The Wiley–Blackwell History of Jews and Judaism

The Wiley–Blackwell History of Jews and Judaism presents a panoramic and comprehensive overview of the major aspects of Jewish life and culture, from the biblical period through to contemporary times. A collection of outstanding contributions from leading experts present the latest scholarship on a range of questions relating to Jews, Jewish history, Judaism, folk practices, politics, economic structure, the relationship of Judaism to Christianity, and the manifold participation of Jews in general culture through various times and geographical locales. In addition, the book also explores Jewish historiography and the lives of ordinary people, the achievements of Jewish women, and the sustained interaction of Jews within the environments they inhabited. In exploring the major periods and themes of Jewish history and the history of Judaism, the volume features a wide range of contemporary approaches that demonstrate the maturation of Jewish studies. Special attention is accorded to under–represented eras, including the early modern and post–1945 periods of Jewish history in all its major dimensions. More contentious scholarly issues – such as the relationship of Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible, or the nature of Zionism diaspora and its implications for contemporary Israel – feature multiple essays that reveal varied points of view. Lively and informative, this essential single–volume reference reflects our current state of knowledge on the evolution of Jewish life and culture, from its ancient origins to the modern age.

Notes on Contributors ix Preface xvii Acknowledgments xix Introduction 1 Part I Ancient Israel 13 1 What Is the Hebrew Bible? 15 Frederick E. Greenspahn 2 How “Historical” Is Ancient Israel? 25 Ehud Ben Zvi 3 Priests and Levites in the Hebrew Bible 35 Stephen A. Geller 4 How Unique Was Israelite Prophecy? 53 Jonathan St€okl 5 Judaism after the Exile: The Later Books of the Bible 70 Daniel C. Snell 6 Translation: The Biblical Legacy to Judaism 83 Leonard Greenspoon Part II From Ancient Israel to Rabbinic Jewry 99 7 Jews in the Land During the Second Temple Period 101 Steven Werlin 8 Jews in Egypt: The Special Case of the Septuagint 121 Peg Kershenbaum 9 Early Christianity in a Jewish Context 142 Julie Galambush 10 The Babylonian Consolidation of Rabbinic Judaism 156 Shai Secunda Part III The Medieval World: Jews in Two Cultures 167 11 Jews in Christian Europe: Ashkenaz in the Middle Ages 169 Eva Haverkamp 12 The Jews in the Medieval Arabic–Speaking World 207 Norman (Noam) Stillman 13 Turning Point: The Spanish Expulsion 224 Jane S. Gerber 14 Medieval Jewish Mysticism 244 Hartley Lachter Part IV The Early Modern Period (Sixteenth –Eighteenth Centuries) 257 15 Judaism and Science in the Age of Discovery 259 Joseph M. Davis 16 A History of Hasidism: Origins and Developments 277 Gadi Sagiv 17 Jews and Judaism in the Early Modern New World: Central and North America 291 Dean Phillip Bell 18 The Jews of the Ottoman Empire 309 Yaron Ayalon Part V The Modern Period 325 19 How Jews Modernized: The Western Nations 327 Carsten Schapkow 20 The Zionist Movement and the Path to Statehood 343 Brian Amkraut 21 The Jews in the Land of the Russian Tsars 361 Jarrod Tanny 22 The Great Migration: 1881–1924 381 Jessica Cooperman 23 Polish Jewry between the World Wars 393 Sean Martin 24 Organized Movements of American Judaism: From 1880 to World War II 409 Michael R. Cohen 25 Paths of Modernity: Jewish Women in Central Europe 422 Kerry Wallach 26 Antisemitism and Anti–Jewish Hostility 441 Richard S. Levy Part VI Jews and Judaism since the Holocaust and the Birth of Israel 459 27 The Existential Crisis of the Holocaust 461 Peter Haas 28 American Jews and the Jewish State 476 David Bamberger 29 Judaism(s) in Contemporary America 489 Dana Evan Kaplan 30 Traditional Judaism in the Twenty–First Century 514 Mark I. Dunaevsky 31 Contemporary American Jewish Culture 529 Ted Merwin 32 Israeli Culture from 1948 to the Present 548 Keren Rubinstein 33 The Israeli Economy 571 Paul Rivlin 34 Ethnic Diversity in Israel 586 Ari Ariel Part VII Special Topics 601 35 The World of Jewish Music 603 Marsha Bryan Edelman 36 American Jewry’s Identification with Israel: Problems and Prospects 619 Laurence J. Silberstein 37 The Jewish Holy Days 643 Stanley Schachter Index 661

Alan T. Levenson is Schusterman/Josey Professor of Jewish Intellectual and Religious History at the University of Oklahoma. His publications include Modern Jewish Thinkers: An Introduction (2006); Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism: German Defenses of Jews and Judaism (2004); The Story of Joseph: A Jewish Journey of Interpretation (2004); and The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible (2011).

“Consequently, this book can serve as a useful addition for undergraduates collections on Judaism and Jewish history and as an introductory guide for advanced students.  Summing Up: Recommended.  All levels/libraries.”   (Choice, 1 December 2012)