A Ready Hatred: Depictions of the Jewish Woman in Medieval Antisemitic Art and Caricature

Esther, the biblical book named after the beautiful Jewish woman chosen by the Persian King Xerxes to be queen, is a story of love, political intrigue, and religious faithfulness. Carey A. Moore combines his treatment of scholarly issues with an engaging explanation of the popular Jewish festival of Purim. One of three biblical and extra-biblical books named after women (Esther, Ruth, and Judith), Esther reads like a novel, with its fast-paced, action-packed story. Drawing on ancient tales of court intrigue and midrashic sources, the author captivates the reader with the story of Queen Esther, her uncle Mordecai, King Xerxes, and the royal court’s villain, Haman. The story not only entertains, it also explains the origins of the Jewish festival of Purim. Moore deftly deals with the scholarly issues peculiar to this book without sacrificing his sensitivity to its literary quality. The uncertainty that Esther should be included in sacred Scripture stems from its apparent lack of religious elements, its absence at Qumran, and its questionable historicity. Moore takes up these issues, carefully explaining and weighing prevailing scholarly theories before registering his own conclusions on the origin, date, and purpose of the book of Esther.

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JEWISH LAW, STATE, AND SOCIAL REALITY: PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF DIVORCE REFUSAL IN ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES

Journal of Law and Religion ◽

10.1017/jlr.2018.15 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 61-88

Author(s):

Amihai Radzyner

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Jewish Woman ◽

Main Tool ◽

The United States ◽

Western World ◽

Jewish Law ◽

State Law ◽

Jewish Women ◽

The Common ◽

Official Status

AbstractRabbinical courts in Israel serve as official courts of the state, and state law provides that a Jewish couple can obtain a divorce only in these courts, and only strictly according to Jewish law. By contrast, in the Western world, especially the United States, which has the largest concentration of Jews outside of Israel, the Jewish halakha is not a matter of state law, and rabbinical courts have no official status. This article examines critically the common argument that for a Jew committed to the halakha, and in particular for a Jewish woman who wants to divorce her husband, a state-sponsored halakhic system is preferable to a voluntary one. This argument is considered in light of the main tool that has been proven to help American Jewish women who wish to obtain a halakhic divorce from husbands refusing to grant it: the prenuptial agreement. Many Jewish couples in the United States sign such an agreement, but only a few couples in Israel do so, primarily because of the opposition of the rabbinical courts in Israel to these agreements. The article examines the causes of this resistance, and offers reasons for the distinction that exists between the United States and Israel. It turns out that social and legal reality affect halakhic considerations, to the point where rabbis claim that what the halakha allows in the United States it prohibits in Israel. The last part of the article uses examples from the past to examine the possibility that social change in Israel will affect the rulings of rabbinical courts on this issue.

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About the reception of Sorana Gurian’s literary work in Romania

Slovo ◽

10.46298/slovo.2020.6149 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol How to think of literary... (Varia) ◽

Author(s):

