Jewish Studies

Had Jonas ever overcome his fascination with Gnosis? According to the prevailing opinion among Jonas’s scholars, his later reflections on responsibility to nature should be inscribed in the tendency characteristic of many thinkers called by Richard Wolin ‘Heideggers children’: initially marked by the Gnostic aura of the Weimar era, they all eventually put themselves to the task of ‘overcoming Gnosticism,’ which would leave the dualistic influence of Heidegger, Barth and Harnack behind and attempt a return to the classical sense of participation in the natural cosmos. According to this Blumenbergian narrative, the post-Gnostic trajectory of Jonas’s thought can be compared to the similar one of Leo Strauss and other late-modern ‘Aristotelians’ who changed camps from Gnosticism to Naturalism. By pioneering the ‘third overcoming of Gnosis’ and turning towards the phenomenon of life, Jonas recreates a philosophy of physis which recuperates the Aristotelian notion of the spontaneous purposefulness of nature. Yet, as demonstrated by Jonas’ ample use of the Lurianic ‘speculative mythology’ in his post-war period, the story cannot be that simple. Yes, it is true that Jonas attempts to overcome dualistic Gnosis the most powerful modern manifestation of which he locates in Heidegger’s doctrine of Geworfenheit, being-thrown into an alien world – and yes, he also advocates a return to nature as the one metaphysical house of man and things, mind and matter. But does it mean that what he thus wishes to recover is the Aristotelian eidetic teaching of the ontological good of being? Not necessarily. By taking Jonas’s ‘tentative myth’ seriously, I will propose a different scenario of Jonas’s ‘overcoming of Gnosticism,’ consisting in the following transformation: from the dualistic type of Gnosis, which he made an explicit object of his early studies, to a dialectical type of Gnosticism, which he implicitly assumed in his later period while borrowing heavily from as well as modernizing the kabbalistic doctrine of Isaac Luria.

Вступ. Імперська спадщина в сучасній Україні є предметом суспільної уваги, набагато ширшої ніж коли-небудь вона мала в українському академічному дискурсі. У націоцентричному наративі, який домінував у 1990-х-2000-х рр. «довге XIX ст.» було затавроване як «втрачений час» бездержавності, де українські землі стали жертвою хижих імперій. Голос Ярослава Грицака, який закликав до «нормалізації» української історії й уваги до надважливої доби змінформування модерного суспільства, лишався майже не чутним на той час (Грицак, 2000, 2011). У 2010-х рр. підхід проблематизувався, через поступове наближення українських науковців до західного академічного поля, запозичення усталених в ньому підходів (Гундорова, 2013). На початку 2020-х рр., пов'язаний із повномасштабною російсько-українською війною, виклик нової хвилі деколонізації вийшов далеко за межі української академії. Під час круглого столу, який відбувся у січні 2023 р. в Чернівця (Бемпорад, 2023), американська дослідниця Елісса Бемпорад зазначила, що поточна війна впливає на вивчення єврейської історії Східної Європи. Історикиня вважає, що об'єкт дослідження -«російські євреї», як він тривалий час сприймався в західній історіографії, поставлений під сумнів. Використання подібної термінології фактично тягне за собою екстраполяцію імперської моделі на академічні дослідження. Як наслідок, регіональні особливості були проігноровані, а спільноти, які жили поза російськими територіями, були позбавлені голосу. За спостереженнями Бемпорад, як редакторки журналу «Jewish Social Studies», автори які надсилали свої тексти, ніколи не робили винятку із цього правила слововжитку. Однак, тепер проблематизація цієї ситуації стала очевидною. Ці слова знаної дослідниці євреїв на білоруських землях та антисемітизму здається підкреслили очевидний зсув, постколоніальний поворот у єврейських студіях Східної Європи. В той же час, підкреслюючи очевидність деколонізації, яка сьогодні є вимогою суспільства, історик Ілля Герасимов застерігає від сприйняття позиції її творців як непроблемної та апріорі моральної (Герасимов, 2023). В інклюзивному наративі української історії єврейське минуле є невід'ємною частиною. Період співіснування євреїв та українців сягає середньовіччя (Петровський-Штерн, 2016). Перебування обох спільнот у Речі Посполитій на тривалий час заклали соціо-

