Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Lif
2 total works
In this provocative critique, Marc Dollinger charts the transformation of American Jewish political culture from the Cold War liberal consensus of the early postwar years to the rise and influence of Black Power–inspired ethnic nationalism. He shows how, in a period best known for the rise of black anti-Semitism and the breakdown of the black-Jewish alliance, black nationalists enabled Jewish activists to devise a new Judeo-centered political agenda and express it in more visible forms of Jewish identity—including the emancipation of Soviet Jews, the development of a new form of American Zionism, the opening of hundreds of Jewish day schools, and the creation of revitalized worship services with gender-inclusive liturgy.
This study of postwar American Jewish life challenges much of the historiography describing the motivations for and limits on Jewish involvement in various social protest movements, as well as the accepted wisdom on the origins and nature of the Jewish turn inward; in the process, it undermines commonly held beliefs about the nature of the black-Jewish alliance and the course of American Jewish liberalism since the mid-1960s. Dollinger argues that a new political consensus emerged at a moment of great intergroup conflict, drawing blacks and Jews together under the identity-politics banner even as their alliance in the civil rights movement—inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King—became fractured.
Hardcover is un-jacketed.
This study of postwar American Jewish life challenges much of the historiography describing the motivations for and limits on Jewish involvement in various social protest movements, as well as the accepted wisdom on the origins and nature of the Jewish turn inward; in the process, it undermines commonly held beliefs about the nature of the black-Jewish alliance and the course of American Jewish liberalism since the mid-1960s. Dollinger argues that a new political consensus emerged at a moment of great intergroup conflict, drawing blacks and Jews together under the identity-politics banner even as their alliance in the civil rights movement—inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King—became fractured.
Hardcover is un-jacketed.
Presenting the American Jewish historical experience from its communal beginnings to the present through documents, photographs, and other illustrations, many of which have never before been published, this entirely new collection of source materials complements existing textbooks on American Jewish history with an organization and pedagogy that reflect the latest historiographical trends and the most creative teaching approaches.
Ten chapters, organized chronologically, include source materials that highlight the major thematic questions of each era and tell many stories about what it was like to immigrate and acculturate to American life, practice different forms of Judaism, engage with the larger political, economic, and social cultures that surrounded American Jews, and offer assistance to Jews in need around the world.
At the beginning of each chapter, the editors provide a brief historical overview highlighting some of the most important developments in both American and American Jewish history during that particular era. Source materials in the collection are preceded by short headnotes that orient readers to the documents' historical context and significance.
Ten chapters, organized chronologically, include source materials that highlight the major thematic questions of each era and tell many stories about what it was like to immigrate and acculturate to American life, practice different forms of Judaism, engage with the larger political, economic, and social cultures that surrounded American Jews, and offer assistance to Jews in need around the world.
At the beginning of each chapter, the editors provide a brief historical overview highlighting some of the most important developments in both American and American Jewish history during that particular era. Source materials in the collection are preceded by short headnotes that orient readers to the documents' historical context and significance.