"Food for Peace": The Vegan Religion of the Hebrews of Jerusalem

Author(s): Shelley Elkayam / Language(s): English Issue: XXVI/2014

A debate over the morality of Kosher slaughter [Shechita (Hebrew: שחיטה)] has raged in Poland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark, where the Jewish ritual slaughter was outlawed. The more the debate goes on, the more awareness arises to Shechita as a basic Jewish religious practice. Yet veganism is a Hebrew religious operation too. This article discusses Hebrew vegan belief in terms meaningful to Jews, yet considering its utopian nature, in terms applicable to others as well. Both Shechita and veganism have universal Hebrew claims. Yet both claims are to be studied. Within this vast theme, I will analyze here veganism only, with respect to its utopian role and as a theological structure of one, yet global, community: the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem. They believe themselves to be the descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob Israel. They are Jewish by their cultural nature: they observe Shabbat, Torah and a weekly fast. In 70 A.D. after the Romans destroyed the second temple they escaped and fled southward and westward to various nations in Africa two millennia ago where they were sold as slaves and were enslaved in America. They left America in 1967 led by their spiritual leader Ben Ammi, defined their departure as an exodus from America. Via Liberia – where they became vegans – they arrived in Israel in 1969, established an urban kibbutz, a collective communal living which is located in a desert region. Like most Jews, their diet has tremendous importance, but unlike most Jews they are vegan. The African Hebrews have very specific vegan dietary practices. Their tradition includes teaching and studying a special diet, which is vegetarian, organic and self-produced. They observe Shabbat strictly. On Shabbat, they fast and cleanse. This mirrors their spiritual outlook that eating is a hard labor of which they are obliged to rest from by the Ten Commandments. This article presents a breakthrough idea that fasting on Shabbat indeed reflects an ancient Israelite religious tradition. “Food for Peace” s a metaphor for the theology of the Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem unfolding their messianic utopia through which they believe people may achieve inner peace and even world peace, encompassing decades of powerful hopes, realities and nutritious lifestyle.

100 de ani de la moartea medicului-publicist Adolf/Avram Steuerman-Rodion. Experiența dramatică a frontului

Author(s): Irina Weiner - Spirescu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 3 (19)/2018

Considered by his contemporaries as “one of the most talented journalists, not only in Iași, but all over the country”, Adolf Steuerman-Rodion (1872-1918) remains in the Romanian cultural memory due to his numerous literary and journalistic works. A medicine doctor, as well as a „Germanophile” publicist, Adolf Steuerman-Rodion participated in the great conflagration of 1916-1918 as a military doctor, as well as a faithful reporter of war. Having been drafted and sent to the Caşin Valley at the „moment of the national call” – August 15, 1916 – the publicist and physician was remarked due to his exemplary attitude. He participated in the entire Romanian campaign, until the army withdrew to Moldavia. After having been released from active duty, in June 1918, Rodion (the pseudonym frequently used by Steuerman to publish his articles) resumed his collaborations with Germanophile journals such as „Opinia”, „Lumina” or „Scena”. In particular, he published original writings and campaign memoirs in the „Letters from Iași” and „People and Things” series. He also published articles under the general title „String of the Day” and „Small Polemics”. Having been strongly affected by the dramatic experiences on the front and the ethnic injustices he faced, Major Adolf Steuerman ended his life on September 21, 1918. Steuerman-Rodion remains in the history of Romanian media and culture as the model of the Jewish intellectual, faced with many ethnic problems that were present in Romania during the first decades of the 20th century.

15. mezinárodní konference o židovských jménech (5. 10. 2021)

Author(s): Žaneta Dvořáková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2022

Report about the conference

20.YY YAHUDİ DÜŞÜNCESİNE BİR KATKI: LOUIS JACOBS (1920-2006)

Author(s): Ayşe Ambaroğlu / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 4/2019

20th Century Modern Jewish Theology includes important discussions a large variety of subjects mainly about Institutional Judaism, Modernization and Religiousness. Following 17th century Early Modern Enlightenment Era and the 19th century Haskalah movement played an important role in 20th century Modern Jewish thought by supporting attention provoking discussions. Contrary to British Judaism which he got educated in, Louis Jacobs’s perspective is more compatible with Conservative Judaism which is more prevalent in USA and Canada. Important discussions of 20th century Reformist and Conservative Judaism such as development of Halaska, interpretation of Holy Book, individual against modernization and religiousness can be followed in his writings. In this work, a general look on Louis Jacobs’ thoughts is presented regarding British Judaism and problems about its era.