As an inherently decentered and transnational mode of identity, culture and language, diaspora offers fertile grounds for the production of world literature. Yet diasporic literature diverges from national and regional models of world literature as well as related typologies of comparison due to particularities I collectively term “diasporic difference.” This essay elucidates diasporic difference in nineteenth-century Jewish-language translations of Robinson Crusoe made during the Haskalah, or global Jewish Enlightenment movement. After mapping the novel’s translation history in Hebrew and Jewish vernacular languages (Ladino, Judeo-Arabic and Yiddish), I show how the manifestations of Jewish diaspora play out at different levels, from the novel’s diasporic pathways of circulation to each individual edition’s linguistic and aesthetic attributes. Drawing upon this case study and prior scholarship, I argue that diaspora combines different scales of literary space and time, expanding world literature’s horizon of inquiry beyond a singular modern “world.” Further, diaspora may challenge distinctions between North-South and South-South models by absorbing both trajectories of circulation into a “minor” diasporic network of lateral exchange. Finally, given diaspora’s merging of a shared culture of origin with heterogeneous local influences, the translingual comparison of texts within a diasporic constellation resists classification as either intercultural or intracultural comparison. The multilingual Jewish translation history of Robinson Crusoe exemplifies the modulation of diverse cultures through the unifying force of diasporic connection and calls for an alternative approach to comparison.

Über das frühe Leben des Uri Halewi, Sohn eines Joseph ben Ephraim Halewi in Braunschweig, wissen wir wenig. Jedoch kann aus den Quellen erschlossen werden, daß er in seiner Jugend 1557 bei der Vertreibung der Juden aus Braunschweig floh und sich schon bald darauf in der prosperierenden ostfriesischen Hafenstadt Emden niederließ. Dort waren seit einigen Jahren Juden ansässig geworden; Halewi ist dabei der erste, dessen Name überliefert ist. Dieser Name erscheint allerdings in verschiedenen Varianten. In jüdischen Quellen wird er nach dem Ort seiner Niederlassung Feibisch Emden genannt, wobei Feibisch (1598 "Pheyfuss", Variante unter seinen Nachfahren: "Phoebus") eine jiddische Entsprechung des hebräischen Uri ist. In den niederländischen Quellen erscheint er verballhornt als Philips (= Feibisch) Joost (= ben Joseph). In Unterlagen der jüdischen Gemeinden von Emden und Amsterdam wird die hebräische Namensform verwendet. Nur einmal, im Emder Memorbuch, das lange nach seinem Tod erstellt wurde, wird noch der Name "Moses" seinem Namen vorangestellt, der aber sonst urkundlich nicht belegt ist. Allerdings ist ein Moses ben Jacob Halewi in Emden bekannt, der mit hebräischen Büchern handelte (1590-92) und vielleicht ein Vetter war.

This essay examines the reconstitution of the private sphere during National Socialism under the conditions of a radically ideologized regime, marked by systemic violence, discrimination, and the extermination of racially marginalized groups. The Second World War and the Holocaust turned family disruptions into a mass experience that deeply impacted notions of belonging, identity, gender roles, and the redistribution of resources within the racially defined 'people's community' ('Volksgemeinschaft'). Drawing on approaches from the history of society, everyday life, and emotions, as well as the histories of subjectivity and childhood, the article calls for a transnational and comparative perspective on the private in authoritarian orders in the "age of extremes".

Holocaust battles have had varying characters. Many of the most protracted and stubborn of them have been intellectual and ideological, fought by scholars and debaters who have presented arguments in favour of or against comparisons between the Nazi genocide and Communist mass murder carried out in Lenin's and Stalin's Soviet Union,

Das biblische Hannathon in Galiläa wird in assyrischen Quellen als eine der Städte erwähnt, die während der Feldzüge von Tiglat-Pileser III. (734–732 vC) erobert und deren Bewohner deportiert wurden. Archäologische Oberflächenuntersuchungen aus den 1970er-Jahren schienen die These zu bestätigen, dass die Region daraufhin für mehrere Jahrhunderte verlassen blieb. Nun wirft ein neues Grabungsprojekt der Ben-Gurion-Universität des Negev, der Israelischen Antikenbehörde (IAA) und der Universität Leipzig ein neues Licht auf dieses dunkle Zeitalter und zeigt, dass die Assyrer Hannathon keineswegs unbewohnt zurückließen. Offen bleibt jedoch, wer dort nach 732 vC lebte. Ziel der Forschung ist es, das Siedlungssystem in Galiläa nach der assyrischen Eroberung besser zu verstehen und neue Erkenntnisse über den lange vergessenen Tell zu erhalten.

Mordy Miller, “We Are Fighting for the Spirit of the Nation: The Ideological Doctrine and Political Stance of Rabbi Zvi Yisrael Thau,” Canon, vol. 2 (2015), pp. 13–22.

מורדי מילר, ״על רוח האומה אנחנו נלחמים: משנתו האידאולוגית ועמדתו הפוליטית של הרב צבי ישראל טאו״, קאנון, 2 (2015), עמ׳ 13–22.

