The Image of Wealthy Jewish Merchants in Elizabethan Drama and National Maritime Anxiety

The Jewish narratives in Shakespearean drama can be seen as a reflective projection of the playwright’s thoughts on the country’s maritime industry. In the latter half of the 16th century, the government adopted an expansion policy in the economy, and the Elizabethan government established trade relations with Turkey, which secured the Mediterranean’s irreplaceable position in English trade. As a result, English playwrights of the time started to focus on the Mediterranean trade circle to cater to England’s trade policy. At the same time, as Jews played a crucial role in the Mediterranean trade circle during this period, these playwrights affirmed the positive role of the maritime industry by endowing Jews with wealthy merchant identities, which alleviated the anxiety of the public towards the maritime industry and catering to the state’s trade expansion policy.

The Death of Blessed Memory： A Crisis in Secular Israeli Identity in Yaakov Shabtai＇s ＂Departure＂

Yaakov Shabtai＇s ＂Departure＂ seems, at first glance, only to chronicle the illness and death of an unnamed grandmother living in Tel Aviv, as witnessed through the eyes of her grandson. The grandmother, an observant Jewish woman with socialist politics, liberal social views, and many friends, differs strikingly from her Israeli family. They are wholly secular Jews who disavow belief in religion. They observe yahrzeits, Jewish religious festivals, and holy days only as long as grandmother lives. They discontinue all Jewish observance the moment the grandmother dies, thus allegorizing a complete intergenerational break in Jewish identity. The story ends with the melancholic narrator realizing that he has no memory of the date of his grandmother＇s death. This article contends that this seemingly simple narrative has profound historical and referential meanings. The story functions as an allegorical critique of escalating social and religious divisions in Israel, as well as the implications of the loss of Jewish religion on Jewish identity. ＂Departure＂ reveals that the process of dis-identification and post-Zionism begins with the family： symbolically with the figure of the grandmother, whose peaceful, sociable identity stands in peril of becoming removed from the possibilities of her mode of Jewish being influencing future generations.

Emmanuel Levinas： Hermeneutics, Ethics, and Art

This article draws attention to the subject of art in Levinas＇s thinking through consideration of his philosophical language, which is aided by images, metaphors, and idioms of art. The primary image that will accompany our discussion throughout this article is the image of art as shadow, which Levinas incorporates into the title of the essay which he devotes to the subject of art： ＂Reality and Its Shadow＂. Thinking about art from the perspective of Levinas means thinking about image and essence, about which is visible before us and which we cannot see, and about the different ways in which art can express itself. Levinas＇s theory of interpretation is grounded in and guided by the field of ethics and addresses the ethical aspects of interpretation. Levinas approaches the discourse of interpretation not out of na＇ivet6 but rather based on a deep understanding of the field of hermeneutics, with all its shortcomings and challenges. Thinking of hermeneutics from an ethical perspective is no mere addition to the discussion but the very crux of the matter. An attempt to understand interpretation as an act of exposing the truth encounters serious philosophical and logical difficulties, whether we are seeking to discover the intention of the artist, the intent of a specific work of art, or a hidden form within the work itself. The engagement with Levinas＇s theory of hermeneutics, however, raises a different question which is the focus of this article： Can Levinas＇s theory of interpretation be applied to the realm of artistic creation, and if so, how？ This question is sharpened by the difficulties that Levinas himself poses to his readers by designating art as the ＂shadow＂ of reality and drawing attention to the egoistic dimension of the artistic act.

A Question of Identities： Jewish Italian Immigrants in New York During and After War World II

There are many studies on Italian and Jewish immigration in the United States, mainly based on socio-demographic statistics, the theme of exile, Fascist anti-Semitism or ethnic conflicts. Many of these researches focus primarily on Jewish or Italians, but rarely address at Italian Jews as a whole, and, in their relation with Italian American and Jews. One of the reasons of this paucity of studies, might be the little number of Italian Jews who immigrated to the United States, especially in New York in the 1930s and 1940s, that drove several scholars not to pay really attention to this tiny group in ignoring their presence. Thus, this article aims to investigate through some memoirs, interviews and autobiographies the life of Italian Jews who were living in New York and the Metropolitan area during and after War World II, with particular emphasis to those who were born there in these years and their formation of an American identity. This essay will also clarify an Italian Jewish identity--which made Italian the role of memory and ＂nostalgia＂ in an Italian identity--above all Jews a unique group and a minority within a minority.

