From “Jewish Memory” to Jewish History

In his influential Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory, Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi analyzed brilliantly the transition in Jewish conceptions of Jewish history from premodern to modern times. The present paper discusses a number of alternative perspectives on this transition. Yerushalmi argued convi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chazan, Robert (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2017
In: The journal of Jewish thought & philosophy
Year: 2017, Volume: 25, Issue: 2, Pages: 279-304
Further subjects:B Jewish History Jewish thought
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
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Summary:In his influential Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory, Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi analyzed brilliantly the transition in Jewish conceptions of Jewish history from premodern to modern times. The present paper discusses a number of alternative perspectives on this transition. Yerushalmi argued convincingly the importance of the traditional conception of Jewish history, which he labeled “Jewish memory,” for Jewish survival. This paper challenges the terminology, agrees with the role played by the traditional Jewish thinking in Jewish survival, and emphasizes the premodern circumstances that made the traditional thinking so vital and effective. With respect to modern conceptions of Jewish history, which Yerushalmi associates with Jewish history writing, this paper argues that an examination of the circumstances of modernity reveals the creativity of this altered view of the Jewish past and the ways in which it in turn has fostered Jewish survival in the face of radically new challenges.
ISSN:1477-285X
Contains:In: The journal of Jewish thought & philosophy
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/1477285X-12341288