Jillian Rubin
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
September 28, 2008
What are the anonymous author’s arguments against Mendelssohn?
The anonymous author has a few arguments against Menelssohn. The author begins by saying that Mendelssohn has taken away the synagogue of its original power because he has denied it the right of expelling the congregation of the holy from the Faith of the Forefather. The author believes that religion without certainty cannot be possible. Later in the article, the author says “Then good Mr. Mendelssohn, how can you profess attachment to the religion of your forefathers, while you are shaking its fabric, by impugning the ecclesiastical code established by Moses in consequence by divine revelation”?(93). The author believes that Mendelssohn is attaching himself to this religion however he is trying to also change it by “shaking its fabric”. The author also believes that in Judaism, there is a infringe that keeps the nation removed from sharing both public and private aspects of social life. I think that the author is also saying that Mendelssohn is too strict about the Sabbath.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Jillian Rubin
September 23, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
September 23, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
Sachar
1. The economic changes in the lives of Western European Jews that occur in the early modern period (17th-18th centuries) was that during this period there were major economic changes. The change started when the Continent’s feudal-agricultural economy was busy with a new supply of gold and silver from mines coming from Mexico and Peru. Bullion was made into currency, it was during this time that Europeans became even more dependent on it and began to have a higher standard of living. Money was allowing for luxury in clothing and food for people who lived in the city. Money had a different meaning for peasants who were in the field; money for them gave them the opportunity to own a plot of soil.
These economic changes altered the lives of western European Jews because they were amongst the earliest recipients of this economic practicality. Europeans were beginning to appreciate Jews potential for commercial growth. Jews began to have occupations other than peddler and money lending. The “court Jew” was that during the Absolutist Age there were many different wars and the dynasts were always in need of munitions. The contractors were mostly Jews. Businessmen who were Jewish had developed experience in mobilizing agents. They wanted Jews to have more rights.
Katz
1. These changes are that Jews began to be part of society partially because of the court Jews. The political, social, intellectual, and economic changes affected the court Jews. Emancipation changes were that there was a change in the bound of church and state. Also, there were more Jews who were going away from tradition and appreciating their environment. The emancipation of the Jews was not just based on political attributions. This prepares the way for the entrance of Western European Jews into general society because Jews were beginning to become more of a part of society. The overall structure of society remained more or less the same, with Jews and Gentiles co existing together.
Mendes-Flohr
John Toland argues for the naturalization of the Jews in Great Britain and Ireland by saying that Jews will increase the amount of people that these countries have working for their defense; also Jews will be “brains for invention and contrivance” (13). He continues to say that the numbers of people account for the true power of a country, therefore the more Jews that Great Britain and Ireland have in their countries the more powerful they will be. Toland continues to say that Jews are an obedient and useful group of individuals, he believes that they possess these characteristics more than other groups.
1. The economic changes in the lives of Western European Jews that occur in the early modern period (17th-18th centuries) was that during this period there were major economic changes. The change started when the Continent’s feudal-agricultural economy was busy with a new supply of gold and silver from mines coming from Mexico and Peru. Bullion was made into currency, it was during this time that Europeans became even more dependent on it and began to have a higher standard of living. Money was allowing for luxury in clothing and food for people who lived in the city. Money had a different meaning for peasants who were in the field; money for them gave them the opportunity to own a plot of soil.
These economic changes altered the lives of western European Jews because they were amongst the earliest recipients of this economic practicality. Europeans were beginning to appreciate Jews potential for commercial growth. Jews began to have occupations other than peddler and money lending. The “court Jew” was that during the Absolutist Age there were many different wars and the dynasts were always in need of munitions. The contractors were mostly Jews. Businessmen who were Jewish had developed experience in mobilizing agents. They wanted Jews to have more rights.
Katz
1. These changes are that Jews began to be part of society partially because of the court Jews. The political, social, intellectual, and economic changes affected the court Jews. Emancipation changes were that there was a change in the bound of church and state. Also, there were more Jews who were going away from tradition and appreciating their environment. The emancipation of the Jews was not just based on political attributions. This prepares the way for the entrance of Western European Jews into general society because Jews were beginning to become more of a part of society. The overall structure of society remained more or less the same, with Jews and Gentiles co existing together.
Mendes-Flohr
John Toland argues for the naturalization of the Jews in Great Britain and Ireland by saying that Jews will increase the amount of people that these countries have working for their defense; also Jews will be “brains for invention and contrivance” (13). He continues to say that the numbers of people account for the true power of a country, therefore the more Jews that Great Britain and Ireland have in their countries the more powerful they will be. Toland continues to say that Jews are an obedient and useful group of individuals, he believes that they possess these characteristics more than other groups.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Jillian Rubin
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lessees
September 14, 2008
The political and religious points of view vary from Howard Sachar’s The Jew as Non-Europeans and Jacob Katz’s “Traditional Jewish society and modern society”. Both people have different ideas regarding Jewish life in Europe and the way in which it should be interpreted. After reading these two articles it was very clear that these two individuals do not agree on the way Jewish life was in Europe.