The Influence of Jewish Americans on U. S. Middle East Policy

Ever since the establishment of Israeli statehood in 1948, the United States has been its staunch supporter. This is because of their common beliefs in values, political system and ideology, and America’s interests in the Middle East. However one important factor cannot be ignored., the influence of Jewish Americans’ political forces on U. S. Middle East policy. Since few articles deal with such a topic systematically in China, this essay tries to make a preliminary study on it.

Saul Bellow's Adherence and Breakthrough to Jewish Tradition

As one of the most significant American Jewish writers in the 20th century, Saul Bellow was influenced by the Jewish tradition and American mainstream thoughts in his writing creations. The conflicts and amalgamation between these two different cultures in his novels indicate that Bellow not only adheres to the Jewish traditional culture, but also breaks through the narrowmindedness of it.

An Analysis of Judeo-Christian Value in American Culture

This paper will focus on Judeo-Chirstian Value and its significant influence on American culture throughout American history,such as in American Revolution,Declaration of Independence,and World War II.The Judeo-Christen Value reveals how America makes use of the Hebrew cultural heritage to shape itself and stand firm throughout the history.Meanwhile this essay will explore what is the relationship between Jews and Americans.After paragraphs,it can be concluded that,Americans favor Judeo-Christian Value and they are friendly to be Jews in history,from all the evidence following.

The Ups and Downs of Yiddish Language

The Yiddish language originated in Ashkenazi culture and is spoken by Ashkenai Jewish who are thought to be the descendants of Rhineland Jews. For years, it was carried to many parts of the world with the migration of these Ashkenazi Jewish and a real version of ups and downs of the people. It was once considered as a dialect of German rather than an independent language, which many scholars of Ashkenazi Jewish origin managed to get rid of. It aims to give a brief introduction to this language and try to trace back its origin and development so as to bring a brief senario of the Ashkenazi Jewish's striving for their identity. Having read and study literatures about this language, a conclusion can be reached that Yiddish language means"the mother tongue of Jewish people"which reflects Jewish cultural life and finally prove its value that it deserved in fields of linguistics and literature through centuries-long wax and wane.

Lucia Bedarida Servadio： A Life Beyond Limits. A Female Italian Jewish Scientist in Tangier

Italian Jewish women in the early 20th century, and, their struggle with their Italian national identity, culture, and, Jewish heritage is a topic that has not been yet sufficiently studied, in particular the one regarding Italian Jewish women in sciences and their contribution to the Italian culture. With the exception of a few memoirs, as well a book recently published in Italian, who depicted shortly the life of some of these women, to this day, there is a paucity of publications about it, with the result that, there is little knowledge about them and their ＂pioneering spirit＂ and ＂modernism＂. Thus, this article aims to spread light on one of these extraordinary women： the tubiba （Arabic name for doctor） Lucia Bedarida Servadio. In analyzing Lucia＇s life through her memoirs, writings, and, unpublished documents, such as private letters that she wrote to her friends and family, I will show the impact that this ＂avant-garde＂, and, still quite unknown women had in the Italian society. Above all, the legacy that she left as a ＂messenger＂ of peace, in dedicating her whole life, to help the ＂others＂, despite their colors, race and religion, like she did in Morocco from 1940 until 1981.

The Treasure： Women, Halakha1 and Jewelry in Medieval Northern France and Germany2

The Colmar treasure display in Cluny Museum in Paris was missing with one of its most important items, a key, made of silver. This key was rediscovered in June 2014. This paper describes its rediscover and the reason of its importance. Based on medieval Jewish sources, it appears to be a unique key-jewel, a key that was exclusively designed and worn by Jewish women on Shabbat （Saturday）. By that women changed the Jewish rule, to date. The Colmar key is the only tangible sample of a key converted into Shabbat jewelry piece; the story of the key also reveals the special relations between Jewish women and Jewish sages and between Jewish women and Christian women in medieval northern France and Germany.