70 lat Żydowskiego Instytutu Historycznego – historia polityczna i badania. Jubileuszowy komentarz

Author(s): Andrzej Rykała / Language(s): Polish Issue: 01/2019

The Jewish Historical Institute formally started its activities on 1 October 1947, pursuant to a resolution of the Presidium of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland (CKŻP) of 27 September of that year. However, it traces back its genesis to the Central Jewish Historical Commission established in 1944, which, after operating for three years, first in Lublin and subsequently in Łódź, was transformed into the Institute now transferred to Warsaw. Both institutions operated within the organizational structure of CKŻP, which was the biggest and a largely autonomous Jewish organization in Poland. Its dissolution in 1950, which came in the wake of the dismantling of Jewish ethnic and cultural autonomy, deprived the JHI of organizational support. In an attempt to cure that deficit, the Jewish Historical Institute Association was formed in that very year. Over the next seven decades, the Jewish Historical Institute, a successor to the Central Jewish Historical Commission, became the biggest and most important institution in Poland engaging in a systematic study of the history of Poland’s Jews. The article looks at selected aspects of the 70 years of JHI history in the form of glosses to papers (reports) by: Stephan Stach Political and social history of JHI – key moments and by Andrzej Żbikowski – Jewish Historical Institute, 70 years of research into the history of Poland’s Jews.

A Case Study of Radical Assimilation in Poland. The Family Markusfeld

Author(s): Paweł Jasnowski / Language(s): English Issue: 14/2016

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of radical assimilation in the late 19th century. The author focuses on the Markusfeld family, who had lived in Kraków since at least the mid-18th century. The study is an attempt to show the history of family against the background of the history of Galicia, in the second half of the 19th century, when the idea of integration was finally abandoned, and integration ceased to be seen as solution of “the Jewish question.” The paper is based on Bauman’s analysis of the general sociological mechanisms of modern assimilatory processes, and refers to the category of radical assimilation (T. Endelman). It seeks to answer the question of why most family members chose to convert at the end of the 19th century. The author shows that the choice of “default” religion, “universal” values, and “right” idiom was not tantamount to their affirmation – but it was a way to look for happiness and fulfillment, which was (unlike in France), according to some Jews not accessible while staying Jewish. Baptism was also a form of protection – the Second World War would prove it effective.

A koronavírus antropológiája. A remény teológiája

Author(s): Zsolt Kántor / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2020

A magyar és izraeli sorsközösség írója: Avigdor Hameiri

Author(s): János Kőbányai / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 4/2021

A New Hebrew Literary Diaspora? Israeli Literature Abroad

Author(s): Yaron Peleg / Language(s): English Issue: 36/2015

Although the modern stage in the development of Hebrew began in Europe about two hundred years ago, after 1948 the language and its literature became confined for the most part to the state of Israel. The tumultuous course of Jewish history in the past two centuries has by and large emptied the Jewish Diaspora of Hebrew. And yet in the past few decades we are witnessing a growing number of Hebrew writers who are no longer confined by geography. Although they still publish their works in Israel, they write them elsewhere, mainly in the United States and Europe. Increasingly, too, their works reflect their habitat as well as the peoples and cultures of their countries of residence. Are we witnessing the birth of what can perhaps be termed a “post-national Hebrew” era, an era in which Israel remains an inspiring cultural center, but no longer the only location for the creation of original works in Hebrew? This article looks at various Hebrew novels that were written outside of Israel in the last few decades and examines the contours of what may perhaps be a new chapter in the history of modern Hebrew.

