Leonard B. Glick
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195176742
- eISBN:
- 9780199835621
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019517674X.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Most contemporary literature on circumcision by Orthodox and Reform Jews resorts either to talmudic-style interpretations, mystical explanations, or vaguely “spiritual” justifications for the ...
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Most contemporary literature on circumcision by Orthodox and Reform Jews resorts either to talmudic-style interpretations, mystical explanations, or vaguely “spiritual” justifications for the practice. Humanistic Jews are either conflicted or clearly unable to accept ritual circumcision as legitimate religious expression. Popular books on Jewish parenting by Anita Diamant and two prominent rabbis gamely try to justify “Bris”, circumcision by mohels; but the authors, obviously uncomfortable, twist about and offer unconvincing rationales.Less
Most contemporary literature on circumcision by Orthodox and Reform Jews resorts either to talmudic-style interpretations, mystical explanations, or vaguely “spiritual” justifications for the practice. Humanistic Jews are either conflicted or clearly unable to accept ritual circumcision as legitimate religious expression. Popular books on Jewish parenting by Anita Diamant and two prominent rabbis gamely try to justify “Bris”, circumcision by mohels; but the authors, obviously uncomfortable, twist about and offer unconvincing rationales.
Leonard B. Glick
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195176742
- eISBN:
- 9780199835621
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019517674X.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Nineteenth-century German Jews — their way of life transformed by modernity — debated whether circumcision was an appropriate practice for adherents of the new Jewish “enlightenment” and Reform ...
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Nineteenth-century German Jews — their way of life transformed by modernity — debated whether circumcision was an appropriate practice for adherents of the new Jewish “enlightenment” and Reform Judaism. Samuel Holdheim was the principal spokesman for a progressive perspective, but he was strongly opposed by nearly all other rabbis, Reform and Orthodox alike. German Jewish physicians argued either for complete elimination of the practice or for medical supervision and adequate sanitary technique. A few voices were raised against circumcision in France and Italy as well, though these countries were not centers for the debate. Early German Jewish immigrants to the United States often abandoned circumcision along with much else, but some preserved the practice as one of their few ties to religious tradition.Less
Nineteenth-century German Jews — their way of life transformed by modernity — debated whether circumcision was an appropriate practice for adherents of the new Jewish “enlightenment” and Reform Judaism. Samuel Holdheim was the principal spokesman for a progressive perspective, but he was strongly opposed by nearly all other rabbis, Reform and Orthodox alike. German Jewish physicians argued either for complete elimination of the practice or for medical supervision and adequate sanitary technique. A few voices were raised against circumcision in France and Italy as well, though these countries were not centers for the debate. Early German Jewish immigrants to the United States often abandoned circumcision along with much else, but some preserved the practice as one of their few ties to religious tradition.
Roberta Rosenthal Kwall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780195373707
- eISBN:
- 9780190226589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373707.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History, Comparative Law
Chapter 4 grapples with the intractable questions of what is “authentic” Judaism in modernity and who gets to make this determination. It focuses on the European origins of the various modern ...
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Chapter 4 grapples with the intractable questions of what is “authentic” Judaism in modernity and who gets to make this determination. It focuses on the European origins of the various modern movements of Judaism and emphasizes their historical development in the United States with particular attention to the post-Holocaust twentieth century. This discussion of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism examines the respective ideologies, histories, and lawmaking processes of these denominations, an approach that is consistent with this book’s thesis that culture and law are inextricably intertwined. This chapter also showcases the divergent views of the movements concerning the development and relevance of halakhah. It concludes with a discussion of the law and culture of postdenominationalism. This chapter sets the stage for the next three chapters that explore specific, highly controversial issues of halakhah through a cultural analysis framework.Less
Chapter 4 grapples with the intractable questions of what is “authentic” Judaism in modernity and who gets to make this determination. It focuses on the European origins of the various modern movements of Judaism and emphasizes their historical development in the United States with particular attention to the post-Holocaust twentieth century. This discussion of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism examines the respective ideologies, histories, and lawmaking processes of these denominations, an approach that is consistent with this book’s thesis that culture and law are inextricably intertwined. This chapter also showcases the divergent views of the movements concerning the development and relevance of halakhah. It concludes with a discussion of the law and culture of postdenominationalism. This chapter sets the stage for the next three chapters that explore specific, highly controversial issues of halakhah through a cultural analysis framework.