Tomasz Krupa

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Jewish Woman ◽

Literary Work ◽

Ethnic Origin ◽

Woman Writer ◽

Literary Canon ◽

Main Culprit ◽

History Of ◽

International Audience ◽

The Way

International audience The case of Sorana Gurian (1913‑1956) allows to examine the situation of multiple exclusion in the 20th century European society: she is a Jewish woman, a stranger accused of espionage and collaboration and her body, disabled and affected by cancer, becomes the main culprit of this plural banishment. The author is a tragic figure: not only because of her life, but also due to the oblivion that her oeuvre fell into – yet original and contemporarily recognized – counting six volumes in French and Romanian and dozens of press publications. In the paper, I propose to read chosen literary chronicles commenting on two Gurian’s editions published in Romania in 1945‑1946 – Zilele nu se întorc niciodată [Days that never return] and Întâmplări între amurg și noapte [Adventures between twilight and night]. These chronicles show the way in which the Other was perceived, in this case – a woman writer, a disabled woman or a Jewish woman in the 20th century. Such perspective aims to show the non‑ aesthetic conditions (gender, corporality, social class, political convictions, ethnic origin, etc.) which have determined Gurian’s appearance and disappearance in the literary scene, and which still influence the way of perceiving her texts in Romania. At the end of this study, I reflect on the possibility of rehabilitating this figure in the history of European literature, that could renew the Romanian literary canon of the 20th century, in which women writers haven’t still found their place. Le cas de Sorana Gurian (1913-1956) permet d’examiner la situation d’une multiple exclusion au sein de la société européenne du xxe siècle : elle est à la fois femme, juive et étrangère, accusée d’espionnage et de collaboration, et son corps, handicapé et touché par le cancer, devient le principal coupable de ce bannissement pluriel. L’auteure est une figure tragique : non seulement par sa vie, mais aussi par l’oubli dans lequel est tombée son œuvre – pourtant originale et reconnue à l’époque –, comptant six volumes en roumain et en français et des dizaines de publications dans la presse. Dans le présent article, je propose une lecture de quelques chroniques littéraires portant sur deux éditions de Gurian parues en Roumanie en 1945-1946 : Zilele nu se întorc niciodată [Les jours ne reviennent jamais] et Întâmplări între amurg și noapte [Aventures entre crépuscule et nuit], qui témoignent de la manière dont on percevait l’Autre, en l’occurrence une femme écrivain, une femme infirme ou bien une femme d’origine juive au xxe siècle. Cette perspective a pour but de montrer les conditionnements autres qu’esthétiques (genre, corporalité, classe sociale, convictions politiques, origine ethnique, etc.) qui ont déterminé l’apparition et la disparition de Gurian sur la scène littéraire, et qui influencent toujours la manière de percevoir ses textes en Roumanie. À la fin de cette étude, je réfléchis à la possibilité de réhabiliter cette figure dans l’histoire de la littérature européenne, ce qui pourrait permettre de rediscuter le canon littéraire roumain du xxe siècle, où les femmes écrivains ne trouvent toujours pas leur place. Przypadek Sorany Gurian (1913‑1956) pozwala zbadać sytuację wielokrotnego wykluczenia w xx‑wiecznym społeczeństwie europejskim: jest ona jednocześnie kobietą, Żydówką, obcą, oskarżoną o szpiegostwo i kolaborację, zaś jej ciało, niepełnosprawne i chore na raka, staje się głównym winowajcą tego mnogiego wygnania. Autorka jest postacią tragiczną nie tylko ze względu na jej życie, lecz również ze względu na zapomnienie, w jakie popadła jej oryginalna i uznana przez współczesnych twórczość, na którą składają się sześć wydań w językach francuskim i rumuńskim oraz dziesiątki publikacji w prasie. W niniejszym artykule odczytuję wybrane kroniki literackie komentujące dwa teksty opublikowane przez Gurian w Rumunii w latach 1945‑1946 – Zilele nu se întorc niciodată [Dni nigdy nie powracają] oraz Întâmplări între amurg și noapte [Zdarzenia między zmierzchem a nocą]. Kroniki te pokazują bowiem, w jaki sposób postrzegano Innego, w tym przypadku – pisarkę, niepełnosprawną kobietę czy Żydówkę w xx wieku. Ta perspektywa ma na celu wskazać uwarunkowania nie‑ estetyczne (płeć, cielesność, klasa społeczna, poglądy polityczne, pochodzenie etniczne itd.), które zdecydowały o pojawieniu i zniknięciu Gurian na scenie literackiej, a które ciągle określają postrzeganie jej tekstów w Rumunii. Na końcu tego studium zastanawiam się nad możliwością rehabilitacji tej postaci w historii literatury europejskiej, co mogłoby z kolei przyczynić się do odnowienia rumuńskiego kanonu literackiego xx wieku, w którym nadal nie ma miejsca dla pisarek. Cazul Soranei Gurian (1913‑1956) ilustrează situația unei excluderi din considerențe multiple în societatea europeană din secolul xx‑lea. Fiind femeie, evreică și străină, acuzată de spionaj și de colaborare, trupul său, cu handicap și atins de cancer, devine principalul vinovat al acestei exilări plurale. Autorea este un personaj tragic: nu numai din cauza vieții sale, ci și din cauza uitării în care a căzut opera sa, totuși originală și recunoscută de către contemporanii ei, compusă din șase volume în limba franceză și în română, precum și de zeci de publicații în presă. În acest articol, propun o lectură a unor cronici literare privind cele două ediții ale Soranei Gurian publicate în România în anii 1945‑1946 – Zilele nu se întorc niciodată și Aventuri între amurg și noapte. Aceste cronici reflectă modul în care se percepe Celălalt, în acest caz – o scriitoare, o femeie cu handicap, o evreică în contextul secolului xx. Această perspectivă are să identifice diferite condiționări (gen, corporalitate, clasă socială, convingeri politice, etnie șamd), care au determinat atît apariția, cît și dispariția lui Gurian de pe scenă literară și care încă înfluențează modul de percepere al textelor sale în România. La sfîrșitul acestui studiu, propun o reflecție asupra posibilității de reabilitare a acestei figuri în istoria literaturii europene, ceea ce ar putea conduce la rediscutarea canonului literar românesc al secolului xx, unde scriitoarele încă nu‑și găsesc locul.

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“AINA COHEN, C’EST MOl”, O AINA COHEN ÉS L’ALTRA?

Catalan Review ◽

10.3828/catr.19.12 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 199-220

Author(s):

Jordi Larios

Keyword(s):

Jewish Woman ◽

Point Of Intersection ◽

Alter Ego

When Llorenç Villalonga published Mort de dama (1931), the character of Aina Cohen offended representatives of the Escola Mallorquina, who interpreted it as an attack on autochthonous literature. Although Villalonga responded by affirming that it was his alter ego and although some contemporary critics have related her vaguely with Freud o have associated her with a Spenglerian concept of art, Aina Cohen has never been entirely freed from the condition of a simple, merciless caricature of the Escola Mallorquina. The goal of this article is to explore the complexity of this figure (a Jewish woman, lesbian, Catalan writer), who bears some characteristics of Josef Breuer’s Anna O. and appears as a point of intersection for various anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist discourses.

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Bajla Gelblung und Johannes Bobrowskis Gedicht BERICHT

Volume 60 · 2019 - Literaturwissenschaftliches Jahrbuch ◽

10.3790/ljb.60.1.373 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 373-383

Author(s):

Eduard R. Müller

Keyword(s):

Jewish Woman ◽

Historical Background ◽

Warsaw Ghetto ◽

The Third ◽

Over Time ◽

German Wehrmacht

Johannes Bobrowski’s iconic poem BERICHT (REPORT) refers to an historical photograph showing the interrogation of a young Polish Jewish woman by officers of the German Wehrmacht in Brest-Litovsk. It has long been assumed that the woman referred to as Bajla Belblung was a resistance fighter who escaped from the Warsaw ghetto in 1943. But further research has shown that the interrogation took place in September 1939 after the end of the third week of the war. This work examines the historical background of the photos of Bajla Gelblung taken at that time as well how the photograph captions have changed over time. It also raises questions about the development of a legend, to which Bobrowski’s poem has made a decisive contribution.

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