A Selection of Children’s Rhymes and Songs in Ladino Oral Literature and Their Thematic and Folkloristic Significance

Author(s): Nitsa Dori / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

Ladino oral children’s literature served as a tool for educating and imparting values, and Ladino children’s songs played a very important part in the family’s routine. These songs and rhymes were extremely important – while the women did housework, they sung or told rhymes to the children, thereby enriching their language. Likewise, their content was also very significant – until the beginning of the twentieth century, most girls did not have a formal education, but rather learned stories, songs and rhymes according to the oral traditions passed down from one generation to the next. The uniformity and uniqueness of the oral Ladino creations for children as an integral part of the same collection are recognisable by their fixed beat and rhyme. The language is neither flowery nor high-level, with their content centring on the child’s experiences. This lecture aims to identify the thematic and folkloristic aspects of the Ladino songs and rhymes transmitted orally in my family. The compositions were written down from the following informants – my grandmother, Fanny Afia (1911-1991), and my mother, Susan Levi (born 1934). Both were born in Istanbul, Turkey, and immigrated to Israel in 1948. The storytelling took place during housework or childcare, and was documented from their memories. The lecture will include a discussion of two rhymes about a hakham (rabbi) and a rubisa (rabbi’s wife), two lullabies, and six rhymes for playing with babies or young children. The discussion includes a folkloristic, linguistic and literary analysis of the songs.

A short summary of Ibn Gabirol’s Fons Vitae Book One

Author(s): Timo Schmitz / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2018

Ibn Gabirol Fons Vitae is one of the most renowned books of medieval Jewish Neoplatonism which is dedicated to the matter of true knowledge of the world and its substances. In this paper, we want to summarize the thought process of Ibn Gabirol as the work is very profound, it shall be a help for all students of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophy to grasp his basic world outlook. All references are taken from the Jacob-translation.

Abraham bar Jacob and His Copperplate Engravings in 17th and 18th Century Amsterdam Prints

Author(s): Magdalena Bendowska / Language(s): English Issue: 01/2017

In 1695, the printing shop of Asher Anshel ben Eliezer Kutner and Issachar Ber ben Eliezer of Minden issued a new edition of the Passover Haggadah, for the first time illustrated with copperplate engravings. The name of the engraver, Abraham bar Jacob, was present both on the title page and on the foldable Palestine map with a legend in Hebrew attached to the book. This book drew its inspiration from Christian sources. The artist already had collaborated earlier with Amsterdam printing offices. He produced the frontispiece of the Yiddish Bible published by Uri Phoebus (1679) and later copied in successive books printed by Uri Phoebus in Amsterdam, by Johannes Wust in Frankfort on the Main and by Shabbatai Bass in Dyhernfurth. Another frontispiece by Abraham bar Jacob was inserted by Immanuel Athias in the books Shnei Luhot ha-berit (1698) and Yad Yosef (1700), also by Shlomo Proops in Eshlei ravrevei (1711) and Maginei eretz (1732). Later, this template was used by printers Hertz Levi Rofe and his son-in-law Kosman. Both Haggadah title pages were copied by other printing offices. At first, the inclusion of Abraham bar Jacob’s illustrations in Jewish books and the author’s name did not provoke any reaction. However, as time passed by, the authorship was increasingly concealed. Athias obliterated the artist’s signature on the copperplate used in Yad Yosef, and Proops removed Abraham bar Jacob’s name from the title page of the second edition of the Haggadah. The reason for this probably was that the engraver was a convert, a pastor originating from the Rhine region who converted to Judaism in Amsterdam. This fact was mentioned for the first time by the Christian Hebraist Johann Christoph Wolf in the Bibliotheca Hebraea bibliography. Notwithstanding the artist’s origins, his illustration achieved popularity and gained numerous followers.

Abraham Firkowicz: introduction to Sep̄er Massa u-Mriḇa

Author(s): Veronika Klimova / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2017

The article is a contribution to studies of Karaite literature in Eastern Europe. It presents an introduction to Massa u-Mriḇa written by the best known Karaite scholar Abraham Firkowicz (1786–1874). The author is engaged in a prolonged polemic against the Rabbanites who claimed Talmud to be an oral explanation of the laws God gave to Moses. He refers to the history of the Karaites and emphasizes a frequent misunderstanding of their origin as they are incorrectly identified with Sadducees. Firkowicz does not hesitate to level harsh criticism and utilizes his Biblical lexicon in defending the purity of Karaite faith.

