Jewish Studies Commons^™

Written With The Finger Of God: Divine And Human Writing In Exodus, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

"The presence of writing in the book of Exodus must be considered not only for its contribution to the narrative as story, but also as a witness to several key socio-political issues (such as the interplay of textuality and orality in ancient Israel), for the role of writing in the history of Israel's religion, and for the struggle to define, through several centuries and editorial layers, the nature of YHWH's "true image'' in the world."

Holocaust Denial Literature Twenty Years Later: A Follow-Up Investigation Of Public Librarians' Attitudes Regarding Acquisition And Access, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

This study was undertaken to learn about public librarians' attitudes and opinions concerning the sometimes conflicting issues of intellectual freedom, collection balance, and controversial materials, and whether those attitudes and opinions have changed over twenty years. The investigation focused on Holocaust denial literature, a body of work which ranges from minimizing the Holocaust to outright denying that it happened. Public librarians in Nassau County, New York, were surveyed, and the results were compared with a similar survey from 1992. The results indicate that librarians are even more open to Holocaust denial literature than they were twenty years ago and, regardless …

Sexuality And Textuality (Fall 2014), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

"Sexuality and Textuality" serves as an introduction to gay and lesbian literary studies and queer theory. It looks at questions of sexuality and literature in ancient and early modern texts (from the Hebrew, Greek and English traditions), as well as in modern texts (from German, French, Spanish, Japanese, and English traditions). In addition to literary texts, students will work with a number of cinematic representations of queer sexuality. Besides these primary texts, students will work with important secondary literature about sexuality."

A photo of this Fall 2014 class was taken as part of Professor Bob Tobin's ongoing class photo tradition.

Haymarket To The Heights: The Movement Of Cleveland's Orthodox Synagogues From Their Initial Meeting Places To The Heights, Jeffrey S. Morris

Cleveland Memory

This document traces the movement, growth and demise of the small neighborhood synagogues, or shuls, established by newly-arrived Eastern European Jews in the Haymarket area as they migrated to the eastern suburbs.

From Ark Of The Covenant To Torah Scroll: Ritualizing Israel’S Iconic Texts, James W. Watts

Religion - All Scholarship

Torah scrolls are the central icon of Jewish worship. Interpreters usually regard such ritual uses of physical Torah scrolls as a consequence of the Pentateuch’s textual authority and canonization. However, the traditions about tablets of commandments carried in a reliquary ark show that ritualization of texts in the iconic dimension began early in Israel’s history. Was the Pentateuch itself developed with such iconic uses in mind? That is, was the Pentateuch shaped to replace the tablets and the ark? Evidence for such shaping appears in ambiguities surrounding Pentateuchal traditions about the tablets and scrolls of the law. These passages equate …

The Kabbalah Of Forgiveness, Henry M. Abramson

Lander College of Arts and Sciences Books

The Kabbalah of Forgiveness is a translation of the first chapter of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s classic work Date Palm of Devorah (Tomer Devorah) with a commentary by Dr. Henry Abramson. Emerging from the 16th-century Safed Circle of Jewish mystics, this book earned a rare exception to the centuries-old ban on the study of Kabbalah by students under 40 because of its profound ethical value.

Re-Thinking Paris At The Fin-De-Siècle: A New Vision Of Parisian Musical Culture From The Perspective Of Gabriel Astruc (1854-1938), Cesar A. Leal

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Gabriel Astruc (1864-1938), a French impresario of Jewish background, is mostly known for his collaborative work as an impresario with Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes. His role within Parisian musical culture at the fin de siècle, however, was much broader. He was a critic, creator of a leading periodical, producer of musical and circus events, music publisher, and associate of many important cultural figures of his day. Although Astruc has been mentioned in scholarly literature, his multifaceted activities have never been carefully studied.

Following the revisionist initiatives of previous scholars (e.g., Pasler, Huebner, Garafola, Fauser), this project offers …

Grafting Onto `The Jew': The Importance Of Being Jew-Ish To Early Modern English Christian Identity, Joan Blackwell Wedes

Wayne State University Dissertations

The dissertation examines how Jewish figures in early modern plays, prose, and poetry moved beyond the uncomplicated medieval image of murderous villain and towards a more reasoned consideration of the Jew's position in Christianity as well as in English life. While there has been significant scholarship on early modern representations of Jews, particularly in drama, these studies have not examined how Paul's Letter to the Romans, in forming much of Reformation doctrine, was also crucial in forming attitudes towards and representations of literary and living Jews. My project uniquely combines history, biblical studies, and literary analysis to reveal how early …

Printing, Fundraising, And Jewish Patronage In Eighteenth-Century Livorno, Francesca Bregoli

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Frank Moore Cross’S Contribution To The Study Of The Dead Sea Scrolls, Sidnie White Crawford

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

This paper examines the impact of Frank Moore Cross on the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since Cross was a member of the original editorial team responsible for publishing the Cave 4 materials, his influence on the field was vast. The article is limited to those areas of Scrolls study not covered in other articles; the reader is referred especially to the articles on palaeography and textual criticism for further discussion of Cross’s work on the Scrolls.

A Symposium On The Legacy Of Frank Moore Cross: Introduction, Walter E. Aufrecht, Sidnie White Crawford

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

The papers following these remarks were presented in November 2013 at a symposium jointly sponsored by the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Schools of Oriental Research. Frank Cross was a president of both of these organizations, and so it seemed desirable to conduct a retrospective of his scholarly work under their aegis. Cross’s life and career was superbly highlighted in this journal by Peter Machinist (2013), and they need no further rehearsal here. Rather, our goal is to begin the evaluation of his work and its influence on the scholarly world.

