Scholars tend to call them "rites of passage." Most people prefer to speak of them as life-cycle events or milestones. Jews like to speak of simchas, when there's something (a birth, bar or bat mitzvah, or a wedding) to celebrate. These are key moments for individuals and for the families and communities of which they are a part. This volume offers new insights into rituals as old as the Hebrew Bible and as new as the twenty-first century in contexts as familiar as the American Midwest and as exotic as Karaism. This collection examines and frequently affirms some of the rituals that have...
Scholars tend to call them "rites of passage." Most people prefer to speak of them as life-cycle events or milestones. Jews like to speak of simchas, ...
Jews and humor is, for most people, a natural and felicitous collocation. In spite of, or perhaps because of, a history of crises and living on the edge, Jews have often created or resorted to humor. But what is humor? And what makes certain types, instances, or performances of humor Jewish? These are among the myriad queries addressed by the fourteen authors whose essays are collected in this volume. And, thankfully, their observations, always apt and often witty, are expressed with a lightness of style and a depth of analysis that are appropriate to the many topics they cover. The...
Jews and humor is, for most people, a natural and felicitous collocation. In spite of, or perhaps because of, a history of crises and living on the ed...
For some, the connection between Jews and athletics might seem far-fetched. But in fact, as is highlighted by the fourteen chapters in this collection, Jews have been participating in"and thinking about"sports for more than two thousand years. The articles in this volume cover a wide chronological range: from the Hellenistic period (first century BCE) to the most recent basketball season. The range of athletes covered is equally broad. The authors of these essays raise a number of intriguing questions such as: What differing attitudes toward sports have Jews exhibited across periods and...
For some, the connection between Jews and athletics might seem far-fetched. But in fact, as is highlighted by the fourteen chapters in this collection...
This volume presents papers delivered at the 24th Annual Klutznick Harris Symposium, held at Creighton University in October 2011. The contributors look at all aspects of the intimate relationship between Jews and clothing, through case studies from ancient, medieval, recent, and contemporary history. Papers explore topics ranging from Jewish leadership in the textile industry, through the art of fashion in 19th century Vienna, to the use of clothing as a badge of ethnic identity, in both secular and religious contexts.
This volume presents papers delivered at the 24th Annual Klutznick Harris Symposium, held at Creighton University in October 2011. The contributors lo...
Jewish identity is a perennial concern, as Jews seek to define the major features and status of those who "belong," while at the same time draw distinctions between individuals and groups on the "inside" and those on the "outside." From a variety of perspectives, scholarly as well as confessional, there is intense interest among non-Jewish and Jewish commentators alike in the basic question, "Who is a Jew?" This collection of articles draws diverse historical, cultural, and religious insights from scholars who represent a wide range of academic and theological disciplines. Some of the authors...
Jewish identity is a perennial concern, as Jews seek to define the major features and status of those who "belong," while at the same time draw distin...
As government by the people, democracy has always had its proponents as well as opponents. What forms of government have Jewish leaders, both with and without actual political power, favoured? This volume is required reading for anyone interested in how religion and politics have interacted, and continue to interact, in Judaism and among Jews.
As government by the people, democracy has always had its proponents as well as opponents. What forms of government have Jewish leaders, both with and...