Abraham Heschel i Thomas Merton – prorocze osobowości, prorocza przyjaźń

Author(s): Edward Kaplan / Language(s): Polish Issue: 31/2018

In his essay on the Jewish rabbi Abraham Heschel and his evolving correspondence with Roman Catholic monk Thomas Merton, Edward Kaplan focuses on the trope of prophetic personality, which is characterized by an emotional intensity and a heightened sensitivity to injustice. Involved in religious peace movements and motivated by compassion and the indignation caused by the brutality of war, arrogant nationalism, and consumerist addictions, Merton and Heschel represent the quintessential prophetic stance in the sphere of social action. Their friendship went through a moment of crisis when the Second Vatican Council was debating the so-called Declaration on Jews. It was then that both Merton and Heschel demonstrated, through their outspoken criticisms, the full meaning of prophetic protest against the abuse of doctrinal pronouncements. As shown by their examples, a prophet is one who respects and repairs the world which is our common home and does it in the name of God.

Admiration and Fear: New Perspectives on the Personality of the Maharal

Author(s): Pavel Sládek / Language(s): English,Hebrew Issue: 2/2017

Rabbi Judah Leva ben Betzalel – the Maharal (ca. 1525–1609) is regarded as one of the key figures of the sixteenth-century rabbinic culture. Yet, given the fragmentary nature of the existing sources, his biography and intellectual profile manifest several unfortunate lacunae. Based on unknown or neglected manuscript and printed sources, this study formulates tentative hypotheses about some of the gaps in our understanding of the Maharal’s attitudes and the reception of his person by his contemporaries. It shows that the Maharal felt very close to his brother Hayyim and suggests that he spent his formative years in the Lublin yeshivah of rabbi Shalom Shakhnah. The renown and respect that the Maharal enjoyed from contemporary scholars does not seem to be the result of the reception of his voluminous writings but rather of his radical views of rabbinic authority and the ruthlessness with which he was ready to carry his ideas through.Aban that the Maharal intended to impose on the rabbinic ordination of candidates of Moravian origin indicates that his move to Prague was perhaps involuntary and explains the reluctance of the lay leaders to elect him as a communal rabbi. Other sources discussed for the first time with regard to the Maharal document that he was both respected and feared even outside the region, for example in Italy. The Hebrew originals of the most important unpublished sources discussed in this study are appended.

Adversus Iudaeos in the Sermon Written by Theodore Syncellus on the Avar Siege of AD 626

Author(s): Martin Hurbanič / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2016

A sermon attributed to Theodore Syncellus (Theodoros Synkellos) is considered as one of the basic sources for the study of the Avar siege of Constantinople in AD 626. Therefore, the most historians paid more attention to the analysis of its historical background than to its ideological content. From the ideological point of view, the document serves as an evidence that a fear for the future of the Empire and its capital Constantinople began to rise within emerging Byzantine society. The Avar siege served its author mainly as a model for developing his polemics with imaginary Jewish opponents and their religion. It deserves to be included in a long succession of similar polemical treatises, which have existed in Christianity from its earliest times.

Alexandra Gorlina kabalistyczne refleksje nad sztuką i literaturą

Author(s): Artur Kamczycki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 06/2014

This article is an attempt to critically analyze Alexander Gorlin’s book "Kabbalah in Art and Architecture" in the context of contemporary research on Jewish mysticism, magic and the Kabbalah. These issues have become a subject of interest for many researchers, which has given rise to numerous international conferences, professional and academic publications, and substantive debates in academic circles. However, Gorlin’s book faces questions in terms of whether the author’s suggestive and subjective pairing of works of art and architecture with passages from Kabbalistic texts represents an attempt to inscribe them within this academic context, or whether it merely represents a casual nod to a non-reflective reader.

