At Home in Exile

At Home in Exile PDF Author: Alan Wolfe
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807086185
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
An eloquent, controversial argument that says, for the first time in their long history, Jews are free to live in a Jewish state—or lead secure and productive lives outside it Since the beginnings of Zionism in the twentieth century, many Jewish thinkers have considered it close to heresy to validate life in the Diaspora. Jews in Europe and America faced “a life of pointless struggle and futile suffering, of ambivalence, confusion, and eternal impotence,” as one early Zionist philosopher wrote, echoing a widespread and vehement disdain for Jews living outside Israel. This thinking, in a more understated but still pernicious form, continues to the present: the Holocaust tried to kill all of us, many Jews believe, and only statehood offers safety. But what if the Diaspora is a blessing in disguise? In At Home in Exile, renowned scholar and public intellectual Alan Wolfe, writing for the first time about his Jewish heritage, makes an impassioned, eloquent, and controversial argument that Jews should take pride in their Diasporic tradition. It is true that Jews have experienced more than their fair share of discrimination and destruction in exile, and there can be no doubt that anti-Semitism persists throughout the world and often rears its ugly head. Yet for the first time in history, Wolfe shows, it is possible for Jews to lead vibrant, successful, and, above all else, secure lives in states in which they are a minority. Drawing on centuries of Jewish thinking and writing, from Maimonides to Philip Roth, David Ben Gurion to Hannah Arendt, Wolfe makes a compelling case that life in the Diaspora can be good for the Jews no matter where they live, Israel very much included—as well as for the non-Jews with whom they live, Israel once again included. Not only can the Diaspora offer Jews the opportunity to reach a deep appreciation of pluralism and a commitment to fighting prejudice, but in an era of rising inequalities and global instability, the whole world can benefit from Jews’ passion for justice and human dignity. Wolfe moves beyond the usual polemical arguments and celebrates a universalistic Judaism that is desperately needed if Israel is to survive. Turning our attention away from the Jewish state, where half of world Jewry lives, toward the pluralistic and vibrant places the other half have made their home, At Home in Exile is an inspiring call for a Judaism that isn’t defensive and insecure but is instead open and inquiring.

At Home in Exile

At Home in Exile PDF Author: Alan Wolfe
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807086185
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Get Book

Book Description
An eloquent, controversial argument that says, for the first time in their long history, Jews are free to live in a Jewish state—or lead secure and productive lives outside it Since the beginnings of Zionism in the twentieth century, many Jewish thinkers have considered it close to heresy to validate life in the Diaspora. Jews in Europe and America faced “a life of pointless struggle and futile suffering, of ambivalence, confusion, and eternal impotence,” as one early Zionist philosopher wrote, echoing a widespread and vehement disdain for Jews living outside Israel. This thinking, in a more understated but still pernicious form, continues to the present: the Holocaust tried to kill all of us, many Jews believe, and only statehood offers safety. But what if the Diaspora is a blessing in disguise? In At Home in Exile, renowned scholar and public intellectual Alan Wolfe, writing for the first time about his Jewish heritage, makes an impassioned, eloquent, and controversial argument that Jews should take pride in their Diasporic tradition. It is true that Jews have experienced more than their fair share of discrimination and destruction in exile, and there can be no doubt that anti-Semitism persists throughout the world and often rears its ugly head. Yet for the first time in history, Wolfe shows, it is possible for Jews to lead vibrant, successful, and, above all else, secure lives in states in which they are a minority. Drawing on centuries of Jewish thinking and writing, from Maimonides to Philip Roth, David Ben Gurion to Hannah Arendt, Wolfe makes a compelling case that life in the Diaspora can be good for the Jews no matter where they live, Israel very much included—as well as for the non-Jews with whom they live, Israel once again included. Not only can the Diaspora offer Jews the opportunity to reach a deep appreciation of pluralism and a commitment to fighting prejudice, but in an era of rising inequalities and global instability, the whole world can benefit from Jews’ passion for justice and human dignity. Wolfe moves beyond the usual polemical arguments and celebrates a universalistic Judaism that is desperately needed if Israel is to survive. Turning our attention away from the Jewish state, where half of world Jewry lives, toward the pluralistic and vibrant places the other half have made their home, At Home in Exile is an inspiring call for a Judaism that isn’t defensive and insecure but is instead open and inquiring.

