Product Description

David Ellenson prefaces this fascinating collection of twenty-three essays with a candid account of his journey from boyhood in Virginia to a long and distinguished academic career immersed in the history, thought, and literature of Jewish people. Ellenson, president of the Hebrew Union College, has been particularly intrigued by the attempts of religious leaders in all denominations of Judaism - from Liberal to Neo-Orthodox - to redefine and re-conceptualize themselves and their traditions in the modern period as both the Jewish community and individual Jews entered radically new realms of possibility and change. The essays in After Emancipation are grouped into five sections. In the first, Ellenson reflects upon the expression of Jewish values and Jewish identity in contemporary America, explains his debt to Jacob Katz's socioreligious approach to Jewish history, and shows how the works of non-Jewish social historian Max Weber highlight the tensions between the universalism of Western thought and Jewish demands for a particularistic identity. In the second section, he indicates how Jewish religious leaders in nineteenth-century Europe demonstrated that the Jewish religion and Jewish culture were worthy of respect by the larger gentile world. In the third section, Ellenson shows how the leaders of Liberal and Orthodox branches of Judaism in Central Europe constructed novel parameters for their communities through prayer books, legal writings, sermons, and journal articles. The fourth section looks at twentieth-century Jewish legal decisions on new issues such as the status of women, fertility treatments, and even the obligations of the Israeli government toward its minority populations. Review essays in the last section analyze landmark contemporary works of legal and liturgical creativity: the new Israeli Masorti prayer book, David Hartman's works on covenantal theology, and Marcia Falk's Book of Blessings. As Ellenson demonstrates, "The reality of Jewish cultural and social integration into the larger world after Emancipation did not signal the demise of Judaism. Instead, the modern setting has provided a challenging context where the ongoing creativity and adaptability of Jewish religious leaders of all stripes has been tested and displayed."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1382862 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 547 pages

From the Publisher
David Ellenson prefaces this fascinating collection of twenty-three essays with a remarkably candid account of his intellectual journey from boyhood in Virginia to the scholarly immersions in the history, thought, and literature of the Jewish people that have informed his research interests in a long and distinguished academic career. Ellenson, President of the Hebrew Union College, has been particularly intrigued by the attempts of religious leaders in all denominations of Judaism—from Liberal to Neo-Orthodox—to redefine and re-conceptualize themselves and their traditions in the modern period as both the Jewish community and individual Jews entered radically new realms of possibility and change.

The essays are grouped into five sections. In the first, Ellenson reflects upon the expression of Jewish values and Jewish identity in contemporary America, explains his debt to Jacob Katz’s socio-religious approach to Jewish history, and shows how the works of non-Jewish social historian Max Weber highlight the tensions between the universalism of western thought and Jewish demands for a particularistic identity. In the second section, "The Challenge of Emancipation," he indicates how Jewish religious leaders in nineteenth-century Europe labored to demonstrate that the Jewish religion and Jewish culture were worthy of respect by the larger gentile world. In a third section, "Denominational Responses," Ellenson shows how the leaders of Liberal and Orthodox branches of Judaism in Central Europe constructed novel parameters for their communities through prayer books, legal writings, sermons, and journal articles. The fourth section, "Modern Responsa," takes a close look at twentieth-century Jewish legal decisions on new issues such as the status of women, fertility treatments, and even the obligations of the Israeli government towards its minority populations. Finally, review essays in the last section analyze a few landmark contemporary works of legal and liturgical creativity: the new Israeli Masorti prayer book, David Harman’s works on covenantal theology, and Marcia Falk’s Book of Blessings.

As Ellenson demonstrates, "The reality of Jewish cultural and social integration into the larger world after Emancipation did not signal the demise of Judaism. Instead, the modern setting has provided a challenging context where the ongoing creativity and adaptability of Jewish religious leaders of all stripes has been tested and displayed.

About the Author
Dr. David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought, is a distinguished rabbi, scholar, and leader of the Reform Movement. He is internationally recognized for his publications and research in the areas of Jewish religious thought, ethics, and modern Jewish history. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and was ordained by HUC-JIR.

Customer Reviews

OK, but wish he'd quoted more
This book is a collection of essays discussing how traditional and liberal Judaism dealt with the social changes of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first half of the essays focus mostly on the 19th century and on Germany, the later essays on the 20th century and on Israel or America. Some essays focus more on traditional and Orthodox Judaism, others on more liberal streams. Generally I thought the essays were mildly interesting, but could have used more direct and extensive quotes so readers could understand arguments in more detail. (Especially since the author is a Reform rabbi, so some Orthodox readers may instinctively be skeptical of anything he says).

Some of the issues Ellenson addresses include:

*What changed in the 19th century? Before then, a Jewish community was essentially a state within a state; it could levy taxes and enforce communal standards through the threat of excommunication. If you wanted to avoid these difficulties you typically had to leave the community and convert to Christianity. Later, the state took over many of the religious community's functions, and Judaism as a result became more of a matter of personal choice.

*Why (and how) did Orthodox Jews set boundaries between themselves and the new Reform movement. Ellenson suggests that Reform Jews were so radical (some even proposing an end to circumcision) that their agenda was bound to frighten Orthodox Jews. Sometimes, boundaries were set around lines that seem less important today; for example, in Germany the presence or absence of an organ was a key dividing line between Orthodox and Reform congregations, so much so that one seminary's degrees provided that if a rabbi officiated at a congregation that used on, his ordination would be null and voice.

*The divisions between Orthodox Jews- not just over willingness to interact with modern secular society, but over relations with Reform Jews. Even within the relatively modern wing of Orthodoxy, some rabbis opposed all cooperation with Reform Jews, believing that Orthodoxy could not survive contact with Reform. Others favored cooperation on humanitarian projects such as Jewish orphanages, seeing Judaism as more of a people and less of a religion.

*Orthodox views of women's rights. Ellenson focuses on three very different responses by Israel chief rabbis on women's suffrage. One (by Rabbi Abraham Kook, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi in the first third of the 20th century) opposed votes for women on the ground that women would inevitability either follow their husbands in order to create peace in the house, or vote their own consciences and create martial discord. Because of the absence of halachic precedent on the subject, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi disagree, as did Kook's successor as Askenazic chief.

Interesting and Important Book, Very Well Documented and Researched
The best word to describe this book is scholarly,and will probably most interest Jewish religious scholars, academics and others already intimately familiar with the religious Jewish life and culture. The presentation may create a rather dry reading experience for a secular audience. This book is a collection of essays, grouped into five sections, examining different aspects of Jewish life and identity in modern America. The collection is impressive and well-thought out, and this book is an essential addition to any library that wants to enrich their Judaica collection.