Despite Rabbi Sacks'' focus on reconciliation in the Isaac-Ishmael Biblical narratives, he actually opposes a 'pluralistic' position on interfaith theology. He favours  an approach of distinctive theologies (akin to 'Dignity of Difference'). I take this further and in a continental philosophical direction to argue that there cannot be 'shared theological ('Abrahamic') narratives because their premises are starkly different and because it would require a problematic relinquishing of Jewish interpretations of Biblical and theological narratives.

Polska w świecie kolonialnym stanowi studium międzywojennych projektów kolonialnych funkcjonujących w zmiennym świecie imperiów, państw narodowych, dominiów, protektoratów, mandatów i kolonii. Piotr Puchalski, korzystając ze źródeł pochodzących z pięciu krajów i dwóch kontynentów, analizuje polską myśl i praktykę kolonialną wobec Ameryki Południowej i Afryki, traktowane jako rozwiązanie zarówno problemów rzeczywistych, takich jak zacofanie przemysłowe, jak i zjawisk postrzeganych jako problemy, jak nadreprezentacja Żydów w wolnych zawodach. Autor ukazuje, jak polscy przywódcy we współpracy z innymi państwami europejskimi oraz instytucjami międzynarodowymi, takimi jak Liga Narodów, starali się kierować emigrację do Ameryki Południowej, nawiązywać bezpośrednie stosunki handlowe z Afryką, odsyłać przedstawicieli mniejszości narodowych w odległe miejsca oraz korzystać z zasobów rozrzuconych po świecie kolonii. Puchalski wskazuje przecinanie się działań krajowych z szerszymi procesami, w tym zwrotem w kierunku umiędzynarodowienia polityki kolonialnej i globalną fascynacją rozwiązaniami technokratycznymi.

This text-critical review essay makes a locus-by-locus comparison of the treatment of select verses in Deuteronomy 32 by BHQ (Carmel McCarthy) and HBCE Deuteronomy (Sidnie White-Crawford sample).

It was published as “Taking Stock of Biblia Hebraica Quinta,” Jahrbuch für evangelikale Theologie 22 (2008): 37-56.

The published version contains lists of data sometimes out of order due to text-setting challenges. A revised and updated version is in preparation.

Am 8. Oktober 1927 erschien in der populären Wiener Sportzeitschrift Illustriertes Sportblatt ein Kommentar, der sich mit den sportlichen Entwicklungen des Wiener Fußballs auseinandersetzte. Der Artikel steht beispielhaft für die Konstruktion einer spezifischen kulturellen Topografie der Stadt, die sich im Wien der Zwischenkriegszeit nicht zuletzt über die Kategorie der „jüdischer Differenz“ definierte. Wien war vor und nach 1918 ein wichtiger Ort der Entwicklung verschiedener jüdischer Selbstverständnisse sowie Fremdbilder über „Juden“. Der jüdische Bevölkerungsanteil der Stadt betrug knapp zehn Prozent. Ein bedeutendes Betätigungsfeld für Juden – und in begrenztem Maß auch Jüdinnen – war der Fußball, der sich in dieser Zeit als eine der wichtigsten Massenkulturen durchsetzte und Wien als eines seiner europäischen Zentren etablierte. Fußballstadien wurden Räume des politischen Diskurses, sie verbanden Sport und Gesellschaft. In und um die Stadien entstand eine kulturelle Topografie des Wiener Fußballs, die bis in die Gegenwart wirkmächtig geblieben ist. Sie drehte sich um den zentralen Antagonismus zwischen proletarisch konnotierter Vorstadt und bürgerlicher City, von „bodenständigen“ Vereinen wie dem Sportklub Rapid oder der Floridsdorfer Admira, die den „Cityklubs“ Wiener Amateur-Sportverein (genannt Amateure, später FK Austria) und dem nationaljüdischen SC Hakoah gegenübergestellt wurden. Die Chiffre des „jüdischen“ wurde dabei mit der City und dem Kaffeehaus – als Metapher und Vereinstreffpunkt – in Verbindung gebracht.

