Exile and the Jews : literature, history, and identity / edited by Nancy E. Berg and Marc Saperstein.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Berg, Nancy E., editor.

Saperstein, Marc, editor.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Series:

JPS anthologies of Jewish thought

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jewish diaspora in literature.

Exile (Punishment) in literature.

Exiles' writings.

Jewish literature.

judaica.

Physical Description:

xxi, 273 pages ; 23 cm.

Other Title:

Exile & the Jews

Literature, history, and identity

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : The Jewish Publication Society, [2024]

Summary:

"This first comprehensive anthology examining Jewish responses to exile from the biblical period to our modern day gathers texts from all genres of Jewish literary creativity to explore how the realities and interpretations of exile have shaped Judaism, Jewish politics, and individual Jewish identity for millennia. Ordered along multiple arcs-from universal to particular, collective to individual, and mythic-symbolic to prosaic everyday living-the chapters present different facets of exile: as human condition, in history and life, in holiday rituals, in language, as penance and atonement, as internalized experience, in relation to the Divine Presence, and more. By illuminating the multidimensional nature of "exile"-political, philosophical, religious, psychological, and mythological-widely divergent evaluations of Jewish life in the Diaspora emerge. The word "exile" and its Hebrew equivalent, galut, evoke darkness, bleakness-and yet the condition offers spiritual renewal and engenders great expressions of Jewish cultural creativity: the Babylonian Talmud, medieval Jewish philosophy, Golden Age poetry, and modern Jewish literature. Exile and the Jews will engage students, academics, and general readers in contemplating immigration, displacement, evolving identity, and more. "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Exile as human condition

Exile in ancient history

Exile and holidays

Divine presence in exile

Exile as penance and atonement

Life in exile

Internalized exile

Exile in medieval and modern history

Language as the locus of exile

Negation, ambivalence, and affirmation of exile.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-264) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

ISBN:

9780827615557

0827615558

OCLC:

1417757237