The Dialectic of Borders and Multiculturalism in Naomi Nye＇s Habibi

This paper investigates how the Arab-American writer Naomi Nye addresses the dialectic between borders and multiculturalism in her award-winning young adult novel Habibi （1997）. Critiquing the essentialist view that presumes fixed boundaries for a culture, Nye promotes the alternative view that assumes individuals＇ power of defining and redefining their cultural identities in a multicultural society. The author argues that Nye＇s position is that borders/boundaries and geographical demarcations are flimsy, arbitrary and create divisions, animosities and hatred between people and nations whereas multiculturalism engenders feelings of reconciliation, friendship, and understanding. Though borders and boundaries can be divisive, cultural variety and hybridity can be inclusive. To counteract the argument of borders/boundaries, Nye posits the argument of multiculturalism. In this paper, the author intends to examine the assumptions of the physical and the cultural borders rhetoric in comparison with the multicultural approach narrative. It is the dialectic of these two opposing forces that shapes the events and the final outcome of the action and events of this novel

Poets and Rhymesters as Cultural Heroes in the Jewish Society of the Mediterranean Basin During the Middle Ages

This research aims to check the assumption that the cultural icons of Jewish communities in Islamic countries,in the Mediterranean Basin during the early Middle-Ages,were Jewish poets,or at least rhyming experts and poetry“technicians”.Through vast study of Genizah documents,in the purpose of outlining the shape of the leadership of Jewish communities in these Islamic countries,I realized that all leaders whose portraits I have studied,out of hundreds of letters and documents—were poem writers.Some of them were real poets,who created poems and liturgics of rare poetic qualities,and some were mere“technicians”who joined rhymes according to accepted rules of their time.By looking at those“technicians”poems,it seems that the writing has cost them a considerable mental effort,and yet they continued with the poem writing.The assumption is that in order to become a role model or a cultural hero,as we call it today,the leaders had to write poems and use them as a means for political and social advancement.

The Function of the Synagogue in Leisure Culture

The research literature on the topic of leisure indicates that leisure is perceived variably by different sectors and cultures.In Israel,affiliation with a certain religious group affects one’s perception of leisure.The uniqueness of the current study involves the function of the synagogue as an influential element in Jewish leisure culture.The synagogue is not only a place of prayer,rather also a place of convening and gathering where many varied activities take place,beyond prayer.In practice,over the generations,the synagogue served as a site of leisure activities and as a means of enhancing unity and communal life in Jewish society both in Israel and elsewhere.The current study examines differences in perceptions of the synagogue as a place of prayer and as a place of leisure by worshippers and others.The study included 387 participants,who defined themselves as secular,traditional,religious,or ultra-Orthodox.The research findings indicate no difference between secular and religious participants with regard to their perception of the synagogue as a place of leisure,namely,the synagogue is not perceived as a place of leisure rather as a place of prayer.Moreover,a negative association was found between religiosity and participant’s perception of the synagogue as a place of leisure;the more religious the participants the more they thought that the synagogue is utilized less as a place of leisure(and more as a place of prayer).Finally,the study showed a different gender-related attitude to the synagogue as a place of leisure,where men more than women perceive the synagogue as a place of leisure.The current study illuminates a site of leisure activity that has undergone an essential change from a religious place to one that bears communal-cultural-national significance,although it is not perceived as such by the various sectors within Israeli society.A discrepancy was found between actual practices and perception of the synagogue as a place of worship,where in practice the synagogue is used to celebrate dates with collective significance(for example,Jewish holidays)and to note events that are meaningful to the individual(such as marriages,bar mitzvahs,and births).This is an initial study that can lead to further research,which will continue to explore the perceptions of the Jewish population regarding the synagogue as a place with communal and personal significance,during leisure time as well.The synagogue as a site of leisure culture has the potential to unite the various sectors.

