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The Emancipation of European Jewry during the nineteenth century led to conflict between tradition and modernity, creating a chasm that few believed could be bridged. Unsurprisingly, the emergence of modern traditionalism was fraught with obstacles. The essays published in this collection eloquently depict the passion underlying the disparate views, the particular areas of vexing confrontation and the hurdles faced by champions of tradition.
The author identifies and analyzes the many areas of sociological and religious tension that divided the competing factions, including synagogue innovation, circumcision, intermarriage, military service and many others. With compelling writing and clear, articulate style, this illuminating work provides keen insight into the history and development of the various streams of Judaism and the issues that continue to divide them in contemporary times.
“In this book, Judith Bleich, a professor of Jewish history at Touro University, delineates the history of the relationship between the Orthodox and Reform communities in Germany, France, the US, and elsewhere in the 19th and 20th (and 21st) centuries. … The foundations of the relationship set during this period of contention between the two groups continue to influence and shape the current situation between them. Bleich expertly demonstrates this by using many references and footnotes to connect current developments to the historical record she analyzes. … This book is recommended for academic libraries that want to deepen their collection of materials dealing with the development of Reform and Orthodox Judaism, spirituality and religious history, religious studies, Zionism, and other topics of interest covered in the volume.”
—Eli Lieberman, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, AJL Reviews
Judith Bleich, Ph.D., has been Professor of Judaic Studies at the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies since its inception and has taught at the Lander College for Women for over four decades. In 2004, she received the Founding Faculty Award of the Lander College for Women. She specializes in the nineteenth-century development of Reform and Orthodoxy in the wake of the Enlightenment and has written and lectured extensively on modern Jewish history. She serves on the editorial committee of Tradition, is a contributing editor of Jewish Action and a member of the Orthodox Forum Steering Committee.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction. Nineteenth to Twenty-First Centuries: From Pessimism to Optimism
1. Rabbinic Responses to Nonobservance in the Modern Era
2. The Emergence of an Orthodox Press in Nineteenth-Century Germany
3. The Circumcision Controversy in Classical Reform in Historical Context
4. Clerical Robes: Distinction or Dishonor?
5. Intermarriage in the Early Modern Period
6. Military Service: Ambivalence and Contradiction
7. The Testament of a Halakhist
8. Between East and West: Modernity and Traditionalism in the Writings of Rabbi Yehi’el Ya‘akov Weinberg
9. Liturgical Innovation and Spirituality: Trends and Trendiness
Index