Jonathan D. Sarna Brandeis Univ. NEJS 162a (x2977) (e-mail: SARNA@binah.cc.brandeis.edu) Fall 1996 AMERICAN JUDAISM Texts: Nathan Glazer, American Judaism Leon Jick, The Americanization of the Synagogue Michael A. Meyer, Response to Modernity Jack Wertheimer, The American Synagogue 1. What is Judaism? (8/29) Michael Fishbane, Judaism [recommended background] 2. From Spain to Recife to New Amsterdam (9/4) Glazer, pp.12-21 Jick, pp.3-14 Sarna, "Colonial Judaism," pp.1-12 [course pack] 3. The Synagogue Community: The First Strategy for Preserving Judaism in America (9/9) Wertheimer, 1-5 Sarna, "Colonial Judaism," [course pack] pp. 12ff. 4. From Synagogue Community to Community of Synagogues (9/11 Meyer, pp.228-235 Wertheimer, pp. 274-96 9/12 - First Section Meetings 5. Traditional Judaism in an American Key: The Second Strategy for Preserving Judaism in America (9/16) Jick, pp.15-78 Wertheimer, pp.5-9, 37-47 [optional] Lance Sussman, "Isaac Leeser and the Protestanti- zation of American Judaism," American Jewish Archives 38 (April 1986),1-21. [on reserve] [optional] Israel Tabak, "Rabbi Abraham Rice of Baltimore," Tradition 7 (Summer 1965), pp.100-120. [on reserve] 9/23 Yom Kippur - No Class 6. Reform Judaism: The Third Strategy for Preserving Judaism in America (9/25) Meyer, pp.235-263 Jick, pp.79-173 Glazer, pp.22-42 7. Consensus and Crisis (10/2) Jick, 174-194 Glazer, 43-59 Meyer, 264-295; 387-388 Wertheimer, 327-362 8. The Late 19th Century American Jewish Awakening (10/7) J.D.Sarna, "A Great Awakening: The Transformation that Shaped 20th Century American Judaism and its Implications for Today" [course pack] 8a Class & Gender Issues in 19th Century American Judaism (10/9) Wertheimer, 206-230, 363-394 Karla Goldman, "The Ambivalence of Reform Judaism: Kaufmann Kohler and the Ideal Jewish Woman," American Jewish History 79 (Summer 1990), pp.477-499. [course pack] [optional] J.D.Sarna "Seating and the American Synagogue" [on reserve] 10/11 Brandeis Monday; catch-up & review session 10/14 Midterm Exam 9. Sephardic Judaism - Special Presentation (10/16) Marc D. Angel, "The Sephardim of the United States: An Explorato- ry Study," American Jewish Year Book 74 (1973), 77-136 [course pack] 9a. Immigrant Judaism (10/21) Jonathan D. Sarna, People Walk on Their Heads Wertheimer, 13-19, 47-59 Glazer, 60-78 [optional] Abraham J. Karp, "An East European Congregation on American Soil," in B.W.Korn (ed.), A Bicentennial Festschrift for J.R.Marcus, pp.263-302. [on reserve] 10. Conservative Judaism: The Search for a New Consensus Strategy (10/28) Wertheimer, 19-23, 111-149, 297-326. Abraham J. Karp, "A Century of Conservative Judaism in the United States," American Jewish Year Book 86 (1986), 3-61. [course pack] [optional] Marshall Sklare, "The Conservative Movement: Achievements and Problems," The Jewish Community in America (1974), 175-192. [on reserve] 11. Folk Beliefs & Practices (11/4) Jenna Weissman Joselit, The Wonders of America, esp. pp.89- 295. 11a The Cult of Synthesis (11/6) - Lecture with transparencies 12. The Interwar Period in American Judaism (11/11) Meyer, 296-334 Charles Liebman, "Reconstructionism in American Jewish Life," American Jewish Year Book (1970) [on reserve] 13. Judaism Moves to the Suburbs (11/18) Meyer, 353-386 Wertheimer, 24-28, 185-205 Glazer, 106-150 [optional] Lance J. Sussman, "The Suburbanization of Ameri- can Judaism as Reflected in Synagogue Building and Architecture," American Jewish History 75 (1985), 31-47 [on reserve] 14. Contemporary American Judaism (a) The Impact of the Shoah & the State of Israel (11/25) (b) The Countercultural Revolt & Its Impact (12/4) (c) Assimilation & Renewal (12/6) Glazer, 151-end Wertheimer, 28-31 Robert S. Ellwood, "Judaism in the Later Sixties," The Six- ties Spiritual Awakening (1994), 234-248 [course pack] Jack Wertheimer, "Recent Trends in American Judaism" American Jewish Year Book 89 (1989), 63-162 [course pack] See also his book, A People Divided: Judaism in Contemporary America (1993) [on reserve] Jonathan Woocher, "Sacred Survival: American Jewry's Civil Religion," Judaism 34:2 (Spring 1985), 152-162. [course pack] See also his book, Sacred Survival (1986) [on reserve]. NEJS 162A - AMERICAN JUDAISM Course Requirements 1. Reading 2. Discussion sections (required) - usually on Thursday 3. Midterm Exam - October 14 4. Term Project - choose one of the following options: Due December 2nd Option 1: Describe a collection related to American Judaism that is found in the American Jewish Historical Society. Your description should include a narrative description of the subject and his/her/its significance, as well as a detailed "finding aid" listing the files and what they contain. This option is avail- able to no more than ten students, with permission of the in- structor (apply in writing by Sept.16). Students work in conjunc- tion with the Archivist of the American Jewish Historical Socie- ty. One copy of your paper must be submitted to the Society upon completion. Option 2: Read and Analyze the documents in Ellen M. Umansky & Dianne Ashton, Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality. Your paper may focus on one or more of the following questions, or other questions (with permission of the instructor): (a) Compare & contrast European & American documents to shed light on what is distinctive about the religious lives of American Jewish women; (b) Analyze changes over time in the spiritual concerns of American Jewish women; (c) Compare the spiritual concerns of women with those of men: what is distinctive about the spiritual documents of Jewish women; (d) Compare the concerns of Jewish women, as reflected in this volume, with the parallel concerns of Christian women (see recent volumes on the spiritual lives of American Christian women.) Option 3: Compare any issue or period in American Judaism with a parallel issue or period in the history of at least one other American faith. (For example: religious challenges faced by immigrant Jews and immigrant Muslims; the limits of religious liberalism in Reform Judaism and Unitarianism; the problem of "Americanization" in Judaism and Catholicism; the issue of Wom- en's Ordination in Judaism and Protestantism.) Option 4: Other research topics related to American Judaism are possible, with permission of the instructor, provided that a written one-page description of the topic is submitted by Septem- ber 25 and approved. 5. Final Exam ATTENTION If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately. BIBLIOGRAPHIES [The Synagogue] Alexandra S. Korros and Jonathan D. Sarna, American Synagogue History: A Bibliography and State-of-the-Field Survey (New York, 1988). [The Rabbinate] Gary P.Zola, "The American Rabbinate, 1960-1986:A Bibliographic Essay," in Alfred Gottschalk, To Learn and to Teach (New York, 1988), pp.111-124. [Orthodox Judaism] Moshe D. Sherman, Orthodox Judaism in Ameri- ca: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1996), pp. 263- 285. [Reform Judaism] Kerry M. Olitzky, et al, Reform Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary & Sourcebook (1993), pp.295- 337 [Conservative Judaism] Pamela S. Nadell, Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1988), pp.377- 392.