Jewish Women Activity in the Lithuanian Women＇s Movement in the First Half of the 20th Century

Jewish women activity in the Lithuanian women＇s movement has never been investigated. This article provides a brief overview of the most important aspects of their activities in restoring the State of Lithuania and actively joining its activities in the inter-war period. In the end of 1919, the Women＇s Circle to Aid the Solders was established, and Jewish women were active in its activities. The participants of the women＇s circles were awarded the medals of the 10th anniversary of the Lithuanian Independence for their activities. The women established and actively worked in the Lithuanian Women Committee to Protect the Homeland as a response to the call-back of the Chief Defence Committee. After the Independence fights, during the period of the democratic Lithuanian state （1920-1926）, the Jewish women actively took part in the self-governing institutions. Especially active were the Jewish socialist labourists and Jewish laboursits＇ groups. This activity diminished during the period of the authoritarian regime （1926-1940）.

Will the Holocaust Please Hush？ Social and Historical Incongruity in Savyon Liebrecht＇s Hayuta＇s Engagement Party

Mendel, a survivor of Auschwitz who lives in Israel, remains silent for forty years after his traumatic experiences. However, Mendel, for no reason that his daughter Bella, also a survivor, can discern, begins to testify to his horrific ordeals during the Holocaust at putatively inopportune times, such as religious holidays and family celebrations. When his granddaughter Hayuta plans an engagement party, the social and historical incongruities of the Holocaust in the context of contemporary Israeli society become apparent. Ordinary pleasures are matters of moral obloquy in the face of the unfathomable black hole of the Holocaust. While critics have charged Mendel＇s daughter with preoccupation with invidious social climbing and his granddaughter Hayuta with moral reprehensible compartmentalization of her historical and familial existences, Liebrecht unwittingly implies that historical trauma has very diverse and inexplicable effects on different family members： Some, like the daughter Bella, eventually wish to hear more about the experiences of her father （while feeling that his words will ＂＇ruin＂ her social life）, while Hayuta and Shifra his daughter-in-law react by shunning the speech of Mendel, which they experience as destroying their quotidian happiness.

Remembrance and Exile in Argentina＇s Jewish Diaspora： The Poetry of Adriana Stein

In Ultimospoemas a Buenos Aires, Adriana Stein, like many contemporary Jewish Latin American writers,explores the nature of remembrance and exile within the context of social justice not only in the Americas, but also within the broader context of world politics. Her collection of poetry, published as an e-book in 2015, traces the legacy of the Jewish diaspora in Argentina through her own experiences and those of friends and family as she summons memories of the disappeared during the Dirty Wax from 1974 to 1983. Some of the poems contained this collection were first published under the name of Adrimm Stein Fourmma on the Proyecto desaparecidos for Argentina, the website dedicated to the memory of the victims of the military regime and to exposing their repressors. Themes of the marginalized or fragmented self as well as both internal and external exile common in works by diasporic communities throughout Jewish history also find expression in Stein＇s collection, along with the oft repeated history of Shoah. Indeed, through her poetry, Adriana Stein contributes to the wider discourse of the politics of identity that serves as literary testimony of the perpetual struggle for humma rights that focuses on diasporic societies in Latin America and elsewhere

The Argumentation for Contemporary Peacemaking Efforts According to Jewish Tradition

Peace is a key concept in the Jewish tradition; it has a long history. It is also an extremely broad concept. The present article takes on the subject of contemporary peace between Israel and her neighbors, addressing the issue from the vantage point of Judaism. While opinions on many issues are divided in Judaism today, all streams within the Jewish tradition uphold the concept of peace. Even so, each stream supports a somewhat different version of this ideal, subject to different limitations or reservations. One of the most serious challenges which Judaism today faces in connection with the State of Israel is the issue of exchanging territories for peace. The goal of the present paper is to show that while most approaches rooted in traditional Judaism have opposed such an exchange, Israel＇s religious political parties have endorsed it, advancing different arguments in support of their view. The method followed in the present paper is to study the arguments which have been used in support of peace agreements based on return or exchange of land. In light of the arguments put forth in the paper, to be counted among the accomplishments is a greater degree of openness--even on the part of the religious sector in Israel--toward the effort to achieve peace between Israel and her neighbors.

