Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter looks at Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life during the Weimar Republic. It begins with a brief overview of German Orthodoxy and the various political and religious disputes which ...
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This chapter looks at Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life during the Weimar Republic. It begins with a brief overview of German Orthodoxy and the various political and religious disputes which persisted even after the First World War. From there, the chapter turns to Weinberg's academic life in the University of Giessen, where he received his first intensive exposure to modern scholarship. While Weinberg was in Giessen, significant events were occurring in Berlin, which eventually led to his appointment as a lecturer in Talmud and Codes. This effectively made him the resident halakhist of his seminary. The new position also established him as the supreme halakhic authority for the numerous communal rabbis who were seminary graduates, as well as for many others who had no formal connection to the institution. He was thus ensured a central role in German Orthodox life. Finally, the chapter explores some of Weinberg's writings during the Weimar years.Less
This chapter looks at Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life during the Weimar Republic. It begins with a brief overview of German Orthodoxy and the various political and religious disputes which persisted even after the First World War. From there, the chapter turns to Weinberg's academic life in the University of Giessen, where he received his first intensive exposure to modern scholarship. While Weinberg was in Giessen, significant events were occurring in Berlin, which eventually led to his appointment as a lecturer in Talmud and Codes. This effectively made him the resident halakhist of his seminary. The new position also established him as the supreme halakhic authority for the numerous communal rabbis who were seminary graduates, as well as for many others who had no formal connection to the institution. He was thus ensured a central role in German Orthodox life. Finally, the chapter explores some of Weinberg's writings during the Weimar years.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's shift from a very public life to a more private one during his final years, which were spent in Montreux, Switzerland. It shows how his failing ...
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This chapter examines Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's shift from a very public life to a more private one during his final years, which were spent in Montreux, Switzerland. It shows how his failing health and postwar developments have affected him and his intellectual work. Although in the post-war years Weinberg was able to write productively on Talmudic and halakhic themes, it was much more difficult for him to be involved with modern Jewish scholarship. In spite of the logistical difficulties, Weinberg was never totally removed from modern Jewish scholarship, and it was important to him that his views should find favour in the academic community. In addition, the chapter addresses the changes which impacted the Orthodox Jewish world in the aftermath of the war. Finally, the chapter discusses the most important aspects of Weinberg's writings — his postwar responsa.Less
This chapter examines Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's shift from a very public life to a more private one during his final years, which were spent in Montreux, Switzerland. It shows how his failing health and postwar developments have affected him and his intellectual work. Although in the post-war years Weinberg was able to write productively on Talmudic and halakhic themes, it was much more difficult for him to be involved with modern Jewish scholarship. In spite of the logistical difficulties, Weinberg was never totally removed from modern Jewish scholarship, and it was important to him that his views should find favour in the academic community. In addition, the chapter addresses the changes which impacted the Orthodox Jewish world in the aftermath of the war. Finally, the chapter discusses the most important aspects of Weinberg's writings — his postwar responsa.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter discusses the challenges faced by Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg and the rest of the German Jewry during the Nazi regime. Aside from the political challenges in Nazi Germany, there were ...
More
This chapter discusses the challenges faced by Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg and the rest of the German Jewry during the Nazi regime. Aside from the political challenges in Nazi Germany, there were many pressing religious issues brought on by the policies of the regime. It was in this area that Weinberg assumed a prominent role. The chapter thus embarks on a few of the halakhic issues with which he had to deal, to illustrate the difficult circumstances in which Orthodox Jews found themselves. Despite these challenges, however, the chapter also shows that Weinberg and the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary experienced a rather productive period, as the seminary became the focus of German Jews' social, cultural, and intellectual engagement — and all this was accomplished without government interference. The chapter also describes the decline of the Torah im Derekh Eretz ideal among the younger generations, despite Weinberg's attempts to defend it. To conclude, the chapter closes with the events of the Kristallnacht and the closure of the seminary despite Weinberg's persistently optimistic views regarding the Nazis' treatment of the Jews.Less
This chapter discusses the challenges faced by Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg and the rest of the German Jewry during the Nazi regime. Aside from the political challenges in Nazi Germany, there were many pressing religious issues brought on by the policies of the regime. It was in this area that Weinberg assumed a prominent role. The chapter thus embarks on a few of the halakhic issues with which he had to deal, to illustrate the difficult circumstances in which Orthodox Jews found themselves. Despite these challenges, however, the chapter also shows that Weinberg and the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary experienced a rather productive period, as the seminary became the focus of German Jews' social, cultural, and intellectual engagement — and all this was accomplished without government interference. The chapter also describes the decline of the Torah im Derekh Eretz ideal among the younger generations, despite Weinberg's attempts to defend it. To conclude, the chapter closes with the events of the Kristallnacht and the closure of the seminary despite Weinberg's persistently optimistic views regarding the Nazis' treatment of the Jews.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's time in Pilwishki, Lithuania, during which he was able to establish a growing presence within the Russian and Lithuanian Orthodox community. It ...
