What does it mean to be a Jew? The vexed question of Jewish identity emerged
at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe and has dominated Jewish history
throughout the modern period. Although Jewish emancipation and citizenship
followed different paths in France and the German states, in both cases Jews
were confronted by unprecedented opportunities for integration into non-Jewish
society and unprecedented challenges to Jewish communal life. This course will
introduce students to the major social, cultural, religious, and political
transformations that shaped the lives of Europe's Jews from the outbreak of the
French Revolution to the aftermath of World War II. We will explore such topics
as emancipation, Jewish diversity, the rise of religious denominations within
Judaism, competing political ideologies, Jewish-gentile relations, the role of
Jewish women, Jewish responses to Nazism, and the situation of Jews in the
immediate postwar period. In addition to broad historical treatments, course
materials will include memoirs and diaries.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two
papers, and a final exam. No prerequisites. No enrollment limit (expected:
10-20).
Group B