Will the Holocaust Please Hush？ Social and Historical Incongruity in Savyon Liebrecht＇s “Hayuta＇s Engagement Party”

Mendel, a survivor of Auschwitz who lives in Israel, remains silent for 40 years after his traumatic experiences. However, Mendel, for no reason that his daughter Bella, also a survivor, can discern, begins to testify to his horrific ordeals during the Holocaust at putatively inopportune times, such as religious holidays and family celebrations. When his granddaughter Hayuta plans an engagement party, the social and historical incongruities of the Holocaust in the context of contemporary Israeli society become apparent. Ordinary pleasures are matters of moral obloquy in the face of the unfathomable black hole of the Holocaust. While critics have charged Mendel＇s daughter with preoccupation with invidious social climbing and his granddaughter Hayuta with moral reprehensible compartmentalization of her historical and familial existences, Liebrecht unwittingly implies that historical trauma has very diverse and inexplicable effects on different family members： Some, like the daughter Bella, eventually wish to hear more about the experiences of her father （while feeling that his words will “ruin” her social life）, while Hayutaand Shifra his danghter-in-law react by shunning the speech of Mendel, which they experience as ruining their quotidian happiness.

Relations Between Intangible and Tangible Culture on Example of Casimir Historical Jewish District in Cracow

In Jewish City in Casimir--historical district of Cracow, Jewish culture manifested its original architectural style based mostly on specific detail. Perception of this type of architectural detail depends, basically, on knowledge of the Jewish culture. Proper understanding of meaning of the Jewish architectural detail depends on complex relations between Jewish tangible and intangible culture. Nowadays, it is especially important, according to relatively fast revitalization of the district. All renovation works require specific approach taking into account differences based on cultural diversity. Moreover, the understanding of the Jewish architectural detail is strictly connected with both history of Jews and Poles. One thousand years of cohabitation allowed to understand the economical and, partially, social differences, but not cultural at whole. The main aim of the article is to present chosen cultural and non-cultural factors, affecting the perception of the Jewish architectural detail in Casimir.

Taxes, Loans, Credit and Debts in the 15th Century Towns of Moravia： A Case Study of Olomouc and Brno

The paper explores urban public finance in the late medieval towns on the example of two largest cities in Moravia-Olomouc and Brno. Its purpose is to define similarities and differences between them, to express changes which have taken place in the course of the 15th century, and to distinguish financial administration and types of investments in the towns situated in the Eastern part of the Holy Roman Empire from those in the West. The primary sources （municipal books, charters, and Jewish registers） are analyzed using quantitative and comparative methods and the concept of the 15th century financial crisis is reconsidered. The analysis proved that each town within the Empire paid a fixed percentage of the total tax sum of central direct taxation through a system of repartition so that each tax increase caused an ever growing pressure on its finances. New taxes collected in Bmo and Olomouc after 1454 were not proportional to the economic power and population of both cities and gave preferential benefit to Olomouc. At the same time the importance of urban middle classes as tax-farmers started to grow. They increasingly gained influence on the financial and fiscal regime, both through political emancipation as well as by serving as financial officials. The Jewish registers document a general lack of money in the 1430s and 1440s which played into hands of the Jewish usurers. Accounting records from the 1480s and 1490s, to the contrary, give evidence of the growth of loans, debts and credit enterprise. The restructuring of urban elites, caused by financial crises and social conflicts, was centered round the wish for a more efficient management of urban financial resources and more intensive control rights. It was a common feature of towns in the West just as in the East of the Empire. On the other side, the tax basis in the West was rather created by indirect taxes, while direct taxes prevailed in the East. Trade activities played more important role in the West, whereas rich burghers in the East rather invested into land estates. From the research also emerged that the establishment of separate cashes is documented in the West only, the management of urban finance in the East remained limited to a single-entry accounting.