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Spring 2006 Issue.Indd Jewish Studies newsletter Issue 76, Spring 2006 From the Desk of the Director In 2006-07 Jewish Studies at Purdue will be celebrating the 25th year of its founding, and perhaps even now it is time for a brief reflection on the nature of Jewish Studies as an academic field. Jewish Studies has its origin in modern times in historicist approaches to religion, which viewed Judaism and Christianity, and the books that define the faiths, in critical ways that allowed for the possibility of questioning the authority of tradition. The 17th century philosopher Spinoza and his critique of traditional religion as well as his innova- tions in biblical hermeneutics are certainly amongst the first modernist moves in Judaism, and his distance from the community in which he was born is a clear indication of how far ahead of his time he was. The next reasonable place to look to locate origins for academic Jewish Studies is the 19th century movement in Germany known as Wissenschaft des Judentums, the scientific study of Judaism. Great scholars such as Immanuel Wolf, Leopold Zunz, and Abraham Geiger commenced in the early part of the century to study Judaism and Jewish culture from a dispassionate, ‘scientific’ perspective. It is, however, important to note that this ‘scientific’ movement subserved a political agenda. Put differently, the scientific-historical study of Judaism was itself part of an assimilationist, integrationist ideology, intent on making the case for Judaism and Jews before non-Jewish eyes. The thought seemed to be that by engaging Judaism in an historically In This Issue: sensitive and scientific (rational) way, and showing it to be “in harmony with the spirit of the times,” Jewish emancipation could be advanced. Consistent with this, the heightened self-consciousness engendered by JSP-related Event such historical self-study would necessitate the requisite reform of Judaism from within, thus preparing it Announcements.........2-3 for emancipation from its own ‘particularist’ past. In sum, scholarship was allied with religious reform, for the end of social and political emancipation. Immediately ones sees that there is no small tension between New Publication Announcement..............4 dispassionate scholarship and political emancipation, and between both of these and traditional Judaism. Such are some of the historical roots of the modern academic study of Judaism. The response from Faculty Focus: the side of tradition (from Hirsch and Luzzatto in the 19th century) was predictably negative. But these Rachel Einwohner.........5 traditionalists were not invariably anti-intellectual fundamentalists. The traditionalist response of such fine minds as Hirsch and Luzzatto (Shadal) was that the ‘scientific’ and historical study of Judaism ‘flattened Faculty Focus: Dan Morris....................6 out’ the revelatory (timeless) content of Judaism. Hirsch and other traditionalists were quick to discern the apologetic element at work in the historians, specifically in the presentation of Judaism as at root a universal 2005 and rational faith, well-positioned to assimilate itself to regnant, contemporary European culture. For them, Faculty Updates............8 it was surely no accident that Geiger himself was a leading reformer. This very connection between critical, historical study and Jewish reform, all with a view to political emancipation, frightened the more traditional Jewish Studies Courses Offered Fall 2005 and thinkers like Hirsch and Luzzatto. Spring 2006.................10 This wonderful debate of almost two centuries ago about the nature and purposes of the academic study of Judaism and its ideological commitments is not quite behind us who are engaged in Jewish Stud- ies today. Though no longer at present concerned with political and social emancipation, we wonder today about what role, if any, Jewish Studies should play in raising the self-esteem of Jewish students (perhaps a sign of how ‘successful’ emancipation has been?). Or is such consciousness-raising best left to parochial schools? We also wonder about the programmatic status of Jewish Studies, whether it is a special field of intellectual endeavor, or is better thought of as the application of philosophy, history, literature, and sociol- College of ogy to Jewish events and ideas. There is a real difference here, for one is forced to ask whether one is a Ju- Liberal Arts daist or a historian who happens to be working, perhaps just for awhile, on Jewish themes and subjects. In- deed, the field of Jewish Studies is contested, hovering between being a set-aside for a certain group and (just) one amongst many cultural studies programs of interest to any student on campus. Or perhaps Jewish Studies is supposed to play both roles, and should have something to contribute to two different, but over- lapping constituencies. Whatever our understanding of Jewish Studies in the academy, it is alive and well here at Purdue as we begin its 25th year of operation, and as I conclude my first year as your director. I have enjoyed myself (Continued on page 2) enormously this year, and