Today＇s society in Israel is divided and tom on many issues, including religion, and Jewish and Israeli identity, yet occasionally, a single event emerges which combines several divisions. One such issue is the ＂ide...Today＇s society in Israel is divided and tom on many issues, including religion, and Jewish and Israeli identity, yet occasionally, a single event emerges which combines several divisions. One such issue is the ＂identity crisis＂ also known as the question of ＂Who is a Jew？＂. This is a thorny complex problem, and one which has not yet been awarded a clear-cut constitutional solution. For example, it continues to be debated whether the religious definition should be the decisive factor, that is, should a Jew defined as an individual born to a mother who is Jewish or has been converted according to halacha, or whether Israeli identity is the more critical element and whether any individual born in or immigrated to Israel who served in the army, works and pays taxes in Israel, and identifies with the state＇s values should be identified as a Jew？ In this paper, the author wishes to focus on equally complicated issue, although one has attracted less attention. This is the issue of halachic polarization or extremism that characterizes Judaism in modem Israel. Following a brief historical explanation, the author defines the problem at hand, and propose a solution.展开更多
This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ...This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ＂in the image of God＂ through medieval interpretations of that phrase, and the implications of those traditions for conceptualizing Jewish-gentile relations, and in particular, the ＂humanity＂ of gentiles. The second half of the paper treats a very different construction of Jewish-gentile relations by looking at the phenomenon of inter-cultural adaptation and exchange as it has shaped Jewish diasporic culture; this discussion focuses upon one extreme case of Jewish-gentile syncretism, the medieval Kaifeng Jewish community in China.展开更多
文摘Today＇s society in Israel is divided and tom on many issues, including religion, and Jewish and Israeli identity, yet occasionally, a single event emerges which combines several divisions. One such issue is the ＂identity crisis＂ also known as the question of ＂Who is a Jew？＂. This is a thorny complex problem, and one which has not yet been awarded a clear-cut constitutional solution. For example, it continues to be debated whether the religious definition should be the decisive factor, that is, should a Jew defined as an individual born to a mother who is Jewish or has been converted according to halacha, or whether Israeli identity is the more critical element and whether any individual born in or immigrated to Israel who served in the army, works and pays taxes in Israel, and identifies with the state＇s values should be identified as a Jew？ In this paper, the author wishes to focus on equally complicated issue, although one has attracted less attention. This is the issue of halachic polarization or extremism that characterizes Judaism in modem Israel. Following a brief historical explanation, the author defines the problem at hand, and propose a solution.
文摘This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ＂in the image of God＂ through medieval interpretations of that phrase, and the implications of those traditions for conceptualizing Jewish-gentile relations, and in particular, the ＂humanity＂ of gentiles. The second half of the paper treats a very different construction of Jewish-gentile relations by looking at the phenomenon of inter-cultural adaptation and exchange as it has shaped Jewish diasporic culture; this discussion focuses upon one extreme case of Jewish-gentile syncretism, the medieval Kaifeng Jewish community in China.
