Author: D. Katz Publisher: Springer ISBN: 1137475757 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 317
Book Description
Yiddish and Power surveys the social, linguistic and intellectual history of the Yiddish language within the traditional civilisation of Jewish Ashkenaz in central, and then in eastern Europe, and its interaction with the surrounding non-Jewish culture. It explores the various ways in which Yiddish has empowered masses and served political agendas.
Author: Ruth R. Wisse Publisher: Schocken ISBN: 0307533131 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 258
Book Description
Part of the Jewish Encounter series Taking in everything from the Kingdom of David to the Oslo Accords, Ruth Wisse offers a radical new way to think about the Jewish relationship to power. Traditional Jews believed that upholding the covenant with God constituted a treaty with the most powerful force in the universe; this later transformed itself into a belief that, unburdened by a military, Jews could pursue their religious mission on a purely moral plain. Wisse, an eminent professor of comparative literature at Harvard, demonstrates how Jewish political weakness both increased Jewish vulnerability to scapegoating and violence, and unwittingly goaded power-seeking nations to cast Jews as perpetual targets. Although she sees hope in the State of Israel, Wisse questions the way the strategies of the Diaspora continue to drive the Jewish state, echoing Abba Eban's observation that Israel was the only nation to win a war and then sue for peace. And then she draws a persuasive parallel to the United States today, as it struggles to figure out how a liberal democracy can face off against enemies who view Western morality as weakness. This deeply provocative book is sure to stir debate both inside and outside the Jewish world. Wisse's narrative offers a compelling argument that is rich with history and bristling with contemporary urgency.
Author: Ruth R. Wisse Publisher: Schocken ISBN: 0805211748 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 258
Book Description
Part of the Jewish Encounter series Taking in everything from the Kingdom of David to the Oslo Accords, Ruth Wisse offers a radical new way to think about the Jewish relationship to power. Traditional Jews believed that upholding the covenant with God constituted a treaty with the most powerful force in the universe; this later transformed itself into a belief that, unburdened by a military, Jews could pursue their religious mission on a purely moral plain. Wisse, an eminent professor of comparative literature at Harvard, demonstrates how Jewish political weakness both increased Jewish vulnerability to scapegoating and violence, and unwittingly goaded power-seeking nations to cast Jews as perpetual targets. Although she sees hope in the State of Israel, Wisse questions the way the strategies of the Diaspora continue to drive the Jewish state, echoing Abba Eban's observation that Israel was the only nation to win a war and then sue for peace. And then she draws a persuasive parallel to the United States today, as it struggles to figure out how a liberal democracy can face off against enemies who view Western morality as weakness. This deeply provocative book is sure to stir debate both inside and outside the Jewish world. Wisse's narrative offers a compelling argument that is rich with history and bristling with contemporary urgency.
Author: David B. Ruderman Publisher: University of Washington Press ISBN: 0295805595 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 193
Book Description
The history of a single book sheds light on the beginnings of modern Jewish thought In 1797, in what is now the Czech Republic, Pinḥas Hurwitz published Book of the Covenant. Nominally an extended commentary on a sixteenth-century kabbalist text, Pinḥas’s publication was in fact a compendium of scientific knowledge and a manual of moral behavior. Its popularity stemmed from its ability to present the scientific advances and moral cosmopolitanism of its day in the context of Jewish legal and mystical tradition. Describing the latest developments in science and philosophy in the sacred language of Hebrew, Hurwitz argued that an intellectual understanding of the cosmos was not at odds with but actually key to achieving spiritual attainment. In A Best-Selling Hebrew Book of the Modern Era, David Ruderman offers a literary and intellectual history of Hurwitz’s book and its legacy. Hurwitz not only wrote the book, but also was instrumental in selling it, and his success ultimately led to the publication of more than forty editions in Hebrew, Ladino, and Yiddish. Ruderman provides a multidimensional picture of the book and the intellectual tradition it helped to inaugurate. Complicating accounts that consider modern Jewish thought to be the product of a radical break from a religious, mystical past, Ruderman shows how, instead, a complex continuity shaped Jewish society’s confrontation with modernity.
Author: Amelia Glaser Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press ISBN: 0299208036 Category : Literary Criticism Languages : en Pages : 431
Book Description
This anthology presents a rich but little-known body of American Yiddish poetry from the 1920s to the early 1950s by thirty-nine poets who wrote from the perspective of the proletarian left. Presented on facing pages in Yiddish and English translation, these one hundred poems are organized thematically under such headings as Songs of the Shop, United in Struggle, Matters of the Heart, The Poet on Poetry, and Wars to End All Wars. One section is devoted to verse depicting the struggles of African Americans, including several poems prompted by the infamous Scottsboro trial of nine African American men falsely accused of rape. Home to many of the writers, New York City is the subject of a varied array of poems. The volume includes an extensive introduction by Dovid Katz, a biographical note about each poet, a bibliography, and a timeline of political, social, and literary events that provide context for the poetry. Winner of the Fenia and Yaakov Leviant Memorial Prize in Yiddish Studies for Outstanding Translation A Choice Outstanding Academic Title
Author: Lily Kahn Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317304667 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 307
Book Description
Specially written by an experienced teacher, Colloquial Yiddish offers a step-by-step approach to Yiddish as it is spoken and written today. Colloquial Yiddish provides the first widely available, easily accessible, comprehensive Yiddish course designed primarily for the twenty-first-century international English-speaking independent learner and suitable for use in Yiddish classes worldwide. Each unit presents numerous grammatical points that are reinforced with a wide range of exercises for regular practice. A full answer key can be found at the back as well as useful vocabulary summaries throughout. Key features include: graded development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills realistic and entertaining dialogues jargon-free and clearly structured grammatical explanations a range of dynamic and appropriate supporting exercises supplementary texts presenting many of the most significant and relevant aspects of Yiddish culture. By the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in Yiddish in a broad range of situations. Course components: The complete course comprises the book and audio materials. These are available to purchase separately in paperback, ebook, CD and MP3 format. The paperback and CDs can also be purchased together in the great-value Colloquials pack. Paperback: 978-0-415-58019-9 (please note this does not include the audio) CDs: 978-0-415-58020-5 eBook: 978-0-203-85120-3 (please note this does not include the audio, available to purchase from http://ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/audio_viewbooks.aspx) MP3s: 978-0-415-58021-2 (available to purchase from http://ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/audio_viewbooks.aspx) Pack: 978-0-415-58022-9 (paperback and CDs)
Author: Gary Barwin Publisher: ISBN: 0345815513 Category : Adventure stories Languages : en Pages : 354
Book Description
In the years around 1492, Moishe, a Bar Mitzvah boy, leaves home to join a ship's crew, where he meets Aaron, the polyglot parrot who becomes his near-constant companion. But Inquisition Spain is a dangerous time to be Jewish and Moishe joins a band of hidden Jews trying to preserve some forbidden books. He falls in love with a young woman, Sarah; though they are separated by circumstance, Moishe's wanderings are motivated as much by their connection as by his quest for loot and freedom. When all Jews are expelled from Spain, Moishe travels to the Caribbean with the ambitious Christopher Columbus, a self-made man who loves his creator. Moishe eventually becomes a pirate and seeks revenge on the Spanish while seeking the ultimate booty: the Fountain of Youth. Bestseller. Winner of the 2017 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. 2016.
Author: D. Katz
Author: Ruth R. Wisse
Author: Ruth R. Wisse
Author: Shalom Aleichem
Author: David B. Ruderman
Author: Amelia Glaser
Author: Lily Kahn
Author: David Landau
Author: Gary Barwin
Author: Payson R. Stevens