Deborah Dash Moore
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199931903
- eISBN:
- 9780199345779
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199931903.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
What makes the American experience particularly interesting for Jews involves the structure it provides for religious pluralism within Judaism together with a framework for situating Jews and their ...
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What makes the American experience particularly interesting for Jews involves the structure it provides for religious pluralism within Judaism together with a framework for situating Jews and their religious differences within the nation. But structural pluralism—the array of religious affiliation available to Jews in the United States—has not accompanied a broad ideological commitment to religious pluralism as either an inherent or instrumentalist good. World War II powerfully influenced Jewish religious pluralism and promoted a form of ecumenism among all Jews. In the following decades, however, debates about denominational boundaries, the degree of tolerable interaction with non-Jews (most particularly through intermarriage), the politics (religious and otherwise) of Israel, and the coming of the Messiah, along with efforts by certain segments of Orthodoxy to impose a single definition of Jewishness, led to deep differences over how to maintain religious freedom for individuals and pluralism among and perhaps even within groups.Less
What makes the American experience particularly interesting for Jews involves the structure it provides for religious pluralism within Judaism together with a framework for situating Jews and their religious differences within the nation. But structural pluralism—the array of religious affiliation available to Jews in the United States—has not accompanied a broad ideological commitment to religious pluralism as either an inherent or instrumentalist good. World War II powerfully influenced Jewish religious pluralism and promoted a form of ecumenism among all Jews. In the following decades, however, debates about denominational boundaries, the degree of tolerable interaction with non-Jews (most particularly through intermarriage), the politics (religious and otherwise) of Israel, and the coming of the Messiah, along with efforts by certain segments of Orthodoxy to impose a single definition of Jewishness, led to deep differences over how to maintain religious freedom for individuals and pluralism among and perhaps even within groups.
Michael Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231156356
- eISBN:
- 9780231526777
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231156356.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Solomon Schechter (1847–1915), the charismatic leader of New York's Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), came to America in 1902 intent on revitalizing traditional Judaism. While he advocated a return ...
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Solomon Schechter (1847–1915), the charismatic leader of New York's Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), came to America in 1902 intent on revitalizing traditional Judaism. While he advocated a return to traditional practices, Schechter articulated no clear position on divisive issues, instead preferring to focus on similarities that could unite American Jewry. This book demonstrates how Schechter, unable to implement his vision on his own, turned to his disciples, rabbinical students and alumni of JTS, to shape his movement. By mid-century, Conservative Judaism had become the largest American Jewish grouping in the United States, guided by Schechter's disciples and their continuing efforts to embrace diversity while eschewing divisive debates. Yet Conservative Judaism's fluid boundaries also proved problematic for the movement, frustrating many rabbis who wanted a single platform to define their beliefs. The book demonstrates how a legacy of tension between diversity and boundaries now lies at the heart of Conservative Judaism's modern struggle for relevance. It explicates four key claims: that Conservative Judaism's clergy, not its laity or Seminary, created and shaped the movement; that diversity was—and still is—a crucial component of the success and failure of new American religions; that the Conservative movement's contemporary struggle for self-definition is tied to its origins; and that the porous boundaries between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism reflect the complexity of the American Jewish landscape—a fact that Schechter and his disciples keenly understood. Rectifying misconceptions in previous accounts of Conservative Judaism's emergence, the book enables a fresh encounter with a unique religious phenomenon.Less
Solomon Schechter (1847–1915), the charismatic leader of New York's Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), came to America in 1902 intent on revitalizing traditional Judaism. While he advocated a return to traditional practices, Schechter articulated no clear position on divisive issues, instead preferring to focus on similarities that could unite American Jewry. This book demonstrates how Schechter, unable to implement his vision on his own, turned to his disciples, rabbinical students and alumni of JTS, to shape his movement. By mid-century, Conservative Judaism had become the largest American Jewish grouping in the United States, guided by Schechter's disciples and their continuing efforts to embrace diversity while eschewing divisive debates. Yet Conservative Judaism's fluid boundaries also proved problematic for the movement, frustrating many rabbis who wanted a single platform to define their beliefs. The book demonstrates how a legacy of tension between diversity and boundaries now lies at the heart of Conservative Judaism's modern struggle for relevance. It explicates four key claims: that Conservative Judaism's clergy, not its laity or Seminary, created and shaped the movement; that diversity was—and still is—a crucial component of the success and failure of new American religions; that the Conservative movement's contemporary struggle for self-definition is tied to its origins; and that the porous boundaries between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism reflect the complexity of the American Jewish landscape—a fact that Schechter and his disciples keenly understood. Rectifying misconceptions in previous accounts of Conservative Judaism's emergence, the book enables a fresh encounter with a unique religious phenomenon.
