are integral members of two scholarly communities the Jewish historians the American historians Emphasis on duality- both religious and academic function of Jews as both Jewish and American members of society
Elisheva Carlebach "Palaces of Time"
Jews conducted "business as usual" on Sundays, which was different from the rest of the European Christian population. the minority (Jews) simultaneously embraced and distanced itself from the majority. the duality of life as both Jews and Europeans
Leora Batnitzky "How Judaism Became a Religion"
Judaism/Jewishness is a matter of religion, culture, and nationality.. much disputed fact debates with contemporary society and the modern definition of a religion. Results in the debate of whether Judaism should be considered a worldwide religion or a nationality Jewish communities historically had a lot of autonomy, political autonomy in their respective areas of Europe, but each community varied greatly from one another on a theological level, there was always the hope of everyone, the entire Jewish population returning to the land of Israel Judaism as a religion emerged with the idea of the modern nation state the book is conceptual explores the idea of both sides, judaism as a religion and nahhh Judaism doesn't care about beliefs so it doesn't clash with enlightenment values Themes: identity and difference between Jerusalem and Athens
In contrast to traditional or religious ways of knowing, Wissenschaft emphasizes...?
Knowledge as a process that the enlightened self can attain. Wissenschaft des Judentums is roughly "academic Jewish studies
How did the followers of Wissenbchaft view knowledge?
Knowledge as a process, categorizing knowledge in a systematic way, tracing how knowledge develops throughout history, think you can study Judaism as a whole, think you can identify different parts of Judaism and relate them to one another
David Myers "The Ideology of Wissenschaft des Judentums"
Leopold Zunz- he reflected the change of German Jewry "founding father of modern Jewish scholarship" attended university and began studying a variety of subjects empirical method of looking at literature as a result a group of Jewish students began to get together for intellectual exploration, although not originally Jewish topics, but it grew to discuss Jewish scholarly themes and ideas. impulse to reclaim Jewish literary past "what has already been sealed away" believed rabbinic literature also included culture Zunz said Wissenschaft could "distinguish among old and useful, obsolete and harmful, and new and desirable" Wissenschaft marked the intersection of impulses and influences seal the canon of hebrew literature with revitalizing Judaism GWF Hegel-- the whole is animated by the absolute spirit abstractions led to a higher unity Immanuel Wolf dual values of Wissenschaft: scholarship above partisanship and passions "characteristic attitude of our time" believed Wissenschaft traces the spiritual force of G-d throughout material history through dialectics Judaism still relative to German society because the essence of G-d would've fallenl to external pressure that keep it from the inner essence that Judaism maintains scholarship was integral to assimilation of Jews into German society Jewish seminaries Jewish scholars not accepted by German universities Great minds i.e. Zunz wouldn't be a part of seminaries "new ghetto for Jewish scholarship" goal: train rabbs to cater to diminishing religious demands of German Jews and facilitate accommodation of Judaism to modern German culture reason why so valued and necessary-- intellectual validation is respected and recognized universally
What was a problem of Emancipation?
Many Europeans were still anti-jewish and they didn't want to engrain Jewish people into their European culture
Who was the Pioneer of the Jewish Enlightenment?
Mendelssohn
How is Shavuot celebrated?
No work stay up all night studying the Torah Pray early in the morning
What are some of the prohibited activities, and what is the idea of the Sabbath?
No work (building, cooking, planting, burning, finishing)
Who was the founder of Mosaism?
Peter Beer
Hava Tirosh-Rothschild "Jewish Philosophy in Conversation with Feminism"
Philosophy is a need-based experience-- not just pure needs to be done inside bodies and brains-- sometimes inside women's brains and that needs to be talked about the way philosophy is done needs to become less masculine Phallogocentrism= phallocentrism + logocentrism logocentrism-- comes out of christian theology talks about the logos as being the divine word/truth Book of John talks about Christ being the "logos" can come down into the world and be symbolized whatever symbol it takes, it can directly correspond to an essence things have a definite meaning Jewish feminist try to overturn this-- things can be interpreted in many different ways therefore, there isn't a direct line to any specific meaning form an essence you're not trapped within any kind of interpretive framework Phallocentrism masculine and feminine are also defined by presence and lack if phallus is present, it makes one male if it's absent, its female People's experiences are shaped by their social conditions-- Marxist idea
In the Emancipation time, what was the term the Europeans used to granting the civil rights of Jews?
