Jewish Identities in the New Europe (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1874774153 ISBN 13: 9781874774150

Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1994

Synopsis

How do the Jews of today's Europe-east and west-regard themselves, fifty years after the Holocaust? Do they perceive themselves as a religious minority, an ethnic group, or simply as ordinary members of the wider European cultures in which they live? How do they regard the wider non-Jewish community, and how do they relate to the Jews of other European countries? To what extent is Israel a factor in forging these relationships? The contributors to this book are authorities in their respective subjects, and many have significant international reputations. Together they cover a wide range of topics from different perspectives. Among the problems considered are: what the future holds for the Jews of Europe; what it means to be Jewish in the countries of eastern Europe (Russia, Poland, and Hungary are considered in detail by local experts); hopes and uncertainties in religious trends; and the likely development of interfaith relations, as seen by both Jews and Christians. A well-argued introduction identifies the points of convergence, the contradictions, and the myths implicit in the different analyses and teases out the main conclusions and implications. Timely, authoritative, and accessible, this book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to know about the contemporary concerns of the Jews of Europe.

About this title

About the Author:

Jonathan Webber is UNESCO Professor of Jewish and Interfaith Studies at the University of Birmingham, and was formerly Fellow in Jewish Social Studies at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and Lecturer in Social Anthroplogy, University of Oxford. He is editor of JASO: Journal of
the Anthropological Society of Oxford and the author of three other books to be published by the Littman Library: Rediscovering Traces of Memory: The Jewish Heritage of Polish Galicia and Traces of Memory: The Ruins of Jewish Civilization in Polish Galicia, both in collaboration with photographer
Chris Schwarz, and Time, Memory, and Historical Consciousness in the Jewish Tradition: The 1997 Cadbury Lectures.

Review:

"Those who care about the future of the Jews and Judaism, whether it be in Europe or elsewhere, will find this a very welcome addition to the literature." -- Ephraim Tabory, Contemporary Jewry

About this edition

• Publisher: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1874774153
• ISBN 13: 9781874774150
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328
• Editor: Webber Jonathan