Rethinking European Jewish History » (New Edition)

"Europe has changed greatly in the last century. Political, social, and ideological transformations have not only redrawn the map of the continent but have rewoven the fabric of its culture. These changes have nourished widespread reassessment in European historical research: in terms of its presuppositions, its methodologies, its directions, its emphases, and its scope. The political boundaries between nations and states, along with the very concepts of 'nation' and 'boundary', have changed significantly, and the self-consciousness of ethnic minorities has likewise evolved in new directions. All these developments have affected how the Jews of Europe perceive themselves, and they help to shape the prism through which historians view the Jewish past." This volume looks at the Jewish past in the spirit of this reassessment. This timely volume suggests a new framework for the study of Jewish history and helps to contextualize it within the mainstream of historical scholarship.

Introduction Jeremy Cohen Cohen, Jeremy 1

Pt. I Reorienting the Narrative

1 Jewish History across Borders Moshe Rosman Rosman, Moshe 15

2 Away from a Definition of Antisemitism: An Essay in the Semantics of Historical Description David Engel Engel, David 30

3 Does Gender Matter? Locating Women in European Jewish History Paula E. Hyman Hyman, Paula E. 54

4 Assimilation and Cultural Exchange in Modern Jewish History Maud Mandel Mandel, Maud 72

Pt. II From the Middle Ages to Modernity

5 Jewish Cultural History in Early Modern Europe: An Agenda for Future Study David B. Ruderman Ruderman, David B. 95

6 The Reformation and the Jews Miriam Bodian Bodian, Miriam 112

7 Re(de)fining Modernity in Jewish History Gershon David Hundert Hundert, Gershon David 133

Pt. III On the Eve of the Spanish Expulsion

8 Spanish 'Judaism' and 'Christianity' in an Age of Mass Conversion 149

9 The Social Context of Apostasy among Fifteenth-Century Spanish Jewry: Dynamics of a New Religious Borderland Ram Ben-Shalom Ben-Shalom, Ram 173

Pt. IV From Europe to America and Back

10 Transnationalism and Mutual Influence: American and East European Jewries in the 1920s and 1930s Daniel Soyer Soyer, Daniel 201

11 Transplanting the Heart Back East: Returning Jewish Musical Culture from the United States to Europe Judah M. Cohen Cohen, Judah M. 221

Contributors 245

Index 247