Alan T. Levenson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231140201
- eISBN:
- 9780231530781
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231140201.003.0019
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter charts the origins of Judaism in America. In the early twentieth century, American Jews imported and developed a variety of surrogate ideologies—Yiddishism, socialism, Unionism, and ...
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This chapter charts the origins of Judaism in America. In the early twentieth century, American Jews imported and developed a variety of surrogate ideologies—Yiddishism, socialism, Unionism, and Zionism. These ideologies were intended to supplant religious Judaism; thus these secularist movements play a role analogous to that of fringe Christian movements. On a broader plane, many American Jews in the first half of the twentieth century found the comfort of ethnic neighborhoods, family circles, occupational environments, and the kitchens of wives and mothers the linchpin of their Jewish identity. Not accidentally, that period corresponded to the ethnic highpoint of Jewishness and the highest percentile of Jews in the overall American population. Judaism as practiced religion, therefore, has often been an ancillary element in an individual Jew's identity. This chapter begins with the caveat that Jewry and Judaism are distinguishable before turning to a discussion of four movements that characterize the history of Judaism in America: Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism.Less
This chapter charts the origins of Judaism in America. In the early twentieth century, American Jews imported and developed a variety of surrogate ideologies—Yiddishism, socialism, Unionism, and Zionism. These ideologies were intended to supplant religious Judaism; thus these secularist movements play a role analogous to that of fringe Christian movements. On a broader plane, many American Jews in the first half of the twentieth century found the comfort of ethnic neighborhoods, family circles, occupational environments, and the kitchens of wives and mothers the linchpin of their Jewish identity. Not accidentally, that period corresponded to the ethnic highpoint of Jewishness and the highest percentile of Jews in the overall American population. Judaism as practiced religion, therefore, has often been an ancillary element in an individual Jew's identity. This chapter begins with the caveat that Jewry and Judaism are distinguishable before turning to a discussion of four movements that characterize the history of Judaism in America: Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, and Reconstructionist Judaism.
Christine Rosen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195156799
- eISBN:
- 9780199835218
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019515679X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter continues the discussion of religious enthusiasts of eugenics by tracing the support the movement garnered from prominent Protestants such as Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis of Plymouth ...
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This chapter continues the discussion of religious enthusiasts of eugenics by tracing the support the movement garnered from prominent Protestants such as Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, who helped eugenics supporters such as Dr. John Harvey Kellogg organize the First and Second National Race Betterment Conferences in 1915 and 1916. At the same time, Reform rabbis such as Max Reichler began to assess the eugenics movement in light of the teachings of the Jewish faith at a time when fears about Jewish and Catholic immigration to the United States were rising; at the same time, a heated debate was occurring among Jews about the benefits and dangers of intermarriage. Finally, this chapter discusses how opponents of immigration, such as eugenicist Madison Grant, were employing eugenic rhetoric to argue that the American “melting pot” could no longer absorb new arrivals.Less
This chapter continues the discussion of religious enthusiasts of eugenics by tracing the support the movement garnered from prominent Protestants such as Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, who helped eugenics supporters such as Dr. John Harvey Kellogg organize the First and Second National Race Betterment Conferences in 1915 and 1916. At the same time, Reform rabbis such as Max Reichler began to assess the eugenics movement in light of the teachings of the Jewish faith at a time when fears about Jewish and Catholic immigration to the United States were rising; at the same time, a heated debate was occurring among Jews about the benefits and dangers of intermarriage. Finally, this chapter discusses how opponents of immigration, such as eugenicist Madison Grant, were employing eugenic rhetoric to argue that the American “melting pot” could no longer absorb new arrivals.