The paper introduces Iyaric, the language of the Rastafari movement of Jamaica, as a creative reaction to the domination of European cultural patterns and as one of the main markers of Rastafari identity. Besides the religious context of Iyaric, attention is also paid to the language situation of Jamaica as well as to the social and cultural context of its beginings. Anglofonní kreolštiny -Jamajka -patwa -rastafariáni -iyaric -reggae Anglophone Creoles -Jamaica -Patwa -Rastafari -Iyaric -reggae Jazyk rastafariánů, který oni sami nazývají iyaric, 1 nevznikal primárně k zajištění komunikace, ale k vyjádření rastafariánské identity. Je tedy těsně spojen s tím, co definuje parametry rastafariánského světonázoru a sebeidentifikace. Než přikročím k charakteristice iyaric a příkladům lexikálních inovací, kterými obohatil slovník Jamajčanů, je třeba krátce představit rastafariánské hnutí, které často asociuje pouze houpavé tóny reggae a dredaté rastamany s cigaretou marihuany. Rastafariánské hnutí vzniklo ve třicátýchletech 20. století na Jamajce mezi nejchudšími vrstvami jamajské populace, v prostředí městských slumů. S popularitou reggae se rastafariánství, respektive častěji jen jeho vnější znaky (dready, marihuana, slovník), rozšířilo napříč společenským spektrem a daleko za hranice Jamajky. Počet rastafariánů na světě se odhaduje na jeden milion, počet sympatizantů asi na dvojnásobek. K hlavním inspiračním zdrojům hnutí patřily lidový etiopianismus, vycházející z představy, že potomci Afričanů zotročení v Amerikách jsou potomky starověkých Izraelitů, a černý nacionalismus Marcuse Garveyho. Vedle praktického úsilí o pozvednutí černochů a o jejich návrat zpět do Afriky předpovídal Garvey také příchod černého Vykupitele. Korunovace ras Tafari Makonnena etiopským císařem Haile Selassie I. v roce 1930 byla vyložena jako naplnění Garveyho proroctví, a stala se tak momentem vzniku rastafariánského hnutí. V odborné literatuře se lze setkat také s pojmenováním Dread Talk či Rasta Talk. Emická označení Iyaric (I + Amharic), Iyance (I + parlance), Livalect (live + dialect) jsou současně příklady rastafariánských jazykových inovací.

The paper introduces Iyaric, the language of the Rastafari movement of Jamaica, as a creative reaction to the domination of European cultural patterns and as one of the main markers of Rastafari identity. Besides the religious context of Iyaric, attention is also paid to the language situation of Jamaica as well as to the social and cultural context of its beginings.

CASTILIAN-HEBREW-ENGLISH. 13 Pages, 5 pIctures article. Title: The 1492 ORDER to DEPORT ALL the JEWS from SPAIN. This article was uploawded to Academia.edu by MEIR Halevi GOVER on May 13,  2025. *************************
צו גירוש-ספרד משנת 1492, בשפות עברית-אנגלית-קסטיליאנית מאת  מאיר הלוי גובר' מכיל 13 עמודים ו-5 תמונות. .הועלה לאתר אקדמיה.אדיו ביום 13 מאי 2025

This contribution analyses the discourse on propaganda during the Weimar Republic as a medium of transnational self-positioning and identity construction. The perception of mass media modernism in the
1920s was deeply shaped by the world war, and the concept of ‘propaganda’ dominated reflection on it. Early reviews of the propaganda war revolved around the question of how Germany could regain its
former world-power status through propaganda. Two transnational propaganda campaigns are examined in closer detail: the German struggle against the Versailles ‘war-guilt clause’ and the fight against the Allied
occupation of the Ruhr. They illustrate how exaggerated expectations of the power of propaganda were accompanied by conceptual ambiguities and inconsistencies. One important reason for this simultaneity
was that Germans discussed propaganda in the light of national media cultures and constructed it as alien to the German nature. Many authors distinguished supposedly genuinely German values such as ‘truthfulness’,
decency and profundity from the values of other national cultures, simultaneously complaining that Germany was struggling harder in the field of propaganda than other countries because of this deep-seated disposition. Such national auto-stereotypes extended into the scholarly study of propaganda, making it difficult to conceptualize it as a  phenomenon of modern mass communication. The Germans’ ambivalent relationship to propaganda was also evident in politics: while the Weimar governments displayed uneasiness towards propaganda, the Nazi movement called for its unscrupulous use. In this way, the Nazis not only prepared for the destruction of democracy, but also stood for a different understanding of ‘Germanness’.