Allegories of Life, Death and Immortality in the Book of Ecclesiastes

Author(s): Igor Tantlevskij / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

Analyzing the famous passage Eccl. 12:5b–7, the author of the article comes to the conclusion that the expression "the almond tree blossomed" (12:5bα) contains the allegory of man’s birth and his young years; the phrase "the locust/locust tree became loaded" (12:5bβ) can be interpreted as an indication of the mature, productive/fruitful years of human life activity; the allegory of the caper, falling to winter ("and the caper bush fell"; 12:5bγ), correlates with the metaphorical description of old age and the approach of death in Eccl. 12:1b–2. So, one can assume that the passage Eccl. 12:5bα–γ includes the allegories of man's earthly birth, making up of his personality, maturity and old age in the form of natural phenomena that take place in Judea throughout the year — approximately from the second half of January to December. The allegory of the breaking "silver cord" (Eccl. 12:6aα), symbolizing the earthly demise, can be understood as a break in the connection between the spirit and the flesh of man (cf.: Eccl. 12:7). In 12:6аβ–b, Ecclesiastes adduces the allegories of death, expressed through the broken vessels ("golden bowl", "jar", a certain "vessel"), symbolizing the human body. The context also suggests that an allusion to the human spirit implicitly present in these allegories as well, which is symbolized by olive oil (in the "golden bowl") and water (in the "jar" and in the "vessel"), — not directly called, but contextually implied — returning to their eternal Fountain (cf.: Jer. 2:13, 17:13, also: Ps. 36:10) when their temporary receptacles are broken. The "spring" and the "well" (Eccl. 12:6b) are veritable symbols of life, and in the light of Eccl. 12:7b — perhaps symbols of eternal life in the Book of Ecclesiastes. As for the allegory of "the golden bowl", it clearly goes back to Zech. 4:2–3. In the light of the allegorical picture attested in Zech., chap. 4, and the text of Eccl. 12:7b, the allegory of Eccl. 12:6aβ — "the golden bowl will crack" — can presuppose implicitly not only the death of the body/"the golden bowl", but also that its contents — "oil", symbolizing the spirit abided in the body — will merge with the "oil" of the Divine Luminary, scil., with the Spirit of God.

Analogie i genealogie modlitwy w trzech religiach monoteistycznych

Author(s): Barbara Marcinkowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

Prayer is one of the most essential expression of the cult existing in every religion. On account of differences taking place in individual religions, and also historical, geografical and cultural conditionings, the prayer donned different forms and means of expression. In this article there have been featured the analogies between prayer in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Israel’s prayer resulted from the fact of affiliation with jewish nation with which the God transacted the covenant. Perpetuating the conditions of this covenant constituted the guarantee for the believing human being that his prayer will be listened. The Christian prayer’s property is it’s giving direction to a person and Christ’s saving work; His mediation constitutes the guarantee of effectiveness therefore. Prayer in Islam constitutes one of the five pillars, meaning elementary obligations, which abiding is the condition of the salvation. In spite of the differences taking place in above-mentioned religions their common feature is taking a dialogue between man and the God and also the belief that requests directed to Him will be listened.

Anan ben Dawid jako archetyp religijnego wichrzyciela: jak raw Natronaj Gaon przyczynił się do wykreowania przywódcy ananitów na ojca założyciela karaizmu

Author(s): Marzena Zawanowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 03/2017

The paper analyzes in detail the oldest known gaonic report on the alleged founder of the Karaite movement, Anan ben David (VIII c.). It is ascribed to rav Natronai (bar Hilai) Gaon (d. 865) and has been preserved in a prayer book authored by Rav Amram ben Sheshna (d. 875), Sidur rav Amram ha-ssalem. The ensuing conclusions is that if not for this and other Babylonian geonim (such as Rav Saadia Gaon), who made use of Anan’s name as a convenient label for religious instigators and heretics (that is any opponents of Babylonian tradition, including supporters of the Palestinian one), it is not unlikely that he would not have been recognized by the Karaites as the founding father of their movement. By employing his name as an emblem of rebellious freethinker, they made this – otherwise marginal for the development of Karaism – figure more important than it really was. Thanks to that, he could later on be appropriated by the Karaite movement – which at the time of its emergence and coalescence (9th-10th century) was in desperate need of unifying myths – and become its symbolic originator. In this sense, it can be said that the Babylonian representatives of medieval Judaism wishing to define the limits of their own religious authority through the unification of Jewish doctrines and practices, as well as centralization and concentration of the (political) power in their own hands, created the founding myth of Karaism.