Protracted process
How is the rabbi different in this denomination?
Rabbi has more of a pastoral role, less juridical authority
Why study jewish history?
Radical german jews thought that it could be a tool in dismantling the tradition
What sect of Judaism was created to facilitate participation post-emancipation society?
Reform Judaism
Beit Ya'akov
Schools dedicated for girls starting in 1917
Kolels
Schools of Talmudic study for advanced married students this allows men not to have to go to the military
What is the passover meal called? It's also the ________ of _________.
Sedar Feast of Unleavened Bread
He said Judaism is a ___ of ____, not a _____ _______.
Set of Actions, not a belief system
What festival is Sukkot?
Seven day pilgrimage festival
Who does Orthodoxy not encompass?
Societies where the Reform movement never happened like in North Africa
What is Emancipation?
Socio-political development that created modern Jewish conditions
What is the Sukkah?
Structure where one lives during Sukkot to commemorate wanderings of Israelites in Egypt
Maskilim
Study of jewish history for moralistic and didactic reasons 18-19th century adopt secular european culture to reform and modernize judaism inspired by enlightenment assimilated to european culture INFLUENCED REFORM AND ZIONISM MOVEMENT
When is the Sabbath celebrated?
Sundown Friday to sundown Saturday
What is Wissenschaft?
The "science" of systematic research
What is Ha-Me'asef?
The Collector--> Its an important Journal of The Jewish Enlightenment published by the society of Promoters and the Hebrew Language
Acculturation
The acquisition of the cultural and social habitats of the dominant non jewish group always adapting to their changing environment that are signature of the jewish people to make it look like they care where as jewish people will stick with their beliefs in a tough time
What does Pesach celebrate?
The exodus from Egypt when Israel was liberated from slavery
What does Reform Judaism advocate?
The introduction of changes into traditional Judaism to accommodate modern values and ideas
Who was Schechter?
The leader of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (distinguished center of Jewish Scholarship). Read Segal pages 106-107; 124 for more
What did Zunz write about?
The rapid cultural changes German Jewry was experiencing in the 19th century
What is Historiography?
The study of historical writing
What was the main reason for Haskalah?
To integrate Jews into European society
Why is Shavuot celebrated between Pasach and Sukkot?
To remind followers of the connection between holidays.Passover freed Jews from physical bondage and Shavuot freed their bonds to sin by deliverance of Torah.
Sephardic School?
Took practical approach studying the whole bible not just the torah, and only the most gifted will make ti o the yeshiva
What kind of Jew is Mendelssohn?
Traditional
What does Orthodox Judaism advocate?
Traditional Judaism after the 18th century and the resistance of modernization
Does Reform Judaism cary throughout the world? Why?
Varies throughout the world because of different manifestations, common grounds though
What is Yiddish? Who spoke it? Why?
Vernacular language of the Ashkenazic Jews and its german dialect in hebrew letters Women tended to speak it because they were not allowed to speak in the holy language
How does Hegel view the spirt?
Views it as ways ideas evolve in an argument: every contradiction leads to a higher synthesis (Thesis then Antithesis then Synthesis) He thinks we can figure out history through pure lo
Shavuot is the feast of ______? Why? _______ Thanksgiving?
Weeks 50 days after passover Agricultural Thanksgiving
Art Spiegelman "Maus"
What does it mean to be a mouse (Jew), what does it mean to be human? Relationship between mice, pigs, and cats son struggles to connect with dad because he can't comprehend the reasons for his immigrant mentality Holocaust survivor
Who are the two men involved in the Conservatism movement?
Zechariah Frankel and Soloman Schechter
Who were the people involved in Wissenbchaft?
Zunz Hegel
Who was involved in the Reform movement?