Governments-In-Exile and the Jews During the Second World War

Governments-In-Exile and the Jews During the Second World War PDF Author: JAN. JORDAN LANICEK (JAMES.)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912676590
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
While the examination of bystanders to the Holocaust has constituted an important part of Holocaust research in the last decades, historians have focused mainly on the two major Western Allied powers, the United States and the United Kingdom. This book broadens this important research area to include the other members of the anti-Hitler alliance and how they helped to shape the attitudes and responses to the Nazi persecution and extermination of European Jewry. Specifically, it looks at the 'Jewish policy' of the various governments-in-exile that were established during the war in London and elsewhere, offering for the first time a comparative perspective on an important topic. The book contains an extensive introductory essay by Antony Polonsky, along with contributions by leading academics, including Tony Kushner, Renee Poznanski, Rainer Schulze, and Dariusz Stola. *** "Highly recommended." - Choice, Vol. 51, No. 3, November 2013

Between Exile and Exodus

Between Exile and Exodus PDF Author: Sebastian Klor
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814343686
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
Between Exile and Exodus: Argentinian Jewish Immigration to Israel, 1948–1967 examines the case of the 16,500 Argentine Jewish immigrants who arrived in Israel during the first two decades of its existence (1948–1967). Based on a thorough investigation of various archives in Argentina and Israel, author Sebastian Klor presents a sociohistoric analysis of that immigration with a comparative perspective. Although many studies have explored Jewish immigration to the State of Israel, few have dealt with the immigrants themselves. Between Exile and Exodus offers fascinating insights into this migration, its social and economic profiles, and the motivation for the relocation of many of these people. It contributes to different areas of study— Argentina and its Jews, Jewish immigration to Israel, and immigration in general. This book’s integration of a computerized database comprising the personal data of more than 10,000 Argentinian Jewish immigrants has allowed the author to uncover their stories in a direct, intimate manner. Because immigration is an individual experience, rather than a collective one, the author aims to address the individual’s perspective in order to fully comprehend the process. In the area of Argentinian Jewry it brings a new approach to the study of Zionism and the relations of the community with Israel, pointing out the importance of family as a basis for mutual interactions. Klor’s work clarifies the centrality of marginal groups in the case of Jewish immigration to Israel, and demystifies the idea that Aliya from Argentina was solely ideological. In the area of Israeli studies the book takes a critical view of the "catastrophic" concept as a cause for Jewish immigration to Israel, analyzing the gap between the decision-makers in Israel and in Argentina and the real circumstances of the individual immigrants. It also contributes to migration studies, showing how an atypical case, such as the Argentine Jewish immigrants to Israel, is shaped by similar patterns that characterize "classical" mass migrations, such as the impact of chain migrations and the immigration of marginal groups. This book’s importance—its contribution to the historical investigation of the immigration phenomenon in general, and specifically immigration to the State of Israel—lies in uncovering and examining individual viewpoints alongside the official, bureaucratic immigration narrative.Scholars in various fields and disciplines, including history, Latin American studies, and migration studies, will find the methodology utilized in this monograph original and illuminating.

Exile and Destruction

Exile and Destruction PDF Author: Gertrude Schneider
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
When Hitler marched into Austria in March 1938, the country's Jewish population numbered nearly 200,000. Those Jews who were able to find refuge in neutral countries were safe; those who fled to countries subsequently overrun by the Nazis were eventually hunted down. Between 1938 and 1945, more than 50,000 Austrian Jews were deported; no more than 2,000 returned. The estimate of Jews caught by the Nazis in neighboring countries is 17,000. Therefore, more than one-third of Austria's Jewish population were killed during this period. After extensive research of the records at the various documentation centers and using primary as well as secondary sources, Schneider relates how Jews lived in Austria until either flight or deportation; she follows the transports to their destination and, using the fate of family and friends as examples, describes the experiences in the camps, as well as the homecoming of the survivors. In the process, Schneider provides the most detailed account available on the fate of exiles and victims from Austria. She concludes with a complete list of all camp survivors. A gripping historical record for all students of the Holocaust and modern European history.

Exile: Old Testament, Jewish, and Christian Conceptions

Exile: Old Testament, Jewish, and Christian Conceptions PDF Author: Bruce D. Chilton
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004497714
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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Book Description
The exiles of Israel and Judah cast a long shadow over the biblical text and the whole subsequent history of Judaism. Scholars have long recognized the importance of the theme of exile for the Hebrew Bible. Indeed, critical study of the Old Testament has, at least since Wellhausen, been dominated by the Babylonian exile of Judah. In 586 BC, several factors, including the destruction of Jerusalem, the cessation of the sacrificial cult and of the monarchy, and the experience of the exile, began to cause a transformation of Israelite religion which supplied the contours of the larger Judaic framework within which the various forms of Judaism, including the early Christian movement, developed. Given the importance of the exile to the development of Judaism and Christianity even to the present day, this volume delves into the conceptions of exile which contributed to that development during the formative period.

