Research On Religion » Judaism

Shachar Pinsker on Jewish Coffee House Culture

tonygill — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 08:00:35 +0000

Major cultural movements have to begin and evolve somewhere, and what better place than in a coffee house? Prof. Shachar Pinsker, an associate professor of Hebrew Literature and Culture at the University of Michigan, joins us today to talk about the importance these cafés played in shaping Jewish modernity in the era from 1848 to 1939 (and a bit beyond). His new book – A Rich Brew: How Cafés Created Modern Jewish Culture — is about to be released from NYU Press and provides us with a vivid description of these essential urban gathering places at a time of great mobility amongst the European Jewish population.

We begin with a walk through Prof. Pinsker’s own intellectual history, discussing how he became enchanted with Jewish literature and how he came to write about coffee houses. His tale is instructive for all scholars. While working on his dissertation and first book, Shachar kept gathering information about European cafés where the literary figures and intellectuals he was studying all seemed to be assembling. Although not thinking a project about cafés would be all that interesting, he was encouraged by others to write about the topic and it eventually led to his fascinating new book. We discuss the history of coffee houses, noting that they originated several centuries ago in the Near East and were imported to Europe from the Ottoman Empire, first to England in the16th century where they were named “taverns without wine” or “penny universities.” These cafés were not only local gathering places for people in a community, but they also represented an important “other” place given the exotic nature of coffee and their transnational connections. We discuss why the period from roughly the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century represented the “Golden Age” of coffee houses and how it corresponded with the era of Jewish modernization. Cafés represented places where one could get a sense of community within the growing anonymous city, and was a place where people debated and shared ideas. Often these cafés became closely identified with different schools of thought, attracting certain artists and intellectuals, and fomenting spirited divisions that often led opposing schools of thought to take up residence in other cafés. Tony notes that many of the photographs in Shachar’s book were of individuals who were dressed up in fancy clothing, and this leads to some observations about how cafés represented places where people presented themselves publicly, but also served to reinforce class, gender, nationality, and ethnic status.

The coffee houses of Europe became important places for Jews during the late 19th and early 20th century as the Jewish population was on the move. Prof. Pinsker uses the travels of S.Y. Agnon to illustrate this point as he moved through many of the cities discussed in Shachar’s book including Warsaw, Odessa, Berlin, and Vienna. Networks of migration were set up in these cafés and travelers would know to go to coffee houses to find community. Shachar points out that cafés represent an important “thirdspace” in urban areas, occupying area between the public and private, as well as the objective and subjective. We then walk through the various cities he highlights in his book — Odessa, Warsaw, Vienna, and Berlin — pointing out how the differed from one another, yet how the cafés in each city provided a sense of continuity, acculturation and integration. Jews became identified with café culture in many of these places and Shachar points out the tension in the phrase “Jew belong in the coffee house” often heard in Vienna; cafés were places where Jews did find belonging, but also became a focal point of anti-Semitism. We then discuss how coffee culture moved beyond Europe and into New York and Tel Aviv, along with how and why cafés seemed to lose their intellectual and cultural vibrancy in the last half of the 20th century. Jewish socio-economic mobility (e.g., to the Upper West Side of New York) as well as the growing presence of second and third generation Jews in Tel Aviv who lost a sense of their migratory culture are possible reasons why coffee houses have lost their cultural impact. Prof. Pinsker also speculates about the role that the Internet is having on community, noting that while people in coffee shops nowadays can often be seen interaction with their computers and phones (and not socializing directly), the world wide web may actually be crafting new spaces for community. Only time will tell. Recorded: March 14, 2018.

Prof. Shachar Pinsker’s personal website.

A Rich Brew: How Cafés Created Modern Jewish Culture, by Shachar Pinsker.

Literary Passports: The Making of Modernist Hebrew Fiction in Europe, by Shachar Pinsker.

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Shari Rabin on Jews on the American Frontier

tonygill — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 08:00:08 +0000

What is it like to be a stranger in a strange land on the move, and how does that affect one’s ability to preserve their religious identity? This is a central question take up by Prof. Shari Rabin, an assistant professor of Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston and director of the Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture, in her new book Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America. We begin, as usual, with a little background on our guest, learning how Prof. Rabin moved from Wisconsin to Georgia and then into the study of Jewish migration. Not surprisingly, we learn that her research interests in graduate school resonated with her own experiences on the move. Shari also gives us a synopsis of the Peralstine/Lipov Center that she runs.