Howard Sachar spends a great deal on the way Jews were treated in Europe during this time period. He describes the poor conditions in which the Jews had to live. Jews lived in ghettos such as Frankfurt-am-Main and other comparable ghettos in other tows that were found throughout Western Central Europe. In his opinion, ghettos were a main part of Jewish life even into modern times. The Jews who lived in Western Central Europe for the most part were descendents from ancestors who had already lived in Europe. Religiously, the Jews who lived in Europe were seen as being below the Christians who lived there during this time. During the 14th century the bubonic plague occurred. More Jews than gentiles survived the plague, which consequently caused turmoil within the Christian community in Europe during the time. Sachar believes that there were graphic expressions of Jew hatred that dated back to around the 14th century. Politically, the Jews had problems in Europe as well. Local and state governments would limit Jews to vocations that were normally given to gentiles.
Katz has a different idea on Jewish life during this time. He describes in a good amount of detail the difference between traditional and nontraditional society. He says that a traditional society justifies its way of life by the value of tradition, and modern society the past changes from sphere to sphere. From a theoretical perspective, there is no real distinction between spheres of activity. Katz believes that every traditional Jewish community will accept the rabbinic Jewish tradition. In a traditional society, education is an important part of children’s lives because it gives them knowledge of their religion. Education in traditional societies main goal is to convey traditional values from generation to generation.
Both individuals have different ideas about Jewish life in Europe. Sachar believes that Jews had a very terrible life because they had to live in ghettos; therefore they were not given very much freedom. However, Katz spends a great amount of time describing the differences between traditional and modern societies and the Jews role in each of these societies.
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lessees
September 14, 2008
The political and religious points of view vary from Howard Sachar’s The Jew as Non-Europeans and Jacob Katz’s “Traditional Jewish society and modern society”. Both people have different ideas regarding Jewish life in Europe and the way in which it should be interpreted. After reading these two articles it was very clear that these two individuals do not agree on the way Jewish life was in Europe.
Howard Sachar spends a great deal on the way Jews were treated in Europe during this time period. He describes the poor conditions in which the Jews had to live. Jews lived in ghettos such as Frankfurt-am-Main and other comparable ghettos in other tows that were found throughout Western Central Europe. In his opinion, ghettos were a main part of Jewish life even into modern times. The Jews who lived in Western Central Europe for the most part were descendents from ancestors who had already lived in Europe. Religiously, the Jews who lived in Europe were seen as being below the Christians who lived there during this time. During the 14th century the bubonic plague occurred. More Jews than gentiles survived the plague, which consequently caused turmoil within the Christian community in Europe during the time. Sachar believes that there were graphic expressions of Jew hatred that dated back to around the 14th century. Politically, the Jews had problems in Europe as well. Local and state governments would limit Jews to vocations that were normally given to gentiles.
Katz has a different idea on Jewish life during this time. He describes in a good amount of detail the difference between traditional and nontraditional society. He says that a traditional society justifies its way of life by the value of tradition, and modern society the past changes from sphere to sphere. From a theoretical perspective, there is no real distinction between spheres of activity. Katz believes that every traditional Jewish community will accept the rabbinic Jewish tradition. In a traditional society, education is an important part of children’s lives because it gives them knowledge of their religion. Education in traditional societies main goal is to convey traditional values from generation to generation.
Both individuals have different ideas about Jewish life in Europe. Sachar believes that Jews had a very terrible life because they had to live in ghettos; therefore they were not given very much freedom. However, Katz spends a great amount of time describing the differences between traditional and modern societies and the Jews role in each of these societies.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
"Safed kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage"
Jillian Rubin
Jews in the modern world
Professor Lesses
September 11, 2008
“Safed kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage”, Salonica: City of Ghosts
1. The relationship between the rise of Safed Kabbalah and the messianic movement of Shabbetai Zevi a hundred years later is that people were still considering him a messiah even a hundred years after he died.
2. The life story of Shabbetai Zevi was that he was born into a wealthy merchant family. He was given a traditional rabbi education. When he was a young adult he was afflicted with manic-depression. When he was in a manic phase he would violate Jewish religious law. He was seen as mentally unbalanced. He was no longer allowed to be in Smyrna, and spent the following ten years of his life in the Ottoman Empire. A holy man in Gaza was supposed to cure Zevi. Eventually, Zevi was arrested and in February 1666 he was imprisoned.
3. In Salonica he was very well-known. He spent a great deal of time studying in Salonica. He also prayed in the synagogue of the marranos. However, by 1659 he pronounced the divine name and was made to leave Salonica.
