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...collection essays the theme of gender in Jewish Studies, historian Pamela Nadell argues that gender as category of analysis, as well as the feminist critique of Jewish Studies, have radically revised our understanding of Jewish history and Jewish Studies in critical ways that are still ongoing. [1] Eight essays in this slim yet dense volume give a sample of the range of work that such approaches have brought to topics such as blood, conversion, marriage and divorce, Zionism, professionalism, biblical interpretation, translation and self-government. Three are works of history, one is a work of feminist theory, another is an essay on biblical studies. There are also articles on literary theory and criticism, feminist translation theory, and cultural studies to complete the assortment. Together they build on more than two decades or so of work utilizing feminist critique and gender studies as a tool through which to review, rework, revise and reinvent our understandings of Jewish studies and Jewish history. I will analyze four essays to give readers a view of what "gendering the Jewish past" looks like from these varied perspectives. For a challenging yet rewarding read, I encourage readers to delve into this book for these and the other essays.
Todd Endelman's article on "Gender and Radical Assimilation in Modern Jewish History" investigates conversion to Christianity during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the charge that Jewish women, in response to modernity, were more responsible for rising numbers of intermarriages and conversion, due to their inherent weak nature. In this thoughtful essay, Endelman suggests that our pre-World War II understanding of this subject was skewed by the work of historians such as Simon Dubnow, Raphael Mahler and Heinrich Graetz, who based their conclusions less on actual evidence and more...
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