Amy Hill Shevitz
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813124308
- eISBN:
- 9780813134932
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813124308.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This chapter discusses the different debates over the direction of American Judaism. These debates reflected the internal struggle to respond to modernity that had engaged Jews in the Western world ...
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This chapter discusses the different debates over the direction of American Judaism. These debates reflected the internal struggle to respond to modernity that had engaged Jews in the Western world for about a century. This was particularly sharpened by the unprecedented conditions of Jewish life in America. The Jews that lived in the large and small towns in the Ohio River Valley were in the eye of the storm. They played a critical role in formulating the response that became institutionalized in American Reform Judaism.Less
This chapter discusses the different debates over the direction of American Judaism. These debates reflected the internal struggle to respond to modernity that had engaged Jews in the Western world for about a century. This was particularly sharpened by the unprecedented conditions of Jewish life in America. The Jews that lived in the large and small towns in the Ohio River Valley were in the eye of the storm. They played a critical role in formulating the response that became institutionalized in American Reform Judaism.
Zev Eleff
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190490270
- eISBN:
- 9780190490294
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190490270.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter investigates the role of Jewish texts in the rabbinic uprising against the American Jewish laity. More than any other work, the reformed prayer book emerged as the most effective tool in ...
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This chapter investigates the role of Jewish texts in the rabbinic uprising against the American Jewish laity. More than any other work, the reformed prayer book emerged as the most effective tool in the rabbis’ crusade. Rabbinic authors furnished new prayers and revised others in order to unhinge their congregants from the traditional worship to which they had grown most accustomed. In a new prayer format, rabbinic leaders gained a sturdier foothold as the best suited individuals to lead and develop prayers. Other attempts to gain authority through “texts” were less successful. For example, rabbis tried to use the authority of the Talmud—a work, written in terse Judaeo-Aramaic—that few laypeople could read. Rabbis figured that this could undermine popular religious custom (Minhag).Less
This chapter investigates the role of Jewish texts in the rabbinic uprising against the American Jewish laity. More than any other work, the reformed prayer book emerged as the most effective tool in the rabbis’ crusade. Rabbinic authors furnished new prayers and revised others in order to unhinge their congregants from the traditional worship to which they had grown most accustomed. In a new prayer format, rabbinic leaders gained a sturdier foothold as the best suited individuals to lead and develop prayers. Other attempts to gain authority through “texts” were less successful. For example, rabbis tried to use the authority of the Talmud—a work, written in terse Judaeo-Aramaic—that few laypeople could read. Rabbis figured that this could undermine popular religious custom (Minhag).
Roberta Rosenthal Kwall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780195373707
- eISBN:
- 9780190226589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373707.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History, Comparative Law
Chapter 6 explores how each of the three major Jewish denominations grapple with the tradition’s ban on homosexuality that is derived from the Torah. The discussion highlights the progression and ...
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Chapter 6 explores how each of the three major Jewish denominations grapple with the tradition’s ban on homosexuality that is derived from the Torah. The discussion highlights the progression and nature of the discourse in the denominations, particular in recent decades. Within Judaism, the most visible disputes about homosexuality relate to matters that are very public in nature, such as the performance of same-sex commitment ceremonies and the rabbinic ordination of openly gay individuals. The analysis reaffirms the main thesis of this book that halakhah and the culture from which it has been derived are inextricably intertwined. Specifically, when law and culture are seen as separate domains, it becomes impossible to maintain a shared language and continuity of the tradition. On the other hand, when there is a complete resistance to incorporating a consideration of current cultural norms in legal interpretation, the tradition may suffer from paralysis.Less
Chapter 6 explores how each of the three major Jewish denominations grapple with the tradition’s ban on homosexuality that is derived from the Torah. The discussion highlights the progression and nature of the discourse in the denominations, particular in recent decades. Within Judaism, the most visible disputes about homosexuality relate to matters that are very public in nature, such as the performance of same-sex commitment ceremonies and the rabbinic ordination of openly gay individuals. The analysis reaffirms the main thesis of this book that halakhah and the culture from which it has been derived are inextricably intertwined. Specifically, when law and culture are seen as separate domains, it becomes impossible to maintain a shared language and continuity of the tradition. On the other hand, when there is a complete resistance to incorporating a consideration of current cultural norms in legal interpretation, the tradition may suffer from paralysis.