More
This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's time in Pilwishki, Lithuania, during which he was able to establish a growing presence within the Russian and Lithuanian Orthodox community. It begins with his appointment to the Pilwishki rabbinate, made possible by his loveless marriage to Esther Levin, the daughter of Pilwishki's late rabbi. From there, the chapter shows how his most significant work began appearing in the two leading Orthodox Hebrew newspapers, Hamodia of Poltava (Ukraine) and Ha'ivri of Berlin. As contributions to a newspaper were often regarded as a signal of one's ideological commitment, the fact that Weinberg simultaneously wrote for both apparently shows that he had not committed himself one way or the other regarding Zionism. This open mind is also seen in his relationship with Rabbi Isaac Jacob Reines, the founder of the Mizrachi movement, who had started a yeshiva in Lida whose purpose was to combine Torah and secular studies. Finally, this chapter discusses some of Weinberg's German and East European influences as well as his early thought.Less
This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's time in Pilwishki, Lithuania, during which he was able to establish a growing presence within the Russian and Lithuanian Orthodox community. It begins with his appointment to the Pilwishki rabbinate, made possible by his loveless marriage to Esther Levin, the daughter of Pilwishki's late rabbi. From there, the chapter shows how his most significant work began appearing in the two leading Orthodox Hebrew newspapers, Hamodia of Poltava (Ukraine) and Ha'ivri of Berlin. As contributions to a newspaper were often regarded as a signal of one's ideological commitment, the fact that Weinberg simultaneously wrote for both apparently shows that he had not committed himself one way or the other regarding Zionism. This open mind is also seen in his relationship with Rabbi Isaac Jacob Reines, the founder of the Mizrachi movement, who had started a yeshiva in Lida whose purpose was to combine Torah and secular studies. Finally, this chapter discusses some of Weinberg's German and East European influences as well as his early thought.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's experiences during World War I. Weinberg had travelled to Germany for medical treatment during the early stages of the war. He eventually found ...
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This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's experiences during World War I. Weinberg had travelled to Germany for medical treatment during the early stages of the war. He eventually found himself heavily involved within Berlin's Jewish cultural and intellectual life. There, Weinberg grappled with issues surrounding the traditional east European school system, the ḥeder. The ḥeder system invited debates about educational reform within German Orthodox circles. He also had to contend with the efforts to bring German-style Orthodoxy to eastern Europe — a move he was personally against, as he felt it unsuitable for Lithuania. Despite continuing to look toward the East, however, the chapter also shows Weinberg's extended stay in Germany and his increasing engagement with the ideas of the West.Less
This chapter details Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's experiences during World War I. Weinberg had travelled to Germany for medical treatment during the early stages of the war. He eventually found himself heavily involved within Berlin's Jewish cultural and intellectual life. There, Weinberg grappled with issues surrounding the traditional east European school system, the ḥeder. The ḥeder system invited debates about educational reform within German Orthodox circles. He also had to contend with the efforts to bring German-style Orthodoxy to eastern Europe — a move he was personally against, as he felt it unsuitable for Lithuania. Despite continuing to look toward the East, however, the chapter also shows Weinberg's extended stay in Germany and his increasing engagement with the ideas of the West.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The span of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life (1884–1966) illuminates the religious and intellectual dilemmas that traditional Jewry has faced over the past century. Rabbi Weinberg became a central ...
