The Jewish Contribution to Civilization: Reassessing an Idea (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1906764433 ISBN 13: 9781906764432

Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2012

Synopsis

The biblical idea of a distinct 'Jewish contribution to civilization' continues to engage Jews and non-Jews alike. This book seeks neither to document nor to discredit the notion, but rather to investigate the idea itself as it has been understood from the 17th century to the present. Now available in paperback, it explores the role that the concept has played in Jewish self-definition; how it has influenced the political, social, and cultural history of the Jews and of others; and whether discussion of the notion still has relevance in the world today. The spectrum of opinions range from tempered advocacy to reasoned disavowal. Part I addresses the idea itself and considers its ramifications. Richard I. Cohen focuses on the nexus between notions of 'Jewish contribution' and those of 'Jewish superiority;' David N. Myers shifts the focus from 'contribution' to 'civilization,' arguing that the latter term often served the interests of Jewish intellectuals far better; and Moshe Rosman shows how the current emphasis on multiculturalism has given the idea of a 'Jewish contribution' new life. Part II turns to the relationship between Judaism and other monotheistic cultures. An essay on the Sabbath by Elliott Horowitz serves as an instructive test-case for the dynamic and complexity of the 'contribution' debate and a pointer to more theoretical issues. David Berger expands on these in his account of how discussion of Christianity's Jewish legacy developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries, Susannah Heschel shows how the Jewish-Christian encounter has influenced the study of other non-Western 'others,' and Daniel Schroeter raises revealing questions about the Eurocentric character of the 'contribution' discourse and its influence on perceptions of Jews and Judaism in the world of Islam. Part III introduces us to various applications and consequences of the debate. Yaacov Shavit probes the delicate balance forged by 19th-century German Jewish intellectuals in defining their identity, and Mark Gelber moves the focus to the post-war renewal of German Jewish culture and the birth of German-Jewish studies in the context of the 'contribution' discourse. Bringing the volume to its conclusion, David Biale compares three overviews of Jewish culture and civilization published in America in the 20th and 21st centuries.

About this title

About the Author:

Jeremy Cohen holds the Abraham and Edita Spiegel Family Foundation Chair for European Jewish History at Tel Aviv University, where he served as Director of the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center between 2002 and 2005. A specialist in the history of Jewish-Christian relations and three
times a winner of the National Jewish Book Award, his various publications include The Friars and the Jews: The Evolution of Medieval Anti-Judaism (1982); Living Letters of the Law: Ideas of the Jew in Medieval Christianity (1999); and Christ Killers: The Jews and the Passion from the Bible to the
Big Screen (2007). Richard I. Cohen holds the Paulette and Claude Kelman Chair in French Jewish Studies and has served as the Academic Head of Revivim, the honours programme at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for the training of Jewish studies teachers. He is the author of The Burden of
Conscience: French-Jewish Leadership during the Holocaust and Jewish Icons: Art and Society in Modern Europe, and among the books he has edited are The French Revolution and its Historical Impact and Art and History. He has co-curated and co-edited (with Vivian Mann) From Court Jews to the
Rothschilds: Art, Patronage, and Power, 1600-1800 and (with Laurence Sigal) Le Juif errant: Un temoin du temps.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1906764433
• ISBN 13: 9781906764432
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Cohen Jeremy, Cohen Richard I.