The biblical book of Esther had an important role in the perception of Jewish communities of themselves. Not only does the book suggest the basic narrative of the holiday of Purim, but the main characters in Esther were also perceived as prototypes for characters from their own time and place. Mordecai was the righteous and smart Jew, Ahasuerus, the king or ruler, and Haman was the symbol of the wicked gentile who plots against the Jews. In this context, Esther 3, 8 ("Haman then said to King Ahasuerus, there is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king's laws; and it is not in Your Majesty's interest to tolerate them.") It is a rare verse in the book. It presents Haman's short speech to Ahasuerus, which convinced him to kill the Jews in his kingdom. Later Jewish midrashic and exegetic sources broadened Haman's speech, adding new details to Haman's accusations. In the eighth-century Targum Sheni, one of the two Aramaic translations of Esther, the verse turns into a long and elaborate monologue, in which Haman describes the entire Jewish calendar. Haman's speech became a popular literary and even performative tradition in Ashkenazi communities in the early modern period. This article focuses on the tradition of Haman's long monologue. It examines the monologue as it appears in Targum Sheni as well as in later early modern Yiddish adaptations, and shows how, over its different adaptations, the monologue was built almost solely upon rabbinic conventions instead of non-Jewish/ Christian polemic materials or ideas. As a result, the tradition suggested a stereotypical comic model of anti-Jewish accusations, based on inner Jewish concepts.

This excellent volume is a most welcome addition to the burgeoning literature on Jewish philosophy. It is notable for the breadth of the subjects it covers and for the outstanding contributors who write on them. The anthology ranges from standard topics such as the problem of evil to newer topics such as feminist Jewish philosophy. It also covers specifically Jewish topics such as tzimtzum and halakhah. The volume therefore serves as an exceptionally good introduction to the great Jewish tradition of philosophy and also contributes to the on-going development of that tradition by those expert in it.' -Eleonore Stump, Saint Louis University, USA 'The impressive size of this volume is yet outmatched by the masterful comprehensiveness of topics and variety of methodological approaches. There has never been anything like this in the field of Jewish Philosophy, with chapters ranging from excellent to brilliant, authored by the best of the best in their fields. With praise to the Editors of this volume for putting contemporary Jewish philosophy solidly on the map for philosophy today.' -Jerome Yehuda Gellman,

Any discussion reconsidering the halakhic status of women as witnesses must, indeed, give weighty consideration to the principle of shinui ittim, the dramatic changes in societal conditions characterizing the realities of the twenty-first century. When theoretical debate is to be translated by Rabbinic decision-making into practical action, the responsibility of the decisor to consider the impact of new realities increases exponentially. Rabbis Geller, Grossman, Mackler, and Spitz have all, with considerable erudition and persuasive force, documented the dramatic changes in the role of women in society since that point in our history when the Sages first understood Scripture to preclude women from legal testimony, subsequent exceptions to that disqualification notwithstanding. Without minimizing the nuanced differences among the respondents, Rabbi Mackler states the case concisely: “The societal realities of our day do not correspond to the ‘reality’ described by Talmudic and mediev...

12) P. Corner, V. Galimi (a cura di), Il fascismo in provincia. Articolazioni e gestione del potere fra centro e periferia, Roma, Viella, 2014. 13) P. Finelli, G.L. Fruci V. Galimi (a cura di), Parole in azione. Circuiti comunicativi e ricezione del discorso politico nell'Europa contemporanea (XIX-XX secolo), Firenze, Le Monnier, 2012. 14) V. Galimi, G. Procacci (a cura di), Per la difesa della razza. L'applicazione delle leggi antiebraiche nelle università italiane, Milano, Unicopli, 2009.

Emmanuel Levinas, one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century, who was identified with the ethics of alterity more than any other philosopher, stands in the heart of this book.  However, he does not stand alone, and I will be guided by him in reflecting on his work and in creating an ethical dialogue between him and a whole line of philosophers and thinkers.  This approach will enable us to outline the topics which engaged Levinas from a new perspective, and reconsider the significance of his work, while encompassing a variety of topics and ideas.
Among the ways that scholars usually present the systematic thinking of thinkers and philosophers, two prominent ones are relevant to our enterprise: the first is to select different chapters of the written work of a philosopher, identify the principle that connects them, and construct a coherent approach that reveals the central thesis of his philosophy.  The other way is to situate the thinker’s philosophy in its specific historical and philosophical context, so as to understand the conditions under which his philosophy developed, and describe the different stages of its development. The book that sits before you will take a different path, and consider the sources Levinas drew upon, the subjects that he dealt with and treated from an ethical perspective, and the different personalities he influenced. However, this will not be a completely abstract exercise, but will build upon a imaginary dialogues, ones that did not in fact materialize between Levinas and others. This journey enables us to take a new look at Levinas as he conducts a philosophical discussion with philosophers and thinkers of the first order.  In this way, we will not only situate Levinas anew in a discourse which he creates with the great philosophers of our time, but also with the great Jewish men of spirit of the twentieth century.