More
The span of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life (1884–1966) illuminates the religious and intellectual dilemmas that traditional Jewry has faced over the past century. Rabbi Weinberg became a central ideologue of modern Orthodoxy because of his positive attitude to secular studies and Zionism and his willingness to respond to social change in interpreting the halakhah. But Weinberg was an unusual man: even at a time when he was defending the traditional yeshiva against all attempts at reform, he always maintained an interest in the wider world. He left Lithuania for Germany at the beginning of the First World War, attended the University of Giessen, and increasingly identified with the Berlin school of German Orthodoxy. He was soon recognized as German Orthodoxy's most eminent halakhic authority in its efforts to maintain religious tradition in the face of Nazi persecution. His approach derived from the conviction that the attempt to shore up Orthodoxy by increased religious stringency would only reduce its popular appeal. This book discusses many aspects of Weinberg's life. It elucidates many institutional and intellectual phenomena of the Jewish world: the yeshivas of Lithuania; the state of the Lithuanian rabbinate; the musar movement; the Jews of eastern Europe in Weimar Germany; the Torah im Derekh Eretz movement and its variants; Orthodox Jewish attitudes towards Wissenschaft des Judentums; and the special problems of Orthodox Jews in Nazi Germany. Throughout, the book shows the complex nature of Weinberg's character and the inner struggles of a man being pulled in different directions.Less
The span of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg's life (1884–1966) illuminates the religious and intellectual dilemmas that traditional Jewry has faced over the past century. Rabbi Weinberg became a central ideologue of modern Orthodoxy because of his positive attitude to secular studies and Zionism and his willingness to respond to social change in interpreting the halakhah. But Weinberg was an unusual man: even at a time when he was defending the traditional yeshiva against all attempts at reform, he always maintained an interest in the wider world. He left Lithuania for Germany at the beginning of the First World War, attended the University of Giessen, and increasingly identified with the Berlin school of German Orthodoxy. He was soon recognized as German Orthodoxy's most eminent halakhic authority in its efforts to maintain religious tradition in the face of Nazi persecution. His approach derived from the conviction that the attempt to shore up Orthodoxy by increased religious stringency would only reduce its popular appeal. This book discusses many aspects of Weinberg's life. It elucidates many institutional and intellectual phenomena of the Jewish world: the yeshivas of Lithuania; the state of the Lithuanian rabbinate; the musar movement; the Jews of eastern Europe in Weimar Germany; the Torah im Derekh Eretz movement and its variants; Orthodox Jewish attitudes towards Wissenschaft des Judentums; and the special problems of Orthodox Jews in Nazi Germany. Throughout, the book shows the complex nature of Weinberg's character and the inner struggles of a man being pulled in different directions.
Marc B. Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774525
- eISBN:
- 9781800340855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774525.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter takes a step back to consider the state of the German Jewry at length after the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in 1933. Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, for his part, held a rather hopeful ...
More
This chapter takes a step back to consider the state of the German Jewry at length after the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in 1933. Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, for his part, held a rather hopeful view of the situation that year, going so far as to repeatedly express that the Jews had nothing to fear from the Nazis, and the controversies his optimistic views caused within the German Jewish intellectual community. In the meantime, Hitler was beginning to implement more antisemitic reforms. His banning of the sheḥitah — the Jewish practice of ritually slaughtering meat — in particular shocked the Jewish community. At the same time that discussions about the sheḥitah issue were going on, Weinberg was confronted by plans to transfer the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary to Palestine. Though a minor episode in Weinberg's life, through it the chapter provides further insight into the relationship between east European talmudists and the modern rabbinical seminary.Less
This chapter takes a step back to consider the state of the German Jewry at length after the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in 1933. Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, for his part, held a rather hopeful view of the situation that year, going so far as to repeatedly express that the Jews had nothing to fear from the Nazis, and the controversies his optimistic views caused within the German Jewish intellectual community. In the meantime, Hitler was beginning to implement more antisemitic reforms. His banning of the sheḥitah — the Jewish practice of ritually slaughtering meat — in particular shocked the Jewish community. At the same time that discussions about the sheḥitah issue were going on, Weinberg was confronted by plans to transfer the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary to Palestine. Though a minor episode in Weinberg's life, through it the chapter provides further insight into the relationship between east European talmudists and the modern rabbinical seminary.