We then move into our discussion on Jewish migration in 19th century America, first with a general overview of Jewish migration patterns dating back to the early colonial period in America. We learn that Charleston actually has the second oldest synagogue in the US dating back to the mid-17th century. Our conversation covers the various “push” and “pull” factors that led many Jews to migrate to American in the early 1800s. In Europe, governments tightly regulated Jewish behavior and living patterns, which served to shape their communities. In the US, by contrast, no such regulations existed and with the opportunity to head out West, it became very easy for one to lose one’s religious identity. The struggle to retain one’s heritage serves to focus the rest of our discussion. It is noted that much of the early Jewish migration was comprised of single males, making it difficult to find a spouse and raise a Jewish family. Intermarriage with Christians always presented itself as one possibility, but there were efforts to provide Jewish matchmaking services in order to retain cultural continuity. Issues of circumcision are also discussed, with Prof. Rabin noting that it was very difficult to find someone qualified to perform the procedure within the required eight days of birth. This, in turn, led to some creative flexibility on the part of Jews who needed to bend the strict rules. Other challenges facing Jews on the move related to finding Jewish “stuff,” such as kosher food, Torah scrolls, prayer shawls, and other elements of the faith that were used on a daily basis. And setting up a synagogue that helped to reinforce communal worship was also difficult as in some communities it was difficult to gather a quorum of believers to establish the congregation.

The final part of our conversation relates to how Jewish theology responded to the physical challenges of living as a minority in mobile times. Shari discusses two central figures in American Jewish history who were aware of these challenges and sought to shape religious identity to the new circumstances — Isaac Mayer Wise and Isaac Leeser. The former was a central figure in the creation of Reform Judaism, whereas the latter tried to preserve more traditional forms of Judaism. Despite their seemingly divergent approaches, Shari points out that these two religious entrepreneurs also shared much in common, using newspapers as a means of communication within the American Jewish community. She notes that the newspapers were not only there to broadcast to Jews the changes in Jewish culture that were occurring, but as Jews wrote into the paper describing their daily challenges, these men were able to keep their “ears to the ground” of the culture and diagnose the problems of the faithful. Their answers to these challenges often led to expanding notions of cultural authenticity, demonstrating that theology can be very flexible to one’s contextual environment. Shari also reveals that because Wise outlived Leeser by nearly three decades, he had a larger imprint on the nature of American Jewish culture. We sum up our discussion with the importance of the year 1877 and two important events. First Isaac Wise’s trip to California led him to write a series of travel letters that indicated his awe of how vibrant the Jewish culture remained in new lands, but also how he was concerned about how some changes (such as intermarriage with Christians) was threatening the long-term viability of the faith. The second major event of that year was the Seligman Affair, wherein a prominent Jewish businessman was prohibited from obtaining lodging in Saratoga, New York. This latter incident revealed that up until that time, Jewish life in American was largely individualistic and invisible, but as the population started to grow and find ways to enhance their communal relationships it often brought with it anti-Semitism and other forms of negative attention. We end the podcast with Prof. Rabin’s thoughts on what she has learned throughout her studies of Jewish life and migration. Recorded: February 23, 2018.

Prof. Rabin’s personal website (with links to her various writings).

Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America, by Shari Rabin.

The American Israelite, the newspaper founded by Isaac Mayer Wise (originally named The Israelite).

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of Being Jewish in America.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism (different than episode listed above).

Daniel Libenson on Present and Future Judaism.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Judaism.

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Click out “Jewish” category on the right hand side of our website for more episodes related to Judaism.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of Being Jewish in America (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 09:00:02 +0000

Welcome new visitors. Please enjoy this episode and other great discussions in our archives (now 350+ episodes deep), and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Also, we are on a short sabbatical but will return soon with some crescent fresh interviews.

What are the various cost constraints with being Jewish in America? Prof. Carmel Chiswick, a research professor of economics at George Washington University, uses the lens of economics to reveal the various constraints facing a religious minority in the United States and how this affects Jewish culture. We walk through her book Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition.