Die Debatte, um die es in diesem Aufsatz geht, ist vermutlich eine der ersten ernsthaften theologischen Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Juden und Christen. Im Jahre 1830 veröffentlichte der italienische Abt Luigi Chiarini (1789-1832) ein umfangreiches zweibändiges Werk zum talmudischen Judentum, dass er „Theorie des Judentums – zur Anwendung für eine Reform der Israeliten in ganz Europa“ nannte. Dieses Buch hatte schon im Jahr seines ersten Erscheinens jüdischen Widerstand geweckt. In Berlin veröffentlichten zwei ehemalige Schulfreunde unabhängig voneinander gelehrte Entgegnungen in Buchlänge: Leopold Zunz (1794-1886) und Isaak Markus Jost (1793-1860). Während Zunz, ganz der große Philologe, sich vorrangig auf das Aufzeigen der Talmudpassagen beschränkte, die Chiarini aus Sekundärliteratur übernommen hatte, anstatt sie im Talmud selbst aufzusuchen, beschäftigte sich Jost vor allem mit den theologischen Idee des Werkes, um die es hier gehen soll.

What are the implications of Franz Rosenzweig’s quasi-racialist commonalities with Heidegger’s thought? Was Kant a ‘Jewish thinker’? Does Spinoza’s philosophy lend support to totalitarianism?  Was Marx’s philosophy more shaped by Jewish cultural tradition than is typically assumed? Was there a strong challenge to Strauss’s reading of Maimonides already in the 1940s?
This volume contains a collection of Steven S. Schwarzschild's (1924-1989) most important unpublished works, the majority of which were found in his literary remains. The essays present provocative perspectives on influential philosophical figures such as Maimonides, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Rosenzweig, Heidegger and Leo Strauss.  As one of the most original twentieth-century thinkers in the field of Jewish philosophy, Schwarzschild's analysis provides readers with new ways of understanding modern Western philosophy, Jewish religious tradition, and the relation between them.

This paper focuses on two crime fiction writers, Leonardo Gori and Marco Vichi, both born in Florence in 1957, who for many years now have been engaged in the creation of detective novels that explore and critique the history of Italy between the 1930s and the 1970s and in which the city of Florence is, more than a background, a protagonist. Their works interest me both from a formal, narratological perspective and because of their content, which insistently proposes a reconsideration of and reflection on the recent historical past of Italy. The two themes of this paper are therefore 1. The intertextual game and 2. The duty of memory in their crime fiction.

Think about the lyrics to Where Have All The Flowers Gone. (When will they ever learn?) Think about the mountains that were climbed to make sure Yom Hashoah/Holocaust commemoration is observed in every state capitol in the USA. Think about why the survivors and the Second Generation (the 2Gs) and people like Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, an early Holocaust theologian; Stuart Eizenstat and Richard Holbrooke, who convinced President Jimmy Carter to create the US Holocaust Memorial Council; survivors Elie Wiesel, Ernie Michel and Ben and Vladka Meed, all did what they did to put Holocaust Education, really Genocide Studies, on society's front burner. "Zachor, Remember," they said. Ask yourselves why they poured their passion and precious time into making sure they told the stories of what happened to them in Europe. The eyewitnesses and victims were our parents, and once they were convinced to tell their stories, it wasn't about being victims. It was about remembering what it was like to be victims for a reason. What was it they wanted us to remember and why? It turns out that it wasn't only about Six Million Souls-our families, our teachers, our poets, artists, rabbis. They chose to go with Holocaust Education and Commemoration and started in the state houses because politicians caused the Holocaust.

המאמר הנוכחי בחן הבדלים בין זרמים שונים בחברה הישראלית – חילונים, מסורתיים, דתיים וחרדים – בהתמודדותם עם אירועי השביעי באוקטובר 2023 ומלחמת "חרבות ברזל". המחקר מתמקד במשאבי חוסן במעגלים אישיים (תחושת קוהרנטיות ותקווה), משפחתיים (איכות חיים משפחתית), קהילתיים (חוסן קהילתי) ולאומיים (חוסן לאומי), ובקשר שלהם למצוקה רגשית (חרדה, דיכאון וסומטיזציה).
אלף עשרים וארבעה משתתפים מזרמים חברתיים שונים, מילאו שאלונים לדיווח עצמי שכללו שאלות סוציודמוגרפיות, שאלון תחושת קוהרנטיות, תקווה, איכות חיים משפחתית, חוסן קהילתי, חוסן לאומי ומצוקה רגשית/פסיכולוגית.
בבחינת ההבדלים בין הקבוצות השונות, החברה החרדית והדתית הפגינו רמות גבוהות של חוסן אישי, משפחתי וקהילתי, לצד רמות נמוכות של מצוקה רגשית. לעומת זאת, בקרב חילונים נרשמו רמות נמוכות יותר של משאבים ורמות גבוהות של מצוקה. נבחנו הקשרים בין משתנים סוציודמוגרפיים (כגון גיל, מגדר ומצב סוציו-אקונומי) למשאבי החוסן ולמצוקה הרגשית. נמצא כי תחושת קוהרנטיות הייתה המשאב המרכזי בהפחתת מצוקה פסיכולוגית בכל הקבוצות, וחוסן לאומי לא נמצא משמעותי בקרב החברה החרדית.
המחקר מדגיש את תפקידן של מערכות תמיכה דתיות וקהילתיות בחיזוק החוסן ואת חשיבות התאמה תרבותית בתכנון התערבויות. בנוסף, אפשר שהחשיפה הנמוכה בקרב החברה החרדית לאירועי השבעה באוקטובר, תרמה לרמות חוסן גבוהות יותר. הממצאים מספקים תובנות להבנת השפעת משברים על החברה הישראלית ויוצרים בסיס לפיתוח מדיניות מותאמת לזרמים השונים, לחיזוק החוסן ולהפחתת המצוקה הרגשית בעת משברים עתידיים.