4. He was arrested by the ottoman sultan because when he returned to Smyrna in 1665 he was violating parts of Jewish law. During Passover he was convincing many people to do things that were against Jewish law. It was at this time that about 150 people were in a trance because of him, and had thoughts that Zevi was the Messiah. It was because of this that he was arrested. However, just because he was arrested it did not stop his followers.
5. After he converted to Islam, there was a disturbance for his followers. Some people no longer followed his movement; however there were still people who remained part of it after he converted. Although he had become a Muslim, he still practiced Judaism privately and would celebrate Jewish holidays with his followers when they would visit him
6. The Donmeh were radicals who followed Sabbatai Zevi after he converted to Islam. These people secretly still believed in Zevi’s messiahship. This group of individuals practiced Judaism on the basis of teachings of Sabbatean. Originally, this group had about 200 families in it. A few hundred more families were added to the Donmeh in the 1680s after there was another conversion.
7. Jacob Frank was Zevi’s brother-in-law. He received Zevi’s spirit, after that more people began to convert.
Jews in the modern world
Professor Lesses
September 11, 2008
“Safed kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage”, Salonica: City of Ghosts
1. The relationship between the rise of Safed Kabbalah and the messianic movement of Shabbetai Zevi a hundred years later is that people were still considering him a messiah even a hundred years after he died.
2. The life story of Shabbetai Zevi was that he was born into a wealthy merchant family. He was given a traditional rabbi education. When he was a young adult he was afflicted with manic-depression. When he was in a manic phase he would violate Jewish religious law. He was seen as mentally unbalanced. He was no longer allowed to be in Smyrna, and spent the following ten years of his life in the Ottoman Empire. A holy man in Gaza was supposed to cure Zevi. Eventually, Zevi was arrested and in February 1666 he was imprisoned.
3. In Salonica he was very well-known. He spent a great deal of time studying in Salonica. He also prayed in the synagogue of the marranos. However, by 1659 he pronounced the divine name and was made to leave Salonica.
4. He was arrested by the ottoman sultan because when he returned to Smyrna in 1665 he was violating parts of Jewish law. During Passover he was convincing many people to do things that were against Jewish law. It was at this time that about 150 people were in a trance because of him, and had thoughts that Zevi was the Messiah. It was because of this that he was arrested. However, just because he was arrested it did not stop his followers.
5. After he converted to Islam, there was a disturbance for his followers. Some people no longer followed his movement; however there were still people who remained part of it after he converted. Although he had become a Muslim, he still practiced Judaism privately and would celebrate Jewish holidays with his followers when they would visit him
6. The Donmeh were radicals who followed Sabbatai Zevi after he converted to Islam. These people secretly still believed in Zevi’s messiahship. This group of individuals practiced Judaism on the basis of teachings of Sabbatean. Originally, this group had about 200 families in it. A few hundred more families were added to the Donmeh in the 1680s after there was another conversion.
7. Jacob Frank was Zevi’s brother-in-law. He received Zevi’s spirit, after that more people began to convert.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
"Sefed Kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage"
Jillian Rubin
September 9, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
Safed Kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage
1. The rise of a new kind of Kabbalah in Safed in historical terms can be explained by when the Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492, the kabbalists of Spain went to the Ottoman Empire. They were able to create a revolution in Jewish life. As a response to the expulsion of Spain, there was an increased amount of spiritualization of religious modernism. This new spiritual revolution transformed the way Judaism was practiced throughout the world. As early as the 1530s Safed was the most important center of spirituality. Safed was important for Kabbalah because it had an economic base in the wool trade.
2. The most important aspects of Safed kabbalah included not getting angry, being conscientious in prayers and study, living a frugal life, not overindulging in material goods. Other aspects that were important were weeping during their prayers, and confessing sins to equals. This type of kabbalah had communication with spirits and mystical figures as well.
3. Safed Kabbalah views the redemption of the Jewish people as something that had to be done. They felt like it was their right to help the Jewish people.
4. New rituals that Safed Kabbalah created included ideas and concepts that was abstract before. The two kinds of tikkunim were new rituals. One of them made up the night vigils on holidays such as Passover and Hoshanah Rabah. The other one is a night vigil having to do with the exile and redemption of the Shekhinah.
September 9, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
Safed Kabbalah and the Sephardic Heritage
1. The rise of a new kind of Kabbalah in Safed in historical terms can be explained by when the Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492, the kabbalists of Spain went to the Ottoman Empire. They were able to create a revolution in Jewish life. As a response to the expulsion of Spain, there was an increased amount of spiritualization of religious modernism. This new spiritual revolution transformed the way Judaism was practiced throughout the world. As early as the 1530s Safed was the most important center of spirituality. Safed was important for Kabbalah because it had an economic base in the wool trade.