We start the conversation with a general overview of Jews in America, including the size of the population, their immigration history, and other demographic features. It is pointed out that Jews are both an ethnic group, and a group with a distinct religion. We chat a bit about how Jewish (in terms of religion) Jews are in America. Prof. Chiswick then discusses the difference between Great Tradition and small tradition Judaism. The former focuses on the essential religious components of Judaism, including the Torah, Talmud, Mishnah and several key holy days. Small tradition Judaism, on the other hand, is a reflection of different cultural practices and emphases that can vary across different groups of Jews (e.g., Spehardi or Ashkenazi) and across time. This is mixed with some personal reflection on her own life growing up Jewish, which gives this academic topic a much more personal touch. Carmel explains why she chose to write her book with these personal stories, noting that she uses economics everyday to understand her own daily choices.

We then begin a discussion of how economics is used to explain Jewish behavior and traditions. Carmel gives us a good introduction of how actions not only have a financial cost but a time cost as well, resulting in what economists call the “full price” (or “real cost”). She points out that there are a variety of constraints on Jews in America that affect how they make decisions about worship and other aspects of life. For example, as an individual becomes wealthier, the cost of their time also increases and this has an impact on how synagogue worship has been conducted given that Jews have been an upwardly mobile community. We also talk about the issue of human capital and education and the constrained choices that have to be made here. Carmel reflects upon her family’s decision whether to send their children to Hebrew or public school, as well as the reliance upon summer camps and other activities that are designed to preserve Jewish religious culture in an environment where time becomes more valuable for professional parents.

Carmel next lays out some of the contemporary challenges facing Jews in America. Most notable among these challenges are the new demographic categories that are emerging, principally “young adult singles” and “empty nesters.” With marriage ages increasing quite substantially over the past few decades, there is a growing population of individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are not married, do not have children, and who do not feel as connected to the synagogue. Whereas people often connect with religious institutions when they have children, and synagogues often cater to the needs of this group, the decade or so wherein individuals are not married or having children becomes a time when they can drift away from their faith. We also discuss the issue of intermarriage and how that might affect the Jewish population in the future. Interestingly, the rise of “young adult singles” also gives rise to another demographic group known as “empty nesters” who are not actively raising kids yet are not grandparents either. Once again, this becomes a life cycle point where people do not feel as connected to the synagogue. (Note: These issues arise again in next week’s podcast with Daniel Libenson, who discusses some attempts to deal with this new environment.)

We finish off with some of Carmel’s personal observations on what she has learned in her years studying the economics of religion, being Jewish in America, and writing her highly readable book. Recorded: April 7, 2015.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

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Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

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Chris Soper on the Challenge of Religious Pluralism

tonygill — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 08:00:20 +0000

How do various democratic nations manage increasing religious pluralism around the world? Prof. Christopher Soper, a distinguished political scientist at Pepperdine University, answers this question and talks about the third edition of his book The Challenge of Pluralism, co-authored with Kevin den Dulk and the late Stephen Monsma. After Chris provides a few reflections on the scholarly influence of Prof. Monsma, we discuss how a third edition of this popular text suggested itself with a changing religious environment in many Western democracies, most notably the increase in Muslim populations in Europe. Prof. Soper notes that the impetus for the book back in 1997 was to answer three questions that remain more relevant than ever: 1) How much religiously-motived behavior that is contrary to societal welfare and norms can a democratic polity allow?; 2) To what extent should the state promote consensual religious beliefs in order to promote a shared set of values and virtues that are fundamental to limited democratic governance?; and 3) When religious groups and government agencies are active in the same fields of work, how can a society ensure that the state does not advantage one religious group (or secular belief system) over another? Chris then reviews the three models of church-state relations that he and his co-authors detail in the book: 1) the separationist model as exemplified by the United States and France; 2) the establishment model that includes England and Germany; and 3) the pluralist model in both its “pragmatic” (Australia) and “principled” variants (the Netherlands). He explains the dimensions of each model, noting that there is variation within each category. For example, while both the US and France are considered separationist, the historical trajectories of each country conditioned a more aggressive separationist position in France. For much of the second half of the interview, we walk through examples of these models with Chris giving background on each of the cases. Prof. Soper argues the case that the pluralist model is best at recognizing the importance of religion in the public square while still allowing space for secular claims. Our discussion also centers around how each of the states are meeting and accommodating increased religious pluralism, most notably with respect to the growing presence of Islam. With Islam being a much more decentralized faith tradition than the typical European Christian denominations, it has been difficult to absorb this religion into historical church-state models, particularly those of the establishment variant, but efforts have been made to do this. We finish our podcast with Chris giving his opinion about the viability of a Christian Democratic party in the United States (revisiting a question from an earlier podcast), and reflecting on what he has learned over two decades and three editions of his book. Recorded: March 28,2017.