"Some Day My Prince Will Come" Lecture and Masterclass Project for Jazz at the JAMD - Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance given by Herbert Gantschacher (curator) and Michael Erian (jazz) with the music written by Frank Churchill from the film "Snow White" produced by Walt Disney as a reconstructed jazz concert from the "Freizeitgestaltung" (Leisure Time Activities) at the concentration camp of Terezin with jamsessions and workshops

A reconstructed jazz concert programme from the "Freizeitgestaltung" (Leisure Time Activities) at the concentration of Terezin re-composed and re-arranged by Michael Erian based on informations given to Herbert Gantschacher by Herbert Thomas Mandl, who was an imprisoned musician at the concentration camp of Terezin and the secretary of the Jewish Self-Government and attended the rehearsals of this jazz concert programme on behalf of the Jewish Self-Government, worked out by research work of Herbert Gantschacher.

Music from the film "Snow White" of Walt Disney with compositions based on the music written by Frank Churchill arranged for Jazz Combo "Welcome To The Kingdom", "One Song", "I'm Wishing", "With A Smile And A Song", "The Dwarfs Yodel Songs", "Heigh-Ho", "Will Ever See Her Again", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", "Here's The Happy Ending".

Performed at the "Freizeitgestaltung" (Leisure Time Activities) at the Concentration Camp of Terezin in 1943 and 1944 by the "Ghetto Swingers" Fritz Weiss (Clarinet and Saxophone), Martin Roman (Artistic Direction, Arrangements of the Original Compostions, Piano) Fritz Tausig (Trombone), Erich Vogel (Trumpet), Fritz Goldschmidt (Guitar), Choco Schumann (Percussion).

The current qualitative text analysis examines the journalistic death coverage in Israeli newspapers and websites of iconic musicians who died, committed suicide or were assassinated at a relatively young age: Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Zohar Argov and Michael Jackson. The media coverage displayed two main narratives: ‘rags to riches’ and ‘fame to tragedy’. These two narratives were manifested by the following tragic sequence: rise to fame, climax, downfall and self-reflection. In this context, reporters, newspapers, tabloids, gossip magazines, websites and official authorities were accused by the singers’ family members, relatives and commentators of invasion of privacy, nosiness, harassment and stalking. Allegedly, all of this prompted the musicians’ isolation, seclusion and addiction. Nevertheless, their tremendous contribution to the worlds of music and culture remained a consensus. Unsurprisingly, they were undisputedly portrayed as the king of rock and roll (Presley), an ambassador of peace (Lennon), the pioneer of Israeli-oriental music (Argov) and the king of pop (Jackson). Findings show how these four musicians were presented in the media as gifted, successful and ground-breaking individuals whose musical legacy would continue to influence future generations. But, at the same time, they were presented as lone stars, tragic heroes and even innocent victims who sank and drowned in the worlds of fame and glory. The discussion section delves into the distinctions between the coverage of iconic global musicians and that of an Israeli one and interprets the celebrity phenomenon, the heavy toll it may take and the complex mutual relations between the musical icon and the media.

The Hebrew term Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) appears throughout the Old Testament as a grammatically plural noun referring to the singular God of Israel. This study explores the linguistic roots, grammatical forms, and theological implications of the term. While earlier scholarship attributed this form to the pluralis majestatis, or "plural of majesty," this explanation has increasingly been challenged on historical and linguistic grounds. Drawing from comparative Semitic philology, biblical grammar (especially Gesenius §124), and literary context, this paper argues that Elohim reflects a composite use: a linguistic relic of ancient Semitic plurality, an abstract or intensive plural, and a theological expression of divine fullness. The study contends that modern appeals to the plural of majesty are anachronistic and foreign to the biblical Hebrew worldview.