Exile

Exile PDF Author: Annika Hernroth-Rothstein
Publisher: Bombardier Books
ISBN: 1642931888
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
It’s been two thousand years after most Jews were exiled from Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land, and two generations since the Holocaust led to the founding of modern Israel. Still, small yet resilient Jewish communities continue to endure and thrive around the world—sometimes in the most unlikely places, and often in the face of extreme persecution. Journalist Annika Hernroth-Rothstein has spent two years of her life uncovering the hidden beauty of these largely forgotten Jewish enclaves. Drawing from her personal experience of growing up as a Jew in a tiny village in Sweden, Annika brings brilliant life to the history, culture, and most importantly, the fascinating people she’s met on her journey. Part sociology, part history lesson, and always a love letter to the Jewish people, Exile is an indispensable guide to rediscovering forgotten pieces of a rich Jewish history. Some of the countries explored include Sweden, Finland, Cuba, Turkey, Colombia, Iran, Tunisia, Morocco, Russia (Siberia), and Uzbekistan.

Next Year in Jerusalem

Next Year in Jerusalem PDF Author: Leonard Jay Greenspoon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781557538758
Category : Israel
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Proceedings of the twenty-ninth annual symposium of the Klutznick Chair in Jewish civilization, the Harris Center for Judaic Studies, and the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, October 30-31, 2016.

Farewell to Dejla

Farewell to Dejla PDF Author: Tova Murad Sadka
Publisher: ChicagoReviewPress + ORM
ISBN: 0897339851
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
“Portrays the frustrations, joys, and cultural ties of Iraqi Jews . . . as they disperse to Israel and the US . . . in beautiful prose.” —Jewish Book Council Cleverly elucidating the somber diaspora of Iraqi Jews, this collection of stories explores the little-publicized migration of a people escaping oppression, only to be confronted with the difficult realities of new nations and customs. Sadka’s work spans Iraq, Israel and the US with beautiful, laconic prose, magnifying the everyday adversity of immigrants. These moving, impressive stories are based on historic fact in as much as they deal with the destruction of the world's oldest Jewish community. “Highly recommended.” —Aron Leibel, Washington Jewish Week “Poignant and moving, the stories are also inspiring.” —Chicago Jewish Star “Offers a sensitive treatment of a community’s existential fears and an exquisite probing of the painful and comic aspects of culture clash.” —Rayaan Al Shawaf, Tablet Magazine

Exile and the Jews

Exile and the Jews PDF Author: Nancy E. Berg
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 0827615558
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Exile and the Jews anthologizes texts from all genres of Jewish literary creativity, from the Hebrew Bible to the present, exploring how the realities and interpretations of exile have shaped Jewish religion, politics, and identity.

The Strangers We Became

The Strangers We Became PDF Author: Cynthia Kaplan Shamash
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
ISBN: 161168806X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
This riveting and utterly unique memoir chronicles the coming of age of Cynthia Shamash, an Iraqi Jew born in Baghdad in 1963. When she was eight, her family tried to escape Iraq over the Iranian border, but they were captured and jailed for five weeks. Upon release, they were returned to their home in Baghdad, where most of their belongings had been confiscated and the door of their home sealed with wax. They moved in with friends and applied for passports to spend a ten-day vacation in Istanbul, although they never intended to return. From Turkey, the family fled to Tel Aviv and then to Amsterdam, where Cynthia's father soon died of a heart attack. At the age of twelve, Sanuti (as her mother called her) was sent to London for schooling, where she lived in an Orthodox Jewish enclave with the chief rabbi and his family. At the end of the school year, she returned to Holland to navigate her teen years in a culture that was much more sexually liberal than the one she had been born into, or indeed the one she was experiencing among Orthodox Jews in London. Shortly after finishing her schooling as a dentist, Cynthia moved to the United States in an attempt to start over. This vivid, beautiful, and very funny memoir will appeal to readers intrigued by spirituality, tolerance, the personal ramifications of statelessness and exile, the clashes of cultures, and the future of Iraq and its Jews.