The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Six Democracies, by J. Christopher Soper, Kevin den Dulk, and Stephen Monsma.

Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

Confucianism, Democracy, and Human Rights in Taiwan, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

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Darío Fernández-Morera on Andalusian Spain

tonygill — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 09:00:45 +0000

In 711 A.D., an Islamic army from North Africa successfully conquered the majority of what is contemporary Spain, issuing in several centuries of Muslim rule on the peninsula. Beginning with the Enlightenment and continuing to present day, a number of scholars have written that the era of Andalusian Spain was one of religious harmony. Prof. Darío Fernández-Morera, an associate professor of Spanish & Portuguese at Northwestern University, examines what he calls the “myth of the Andalusian paradise” and the nature of hierocratic rule in medieval Spain.

Our conversation begins with discussion of how Prof. Fernández-Morera came to write on this topic. The first myth he displaces is the one that language professors in humanities departments only write about grammar and punctuation. He explains how research professors in departments such as Spanish & Portuguese actually examine a wide variety of topics, from literature to politics and many historical themes. It was during his own research on Miguel de Cervantes that he came upon a number of scholarly conceptualizations of Islamic Spain that presented the era as one where religious harmony reigned. Using a variety of sources, including original historical documentation, Darío investigated the truth to these claims. We lay out the parameters of his study, noting that he is primarily interested in the period of 711 A.D. to the end of the thirteenth century, when Muslims controlled most of Spain except for Galacia and a few other pockets of Christian resistance in the northwest. He reviews the history of the Islamic conquest and explains why he prefers to use the term Spain instead of Iberia.

We then turn to how Muslims ruled Spain during this period. Prof. Fernández-Morera notes that non-Muslims had four basic options: 1) convert to Islam; 2) pay the jizya (religious tithe); 3) flee; or 4) be killed. The rule was so comprehensive that no remains of churches can be found in southern Spain dating back to this era, and Christianity in Granada essentially vanished. We then look at how other scholars have viewed this era, with Prof. Fernández-Morera, explaining how a general myth of religious harmony and benevolent rule took hold. He traces this back to the Enlightenment period when more secular scholars sought to denigrate the importance of Christianity in Europe’s history, the development of exoticism and romantic notions of foreign cultures during the 19th century, and more recent versions of Occidentalism that pervade academia today. He explains the notion of heriocratic government (rule by clerics), the Maliki school of jurisprudence, and how non-Muslims were used as bureaucratic servants. We review a number of prohibitions that were put into place during this time, including apostasy, blasphemy, and drinking in public. It was noted that Christians could drink in their own communities, but they were forbidden to sell wine or other liquor to Muslims. Violations of these rules met with harsh punishments, including execution.

We also examine inter-faith relations, with Darío dispelling the notion of convivencia (or “living in harmony”). Christians lived separately from Muslims and there were a number of regulations — such as drinking from the same well or dining together — that kept the populations separate. He also discusses various rules governing the behavior of women, including veiling and prohibitions on females working outside the home. As to treatment of Jews, Prof. Fernández-Morera points out that they were treated better under Muslim rule than previous Christian rule, and this was largely due to the fact that Muslim rulers wanted to use Jews as a counterpoise to Christian communities (much the way the U.S. has played Sunnis and Shiites off one another in Iraq in the past decade). We finish with some of Darío’s personal reflection on his study and his thoughts about how his research will be received in a broader academic community. Recorded: December 8, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Darío Fernandez-Morera’s bio at Northwestern University’s Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese.

The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain, by Darío Fernández-Morera.