2. The most important aspects of Safed kabbalah included not getting angry, being conscientious in prayers and study, living a frugal life, not overindulging in material goods. Other aspects that were important were weeping during their prayers, and confessing sins to equals. This type of kabbalah had communication with spirits and mystical figures as well.
3. Safed Kabbalah views the redemption of the Jewish people as something that had to be done. They felt like it was their right to help the Jewish people.
4. New rituals that Safed Kabbalah created included ideas and concepts that was abstract before. The two kinds of tikkunim were new rituals. One of them made up the night vigils on holidays such as Passover and Hoshanah Rabah. The other one is a night vigil having to do with the exile and redemption of the Shekhinah.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Origins of Spehardic Jewry in the Medieval Arab World
Jillian Rubin
September 2, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
The Origins of Sephardic Jewry in the Medieval Arab World
1. Jewish life under Muslim rule is generally easier than under Christian rule because the way in which Muslims treated Jews was much more favorable than the Christian rule. Jewish people of Islam were integrated very nicely into the economic life of Islamic society. This allowed the Jews under Muslim rule to feel more integrated and more like part of their society. There was an overall lack of any form of economic discrimination against Jews. Another reason why life under Muslim rule was easier is because under Muslim rule Jews were placed in the social hierarchy. They were never excluded in the Muslim world during this time period. Overall, the Jews who were living under Muslim rule went through no period of persecution. As opposed to life under Christian rule which was full of anti-Semitism particularly from the nobility. Many Jews during this time left Christian rule. There were also some who converted to Christianity. Jewish life was easier under Muslim rule because the Jews had a greater feeling of secutiry.
2. The legal status of Jews living under Muslim rule was that they felt safe and trusted the process of Islamic Law. It was legal for Jews to study in a situation with Muslims. Jews under Muslim rule were allowed to have positions such as clerks, and physicians.
3. The differences in the economic roles of Jews in Muslim and Christian lands in the Middle Ages was that in the Muslim world there was a lack of economic discrimination against Jews. Another economic role of Jews in the Muslim world was that they borrowed money from Muslim moneylenders. Economically in the Christian lands in the middle Ages, the Jews gained economic advantages.
4. The downfall of Jews in Christian Spain happened during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries during the Reconquista. During this time the Christians attitudes toward Jews changed in Spain. Anti-Semitism began in Spain, mostly in the beginning from the nobles. Anti-Jewish pogroms occurred in cities around Spain. Many Jews during this time left Spain and fled to North Africa, many others fled to go to North Africa. The Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492.
5. After the expulsion the Spanish Jews went to Muslim Spain and Muslim Egypt. In addition, many went to North Africa. After 1492 Jews did not have many options for migrating. They were expelled from England in 1290 and also expelled from France and from many cities in Germany.
September 2, 2008
Jews in the Modern World
Professor Lesses
The Origins of Sephardic Jewry in the Medieval Arab World
1. Jewish life under Muslim rule is generally easier than under Christian rule because the way in which Muslims treated Jews was much more favorable than the Christian rule. Jewish people of Islam were integrated very nicely into the economic life of Islamic society. This allowed the Jews under Muslim rule to feel more integrated and more like part of their society. There was an overall lack of any form of economic discrimination against Jews. Another reason why life under Muslim rule was easier is because under Muslim rule Jews were placed in the social hierarchy. They were never excluded in the Muslim world during this time period. Overall, the Jews who were living under Muslim rule went through no period of persecution. As opposed to life under Christian rule which was full of anti-Semitism particularly from the nobility. Many Jews during this time left Christian rule. There were also some who converted to Christianity. Jewish life was easier under Muslim rule because the Jews had a greater feeling of secutiry.
2. The legal status of Jews living under Muslim rule was that they felt safe and trusted the process of Islamic Law. It was legal for Jews to study in a situation with Muslims. Jews under Muslim rule were allowed to have positions such as clerks, and physicians.
3. The differences in the economic roles of Jews in Muslim and Christian lands in the Middle Ages was that in the Muslim world there was a lack of economic discrimination against Jews. Another economic role of Jews in the Muslim world was that they borrowed money from Muslim moneylenders. Economically in the Christian lands in the middle Ages, the Jews gained economic advantages.
4. The downfall of Jews in Christian Spain happened during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries during the Reconquista. During this time the Christians attitudes toward Jews changed in Spain. Anti-Semitism began in Spain, mostly in the beginning from the nobles. Anti-Jewish pogroms occurred in cities around Spain. Many Jews during this time left Spain and fled to North Africa, many others fled to go to North Africa. The Jews were exiled from Spain in 1492.
5. After the expulsion the Spanish Jews went to Muslim Spain and Muslim Egypt. In addition, many went to North Africa. After 1492 Jews did not have many options for migrating. They were expelled from England in 1290 and also expelled from France and from many cities in Germany.
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