Jewish Civilization: The Jewish Historical Experience in a Comparative PerspectiveThis book explains why the best way to understand the Jewish historical experience is to look at Jewish people, not just as a religious or ethnic group or a nation or “people,” but, as bearers of civilization. This approach helps to explain the greatest riddle of Jewish civilization, namely, its continuity despite destruction, exile, and loss of political independence. In the first part of the book, Eisenstadt compares Jewish life and religious orientations and practices with Hellenistic and Roman civilizations, as well as with Christian and Islamic civilizations. In the second part of the book, he analyzes the modern period with its different patterns of incorporation of Jewish communities into European and American societies; national movements that developed among Jews toward the end of the nineteenth century, especially the Zionist movement; and specific characteristics of Israeli society. The major question Eisenstadt poses is to what extent the characteristics of the Jewish experience are distinctive, in comparison to other ethnic and religious minorities incorporated into modern nation-states, or other revolutionary ideological settler societies. He demonstrates through his case studies the continuous creativity of Jewish civilization. |
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activities American antisemitism Arab arenas aspects assimilation attempts attitude Axial Age basic premises became central century changes characteristics Christianity civilizational vision closely related combination conception connected constituted continuous Court creativity crucial crystallized cultural developed Diaspora different Jewish dimension distinct Eastern Europe economic Eisenstadt elements elite groups Eretz Israel especially ethnic European exile existence far-reaching framework Galut Halakhah halakhic Haskala ideological immigrants important incorporation of Jews institutional mold internal Islam Israeli society Jewish civilization Jewish collective identity Jewish communities Jewish historical experience Jewish identity Jewish national movements Jewish tradition Judaism later Likud major Medieval ments Messianic mode monotheistic national movements organizations orientations orthodox patterns period political potential primordial components problems rabbinical reconstruction relatively religion religious respect revolutionary S. N. Eisenstadt Sabbatean Second Temple secular seen Six-Day War social solidarity specific symbols tendencies tensions territorial themes of Jewish tion transformation United universalistic various Yishuv Yom Kippur War Zionist movement