have discerned good will all around. Our program is in sound financial shape, with healthy enrollments and a strong set of courses. We now offer both biblical and modern Hebrew for our undergraduates, and in Fall I plan to visit our Hebrew classes, more than once, to make the case for a major or minor in Jewish Studies. In my estimation the language classes are fertile ground for finding students who may wish to elect Jewish Studies as a major or minor. A major initiative in the future is to secure permanency in our faculty group. Some of our finest teachers and strongest supporters of Jewish Studies are approaching retirement, and we simply cannot fail to note this, and to take appropriate action. While I shall of course give the new Dean of Liberal Arts time to get settled, I shall be insistent in making the case for lines in Judaica. Simply put, our program is a program in name only without faculty to offer courses for our students. I wish you a pleasant summer. L’hitraot, Dan Frank *** ANNOUNCEMENTS *** The Edward Simon B’nai B’rith Barzillai Lodge No. 111 Prize in Jewish Studies 2005 – 2006 Jewish Studies Prize Thanks to the continued generosity of the Greater Lafayette chapter of B’nai B’rith, the 2005-2006 Ed- ward Simon B’nai B’rith Barzillai Lodge No. 111 Prize in Jewish Studies competition is now underway. Per usual, the competition was open to all undergraduates at Purdue University. A prize of $150 will be awarded for the outstanding original essay, research paper, or similar creative project in the general area of Jewish Studies (all fields) produced during the academic year 2005-2006. The deadline for entries for the 2005-2006 prize was Monday, April 17, 2006. A total number of twelve entries were submitted this year, and the winner will be announced in the Fall 2006 issue of the JSP newsletter. Thank you to all that submitted and all that make the Jewish Studies Prize possible. Biblical Hebrew Again at Purdue By Stuart Robertson After a one year interlude, Biblical Hebrew returns to the Department of Foreign Languages and Lit- eratures. Dr. Stuart Robertson, who taught the course the six previous years, will again teach it using a terrific textbook developed by three mothers who teach at Yale University. Their method applies to the learning of Biblical Hebrew through their insights from observing how their children learned their mother tongue. This method provides a fun, interactive approach to learning that teaches the student how Hebrew works. By the end of the first semester the average student can read the Akedah story in Genesis 22, un- derstanding each word’s place and grammatical function. Every lesson is based on sentences or phrases from the Hebrew Bible. Course evaluations from previous students emphasize how much they learned even in one semester. After four semesters the student is ready to enjoy reading on her own. As interest grows, Dr. Robertson will expose students to Biblical Aramaic too. Who would benefit from taking Biblical Hebrew? Anyone interested in the Hebrew Bible, whether for Jewish Studies 2 personal enrichment, or for preparation for a career in ancient history, or archaeology, or for professional religious leadership in synagogue or church, or even for the challenge of studying something unlike any- thing encountered before. *** Jewish Studies 2006 Spring Lecture Series *** Noon Lecture Series January 25, Stewart Center, Room 214A Donald W. Mitchell, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Purdue University, will present, “Forty Years After Nostra Aetate: Eavesdropping on Jewish-Catholic Conversations at the Gregorian.” February 22, Pao Hall for Visual and Performing Arts, Room B157 Christopher A. La Cross, Graduate Student, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Purdue University, will present, “Jewish Communities in Bavaria Today: Interviews with Community Leaders.” April 19, Pao Hall for Visual and Performing Arts, Room B157 Rachel L. Einwohner, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Purdue University, will present, “Explaining Jewish Resistance in the Ghettos of Warsaw, Vilna, and Lodz.” Evening Events Monday, February 27, Krannert Auditorium, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Zev Garber, Department of Judaic Studies, Los Angeles Valley College and Co-Editor of Shofar, will pres- ent, “Is There a Redeeming Voice? Theological Reflections on Job 38-41 and Matthew 27.” Monday, April 10, Krannert Auditorium, 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Rabbi Michael A. Signer, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame, will present, “Rashi and Jewish-Christian Relations in the Medieval Period.” Jewish Studies Program events are free and open to the public. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are cordially invited to attend. Purdue University is an equal opportunity institution. *** 25th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Conference *** The Jewish Studies Program co-sponsored the 25th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Conference from Sun- day, March 26 through Saturday, April 1.
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