The Lyre and the Oaten Flute: Garcilaso and the Pastoral, by Darío Fernández-Morera.

Europe and its Encounter with the Amerindians, edited by Darío Fernández-Morera.

Academia and the Survival of Marxist Ideas, by Darío Fernández-Morera.

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Elie Estrin on the History and Traditions of Chanukah

tonygill — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 09:00:05 +0000

How did the holiday of Chanukah begin and what are some of the traditions with its celebration? We are joined by Elie Estrin, rabbi at Chabad at the University of Washington and an air force chaplain with the 627th Air Base Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, who reviews the history and ways in which this important Jewish holiday is celebrated. A constant theme of our discussion is the importance of cultural pride and religious freedom, lessons which were important thousands of years ago and still resonate today.

Our conversation, as usual, begins with getting to know our guest. We talk with Rabbi Estrin about how he ended up as a military chaplain and whether he had to go through basic training. We also discuss his path towards the rabbinate and his current work with Chabad, and Elie graciously explains what that organization is all about.

We then dive into the historical origins of Chanukah, going back some 2200 years and the efforts of the Greeks to Hellenize Judaism, or assimilate it into Greek pagan culture. Elie reviews some of the main historical figures in the story and the lead up to a guerrilla war against the Greeks. Upon retaking the Temple Mount, Judah Maccabee had his band of followers cleanse and rededicate the altar, which required burning oil for eight days. Although they only had enough pure olive oil to burn for one day, the supply miraculously lasted for the full eight days giving rise to the tradition of lighting a menorah. Tony learns that Chanukah stands for “rededication” and Elie also explains the reason we see different spellings of the holiday (e.g., Hanukkah). He also brings up some recent archaeological finds in Israel that are of importance to the history of Chanukah. Rabbi Estrin re-emphasizes the importance of the holiday for religious freedom — the right to practice one’s faith according to one’s conscience freely, particularly in a realm where you are a religious minority — and its importance for remembering and celebrating Jewish identity.

Following our discussion of the events 2200 years ago, Elie explains where Chanukah fits into the grand scheme of Jewish holidays. Although we often hear of “High Holy Days,” Rabbi Estrin notes that there really are no “minor” holidays in the Jewish calendar and each celebration has its own particular and important meaning. He reviews the difference between rabbinic holidays and biblical holidays. We then explore a number of the traditions associated with Chanukah, beginning with the lighting of the menorah. Elie notes that there has been some historical debate whether Jews are to light one candle on the first day of the holiday and progress to eight, or whether one starts with eight candles lit and roll down to one. The former tradition has tended to predominate as a means of representing how light increasingly pushes back darkness. We also discuss what can constitute a menorah, and Elie tells Tony that whatever is available is fine and points out Jews have been incredibly creative in always finding ways to celebrate even under the harshest of conditions such as the Holocaust and Soviet persecution. This emphasizes the resilience of the Jewish people and the seriousness with which they take their faith. Our conversation also covers a number of other traditions such as the dreidel, gelt (and giving of presents), and the various foods associated with Chanukah. The emphasis on fried foods and dairy leads Tony to conclude that this might be one of the most delicious holidays ever.

We conclude with conversation about how Jews celebrate Chanukah in various settings, including America. Rabbi Estrin, who works closely with college students through Chabad, recognizes that it is often difficult to retain one’s religious identity when in the minority and Chanukah becomes an important time for Jews to reconnect with their faith. We talk about the issues of assimilation and cultural/religious identity that we have discussed on previous podcasts (see below) with Elie noting that it is a constant challenge to convince folks that being Jewish is not just about being dependent on a synagogue, but is something that must be lived daily in one’s life and that you need to build upon your faith one piece at a time, a message that is applicable to individuals within all faiths. Recorded: November 13, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Chabad at the University of Washington.

Rabbi Elie Estrin on Twitter.

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Daniel Libenson on Present and Future Judaism

tonygill — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 08:00:58 +0000

What are the challenges facing contemporary Jews in America? Following on Carmel Chiswick’s interview last week, we invite Daniel Libenson — director of jUChicago and founder/president of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future — discusses his perceptions of the landscape facing American Jews and how he has been engaged in organizations such as Hillel and the rationale behinds the ones he now directs. As a “thinker-practitioner,” we get an inside look into how somebody is leveraging research being conducted in academic circles, including by Daniel himself, to adapt to a changing environment.