This piece offers a systematic critique of Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky’s lecture series ‘Da Ma She-Tashiv’, likely the most thorough and structured articulation of 21st-century Ultra-Orthodox ideological defense (=apologetics) by a leading figure in that world.

This article examines antizionism as a contemporary form of antisemitism, particularly in Brazil, and analyzes its historical roots, ideological evolution, and manifestations in the digital age. Tracing the trajectory from Soviet propaganda and Marxist reinterpretations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to present-day academic and activist discourses, the text argues that antizionism often masks traditional antisemitic prejudices under the guise of political critique. It explores how social media platforms amplify hatred against Israel and Jews through misinformation and double standards, and how the deshumanization of Jewish victims, especially in events like the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, reveals a broader pattern of selective empathy. The article underscores the importance of education—particularly Holocaust education and digital literacy—as a strategic tool to combat the resurgence of antisemitism in progressive circles. It also discusses the adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism by various Brazilian states, highlighting both its potential and the challenges of implementation in a politically polarized environment. Ultimately, it calls for a coordinated effort among governments, educators, civil society, and digital platforms to address the complexities of modern antisemitism and foster a more just and informed public discourse.

The Egyptian initiatory ritual, known as the “Coming Forth by Day,” is often misnamed the “Book of the Dead.” This misnomer hinders a critical dissection of the Egyptian theological system, which is believed to be the progenitor of modern Freemasonry. A recent discovery of a remarkable scroll, though in poor condition, may hold the key to unlocking the true meaning of the Book of the Dead and revealing the scientific principles behind Egyptian theology.

The Book of the Dead, a papyrus with dramatic ceremonial notes, reveals the Osirian cult’s initiation rites, shedding light on Masonic symbols and rituals. This ancient text, akin to a Masonic Lodge, symbolizes the “Coming Forth by Day,” a philosophical rebirth akin to immortality. The text emphasizes the importance of understanding this ceremony for wisdom attainment, likening it to the second birth of the Initiate, a concept prevalent in various religions.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

This article is primarily intended for the students of Jewish studies as well as for the needs of broader Czech public. It presents a first part of an overview of Jewish historiography since antiquity up to the Enlightenment and the Haskalah period. Despite the fact that the Christian theology saw the Hebrews, Israelites or Jews as culturo-religious entities limited by their "Law" and unable to conceptualize the history in an abstract way, it is now clear, in the light of works of the foremost researchers of Judaism, that the Jewish Bible or Tanakh is actually filled with a deep sense of history, very different from the Greek model. The paradox remains though, that after closure of the canonical texts of the Bible in the 1st century CE, the interest in history and the works of historiography had become weaker and less important for many centuries. However, the permanent contact with the past had not disappeared. Opposite is the truth: It was a central, living and thoroughly updated part of liturgy and religious life in the whole Jewish diaspora until 18th century. The only exception is the 16th century, where in the context of expulsion of the Jews from Pyrenean peninsula and partially under the influence of the Renaissance period, the historiographical work (in today's meaning of the word) is being carried out as a part of a struggle to record the history and especially its messianic logic. However, the real program of Jewish historiography, as we know it today, is born centuries later under the influence of Moses Mendelssohn and the period known as Jewish Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century.

Streiflichter zu den Aufenthalten litvakischer Akteure, Händler und Gelehrte, im Ostpreußen des 19. Jahrhundert. Welche Positionen hatten sie, welche Verbindungen pflegten sie und welchen Radius umfassten ihre Aktivitäten. Besonders im Zeitraum 1860–1885 konnte diese Grenzregion, die sich hier als ostpreußischer Verflechtungsraum zwischen litvakischer und deutsch-jüdischer Kultur beschreiben lässt, aufblühen. Dabei kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass kaum ein gewählter Aufenthaltsort auf Zufall beruhte. Die Entscheidungen, als Grenzgänger zu
agieren, beruhten im Wesentlichen auf Strukturen bereits bestehender Netzwerke.

This article analyzes a diagram in a fifteenth-century Hebrew manuscript from Italy (Cambridge MS Dd.10.68). The text, its sources, and the form of the diagram, shedding light on the practice of transforming a written text into an elegant visual representation, seamlessly merging the fields of medicine and philosophy.

In this article Irena Selišnik address the question of democratisation of public and political sphere by women's movement  in Carniola. She discususses factors that in the Slovenian case delayed and contributed to this process and influenced the politicisation of women, especially their demand for women’s suffrage.