Messianic Jewish Liturgical Practices, Elizabeth Ames

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis explores the current liturgical practices of mainstream Messianic Judaism in the United States using literary and ethnographic research. It examines the historical, biblical, and theological basis for the worship practices used. The origins of their worship practices are evaluated to ascertain whether they reflect charismatic Christian, Jewish denominational or biblical practice. A combination of literary research and qualitative research are used to define the movement; give a brief but comprehensive history of it; and, finally, explain and examine its worship practices. Leaders of the Messianic movement were interviewed for the qualitative research. The findings revealed that a distinction …

Right-Skilling: Rabbis And The Rabbinic Role For A New Century, Barak D. Richman, Daniel Libenson

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter applies Clayton Christensen's model of organizational innovation to Jewish contexts. It observes a parallel between the many challenges that currently confront U.S. healthcare and American Jewry: a mismatch in the skills acquired by professionals and the needs expressed by the broader public; expensive institutions with high fixed costs that are struggling to provide value and maintain sustainable revenues; a failure to respect individual autonomy and cultural mores; and a disenfranchised public that suffers from high costs and unmet demand for meaningful services. It then applies Christensen's adapted model for the healthcare sector to American Jewish institutions, suggesting reforms …

The Eschatological Role Of The Jerusalem Temple: An Examination Of Jewish Writings Dating From 586 Bce To 70 Ce, Eric W. Baker

Dissertations

Topic. This research investigates the relationship between eschatology and the Jerusalem temple within the second temple period. -- Purpose. This research investigates the role of the Jerusalem temple within the second temple Jewish writings to establish whether the Jerusalem temple has any role to play in relation to the end of the exile and the beginning of the eschaton. Previous analyses of second temple Judaism have not focused on the role of the Temple in eschatology. -- Sources. The primary documents investigated in this research were the proto-canonical, deutero-canonical, Qumran writings, and the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. -- Conclusion. The Jerusalem …

Passover, Trevan Hatch, Zahra Alghafli, Loren D. Marks

Faculty Publications

Passover is a Jewish spring festival that primarily commemorates the ancient liberation of the Hebrew slaves and their exodus from Egypt and secondarily commemorates the liberation of Jews on various instances throughout history. The festival begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan (March or April) and lasts for seven days (eight days in the Diaspora). Passover consists of the traditions of (1) a pre-Passover home cleaning and (2) the Seder (meaning order), an evening ceremony on the first day of Passover that is usually observed with family and friends. Passover season is a time for Jewish …

A Proposal To Withhold Divorce Decrees On Grounds Of Equity, J. David Bleich

Articles

Throughout the medieval period, marriage was acknowledged by temporal rulers to be a religious matter governed by the ecclesiastic law of the Church which, to be sure, incorporated many principles of Roman law. Subsequent to the Reformation, the rulers of many European countries became disposed to regard marriage as a civil act, to withdraw marriage from the control of the church and to entrust it entirely to the state. The Napoleonic Code was the first example of a legal system that treated marriage as a purely civil act. The Napoleonic Code did not deny the religious element present in marriage …

Anguish And Joy In God’S Service, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2013: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

American Politics And The Jewish Community, Dan Schnur

The Jewish Role in American Life: An Annual Review

At its broadest level, politics is the practice of making a community a better, safer, and more tolerant place to live. So it should be of no surprise that America's Jews have devoted themselves to civic engagement and the democratic process. From before the Revolutionary War to the early 21st century, when America saw the first Jewish vice presidential nominee of a major party and the first Jewish Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Jewish community has always devoted itself to public service, issue advocacy, and involvement in politics and government at every level. While strong support for the …

The Messiah And His People, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2013: Isa 11:1-10; Ps 72; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Foundation For Peace, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2013: Is 2:1-5; Ps 122; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

The Pink And Yellow Star, Naomi Cahn

Writing Programs

Cahn utilized a history major and Jewish studies minor to write her fictional piece for Dr. Michael Datcher’s Creative Writing class of fall 2013. “The Pink and Yellow Star” tells the story of a young woman’s struggle to survive as a homosexual during the Holocaust. There were many difficulties writing this heavy-handed of a story, both factually and emotionally. Cahn wanted to make good the motto that Jews had promised, “Never again.” However, she believed that Jews and most of the world had not abided by this ideal. There’s still genocide in the world; there’s still discrimination, oppression, and persecution. …

Royal Dignity In Persecution, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Feast of Christ the King, November 24, 2013: 2 Sm 5:1-3; Ps 122; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Judgment And Resurrection, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 10, 2013: 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14; Ps 17; 2 Thes 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Salvation For Rich And Poor, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 3, 2013: Wis 11:23-12:2; Ps 145; 2 Thes 1:11-2:2; Lk 19:1-10. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Petition As A Form Of Prayer, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 27, 2013: Sir 35:12-18; Ps 34; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk 18:9-14. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Fashioning Jews: Clothing, Culture, And Commerce, Leonard Greenspoon

Studies in Jewish Civilization

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 nineteenth century Vienna, to the use of clothing as a badge of ethnic identity, in both secular and religious contexts.

Contents: Shmattas in the North, Shmattas in the South: The Civil War and the Birth of the American Clothing Industry (Adam …

Healing Of Dreaded Diseases, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 13, 2013: 2 Kgs 5:14-17; Ps 98:1-4; 2 Tim 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Faith And The Trials Of Life, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 6, 2013: Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Ps 95; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Museum Hours, Daniel Ross Goodman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Museum Hours (2013), directed by Jem Cohen.

This World’S Goods And Our Goals, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle C liturgical readings for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 29, 2013: Am 6:1, 4-7; Ps 146; 1 Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.