Our conversation begins with a discussion of challenges facing contemporary Jews in America. Dan notes that Judaism is not only seen as a religion, but as an ethnicity. And even though there has been an increase in the number of “secular Jews” religiously, there remains a great deal of pride in heritage among this group, which he notes provides a great opportunity for engaging Jews who may have been falling away from their spiritual roots. We talk about some of the demographic categories that were mentioned in last week’s interview with Carmel Chiswick. Dan works closely with college students and understands the difficulty of “young adult singles” as they enter a period of their lives that is often devoid of Jewish rituals. He also spends some time discussing how Jews have always had to respond to changing circumstances, and discusses the emergence of a “controversial re-imagination of Israel” in the form of secular Zionism over the past century and a half. He notes that young people today are trying to grapple with these changes, and likens the challenges and adaptations he sees going on currently to the business concept of “disruptive innovation.”

We then turn attention to his work with young Jews on college campuses, first looking at Hillel. He explains the historical background of Hillel as a place designed to make Jews feel comfortable in a culturally Christian college setting dating back to the 1940s. Over time, Hillel has tried to appeal to Jews who are intensely religious, occasionally involved in the faith, and those who have no conscious need for Jewish ritual activities but nonetheless want to feel connected to their ethnic heritage. Balancing the needs and wants of these three communities can be difficult. It is in this context that we talk about his work with jUChicago, which seeks to meet many of the more secular Jews in spaces they feel comfortable and yet still make them feel part of a larger community. Unlike Hillel that has a building where college students come to assemble, jUChicago is designed with no real central location (other than some administrative space) and will engage students for dinners in their apartments, social events in the city, or wherever the participants desire to be met. This flexibility is a key feature of the organization that adapts to student needs, a process Dan calls “design thinking.” During this discussion, Tony also learns about the “small letter” culture spurred on by Apple media products, and a little bit about Chabad.

The final portion of the podcast picks up on the theme of where American Jews are heading in the 21st century and the creation of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future. While based on college campus, this organization is aimed at engaging the Jewish community throughout the entire life cycle. The goal of the institute is three fold. First, it is designed as a think tank to study Jewish needs and strategies in the coming decades. Second, there is an emphasis on training religious and lay leaders in ways that continue to foster Jewish human capital. And finally, the institute seeks to facilitate the networking and funding of Jewish leaders who they train. Tony asks Dan about his thoughts on where Judaism is heading and he connects back to his earlier thoughts on how Judaism has changed historically. While conveying an anecdote about how a Jewish sociologist thought that Judaism might not be recognizable a century from now, Dan did not think that was necessarily a bad thing given his optimistic belief in how humans adapt to new environments, yet preserve lineages to the past. Recorded: April 8, 2015.

jUChicago.

Hillel International.

The Jewish Innovator’s Dilemma, an ELItalk by Daniel Libenson.

The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identify for the Next Century, by Alan Dershowitz.

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Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of Being Jewish in America.

tonygill — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 08:00:51 +0000

What are the various cost constraints with being Jewish in America? Prof. Carmel Chiswick, a research professor of economics at George Washington University, uses the lens of economics to reveal the various constraints facing a religious minority in the United States and how this affects Jewish culture. We walk through her latest book Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

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Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

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Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

Jim Papandrea on Christianity’s Seven Revolutions

tonygill — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 08:00:43 +0000

What difference does a religious tradition make? If it is Christianity, Prof. Jim Papandrea of the Garrett-Evangelical Seminary at Northwestern University says it matters a great deal. Jim returns to our show for the third time (hat trick) and discusses his new book Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again, coauthored with Mike Aquilina. The general thrust of the book is that Christian theology introduced to the world (at least) seven new ways to envision human society, starting with the individual person and proceeding up through the state.

