Revisioning ritual : Jewish traditions in transition / edited by Simon J. Bronner.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Bronner, Simon J.

Series:

Littman library of Jewish civilization (Series)

Jewish cultural studies ; v. 3.

The Littman library of Jewish civilization

Jewish cultural studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Judaism--Customs and practices.

Judaism.

Physical Description:

x, 428 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; Portland, Or. : Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2011.

Summary:

Bronner (American studies and folklore, Pennsylvania State U., Harrisburg) introduces an approach to studying contemporary Jewish rituals as diverse, emergent constructions rather than fixed, inherited practices. Reflecting the dynamic nature of ritual implied in the concept of minhag (custom), authors of 14 chapters examine cultural diversity in traditional customs; adaptations of traditional celebrations (notably the Purimshpil); and new rituals, e.g., to commemorate the Holocaust, Israel Independence Day, same-sex marriages, and address feminist concerns. The text includes a case study of maintaining Jewish identity in U.S. boarding schools, and b&w photos. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Introduction: Ritualizing Jewishness / Simon J. Bronner

The riddle of Se'udat Yitro: interpreting a celebration among Tunisia's Jews / Harvey E. Goldberg and Hagar Salamon

Ritual and history: the order of prayers for Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha'atsma'ut) / Seth Ward

The masquerade of ideas: the Purimshpil as theatre of conflict / Jean R. Freedman

Be worthy of your heritage: Jews and tradition at two New England boarding schools / Michael Hoberman

Engendering Halakhah: Rachel Adler's Berit Ahuvim and the quest to create a feminist Halakhic praxis / Gail Labovitz

Same-sex marriage ceremonies in a time of coalescence / Vanessa L. Ochs

The power of discourse: negotiating modernity and tradition in the Jewish wedding / Irit Koren

Tradition in intercultural transition: marriage rituals in Ethiopia and Israel / Rachel Sharaby

Kaddish for angels: revisioning funerary rituals and cemeteries in nineteenth-century Jewish Warsaw / Agnieszka Jagodzińska

Rituals of mourning among Central Asia's Bukharan Jews: remembering the past and addressing the present / Alanna E. Cooper

Shiva as creative ritual in an institutional home / Jillian Gould

Are you just what you eat? Ritual slaughter and the politics of national identity / Sander L. Gilman

The bureaucratization of ritual innovation: the festive cycle of the American Soviet Jewry movement / Shaul Kelner

New Israeli rituals: inventing a folk dance tradition / Nina S. Spiegel

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781904113478

1904113478

OCLC:

150357574