Zunz, Beer, Geiger (leader)
Abraham Geiger
a jewish reformer that changed some of the practices of the series to be more contemporary and tried to prove that texts had been edited though time
David Engel "The Holocaust"
about 5.8/6 million Jews died at the hands of German or German-allied forces between 1941-1945 the term "holocaust" extended past the persecution of the Jews and into the total 11-12 million victims including Poles, Slavs, and gypsies
How did Hegel views our minds ability?
all our minds have access to is the ideas of the world (images, perceptions, concepts), the only reality we know is a virtual reality
Immanuel Wolf
author os wissenshaft essay that said scientifically studying judaism in oder to validate them in a larger society. trace the spirit throughout history
When was there a shift towards Wissenschaftian Historicism?
by the 1820s
Integration
entry of jews into a non jewish social circle
How does Wisseschaft examine the Jewish Religion?
examines the Jewish religion through scholarly perspectives of literature, history and religion
Ben Yehuda
leader in the zionist movement pushed for a land for jews after seeing the bulgarians able to establish their own soil Coined new words in hebrew that were russian so the future children would be less connected to that culture homescholing so the jewish beliefs were proper reviving hebrew language and first modern jewish speaking chiildern British mandate made hebrew the official language of jews in palestine
Judith Plaskow "Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective"
main figure in feminist Jewish theology focuses on a Jewish theology conscious of its own structure and categories and in dialogue with feminist theologies of other religions theology is primary over halakhah Halakhah results from the theological presumptions of women's fundamental otherness rather than trying to mend a fixed halakhah, Plaskow argues women should remake theological discourse argues for dynamic non-essentialist theology
Graetz
very traditional historian, and he believed in culture of the collective saying that the culture of the jewish people is what unites them throughout history and looked up to frankel the father of breslau school where the historical approach was so emphasized
Michael Meyer "The Emergence of Jewish Historiography"
modernization of European Jewry was a process that began with individuals, then moved to communities, and then between social classes Jews began to attribute significance to history looking to classical jewish literature for knowledge and understanding of the past value of biblical period was limited by the setting more traditional focus with sephardic communities than with ashkenazi communities invention of the past in a form of thought Mascolim-- proponents of Jewish enlightenment One pure sect of Judaism-- uureligion (original religion) prior to rabbis and Pharisees Judaism important to christianity concept of Mosaism-- wanted to strip religion of rabbinic overlay rabbinic is too based on tradition, too rational causes for Jewish state to fall: ignorance and opposition to any reasonable constitution
Zionism-
movement started by Theodore Herzl to return to the Jewish homeland, led to creation of State of Israel in 194
Jack Fellman "Concerning the 'Revival' of the Hebrew Language"
revival of Hebrew-- successful intro into common, spoken, general everyday use in Palestine of the 1880s of a hitherto written language, conceived thereby as a national and cultural symbol of the Jewish people diglossia-- situation in which 2 languages are used under different conditions within a community, often by the same speakers usually applied to language with distinct "high" and "low" varieties i.e. Arabic pogroms-- organized massacre of particular ethnic group usually refers to Jews in Russia
Fackenheim
said there is a 614th commandment which is to not give hitler a victory, must continue to survive as people, remember the martyrs jews are witnesses and need to bare rememberance
What issues did Conservatism people have with Orthodoxy? Why?
that the Torah was divinely revealed from heaven when many other sources seemed to prove otherwise but were unwilling to lose parts of the Jewish faith that seemed critical to them when the reformers were so willing to abandon these parts of the faith conservative judaism allows the questioning of the origins of the faith so long as the current faith is pursuing the will of Go
Emancipation
the acquisition of rights and privileges enjoyed by non jewish citizens and subjects of similar socioeconomic rank, but did not receive entry into german universities
Judith Plaskow-
the first Jewish feminist to identify herself as a theologian. Wrote "Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a feminist perspective". All about theology she believed in the nature of god and religious belief. She says we focus on male pronouns when it comes to god and not the feminine aspects. She thinks that if we put more attention to the feminine aspects it will help.. She also says that women have never participated in the written tradition so therefore there is no feminine aspects. Theology rather than halakhah is better because halakah is patriarchal.
Secularization
the rejection for religious beliefs and the obligations and practices that flow from these beliefs
Theodicy-
the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil used to answer the problem of evil the attempt to explain why a good God created a less than perfect world see Segal 231
Spioza
theological political treatise he was the 1st person to challenge the traditional believe that the torah was directly received by moses he argued the torah was humanly composed to claim authority in order to serve the political needs of imposing obedience on ancient amersterdam and was excommunicated