Jim starts us off by listing the seven great revolutions introduced by Christian thought, including how we look at: the person, the home (and gender roles), work (and the laborer), religion, community, death, and (finally) the state. He also notes how Christianity promoted a “God of love” that opened the door to an inclusionary religion that shaped all of these critical areas. We then look into the fourth revolution — religion — more closely and Jim notes that although based upon a Judaic foundation, Christianity opens the door to proselytizing and including all peoples into one single religion. This has a major impact on how individuals and neighbors are conceived, and will impact the how early Christians opened the door to new thinking on government. We cover the reaction to this new message amongst the Romans of the day, which wasn’t always welcoming. Persecutions were common, yet Christianity kept growing culminating in its final acceptance under the Edict of Milan (313 CE). Jim discusses the role that Constantine played in this process and notes that the Edict of Milan, contrary to the notion that it established Christianity as the official church, was really the world’s first document on religious liberty. This springboards us into another one of Jim’s seven revolutions regarding the role of the state. Here we spend some time talking about how Christianity changed the notion of sovereignty by not placing the “person at the top of the governing pyramid” as the ultimate authority, but rather noting that God is a separate authority. Jim discusses how this translates into the role of citizen sovereignty and how it relates to the foundation of the US government some 230 years ago. We also take time to cover the revolutions of community (“love thy neighbor”) as well as how Christianity developed the concept of human dignity for all and how this helped change views on labor and family roles, not to mention the topics of euthanasia, abortion, and infanticide (practices common in the Roman Empire).

Our conversation ends with some reflection on Christianity in the “post-Christian era.” Jim qualifies that term by noting that there have been moments in history that have looked dire for the demise of the Christian faith, but he raises concern about a secular ethos that may be returning our culture towards the mindset of the pre-Christian era. We ruminate about the role that violent sport and reality TV (a form of entertainment that relishes in humiliation) and what role Christianity can play in addressing the contemporary culture. Jim ends on an optimistic note by asserting that Christianity is always primed for a revival and that by joining together across denominational lines, Christianity can remain highly relevant in the world. Recorded: March 17, 2015.

Jim Papandrea’s personal website including a picture of him pointing at stuff in Rome and his YouTube channel (with music videos).

Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again, by Mike Aquilina and James Papandrea.

Reading the Early Church Fathers, by James Papandrea.

The Wedding of the Lamb, by James Papandrea.

Trinity 101: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by James Papandrea.

Jim Papandrea’s Amazon.com page with more books and a video of Jim.

Still Quiet Voice, a music CD by James Papandrea.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jim Papandrea on the Church Fathers & Patristic Exegesis.

Jim Papandrea on the End of the World and Revelation.

Tim Kelleher on the Nicene Creed and Hollywood.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part I.

Sarah Bond on the Church and Funerals in Late Antiquity.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism

tonygill — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:45:30 +0000

Your host, Tony Gill, is still on a short sabbatical. In the meantime, enjoy one of his favorite interviews from two years ago. We will return with new interviews shortly.

How has American Judaism changed over the course of the past two centuries? Using an economic approach that focuses on the importance of wage rates and time costs, Prof. Carmel Chiswick — University of Illinois, Chicago and the George Washington University — examines how the socio-economic context of the 19th century had a major impact on how immigrant Jews practiced their religion in America. Prof. Chiswick explains that higher wage rates and the subsequent higher opportunity cost of time led to a shortening of Jewish services, less emphasis on traditional religious education, a preference for secular higher education, and the need to import rabbis, cantors and other religious specialists from Europe. We trace how this influenced the growth of Reform and Conservative Judaism. The conversation then turns attention to the role of education in Jewish progress. While there is some degree of trade-off between religious and secular education, we later examine how traditional religious education (especially study of the Talmud) can act as a complement to secular studies. Other topics explored include the issue of inter-marriage, the relaxation of dietary restrictions, Chabad, and how the creation of modern Israel had a big impact on American Jews. We finish by speculating about the future of American Jewry and its impact on Judaism worldwide. Recorded: April 26, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Carmel Chiswick’s website at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Carmel Chiswisk’s website at the George Washington University.

The Economics of American Judaism by Carmel U. Chiswick.

The following links are not directly related to the content of the podcast, but were mentioned at the beginning of the episode. They represent folks who have helped direct traffic to our podcast series in recent months. A big thanks to them!

LDS Living.

The Western Tradition blog.

Michael McBride’s The Religious Marketplace.

Brad R.E. Wright’s blog.

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Internet Imagineering (Neil Luft and crew).