This course is no longer offered

10310 Modernization of East European Jewry 1

Credits: 6 advanced credits in Modern History of the Jewish People

Prerequisites: 36 credits, including one of the following: Jews in an Era of Transition or The Jews of Eastern Europe: History and Culture. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.

Authors: Israel Bartal, Yaron Tsur, Shmuel Feiner

Until the end of the 18th century, Eastern Europe Jewry preserved its way of life within the political, legal and economic framework of the kingdom of Poland. With the division of Poland, the Jews encountered absolute regimes that presented new challenges and weakened their traditional society. The course presents the processes of change which took place in the Jewish community in Eastern Europe after the division of Poland and until the end of the 19th century.

Topics: East European Jewry’s encounter with absolutism (1772-1856); Traditional society – continuity, renewal, adaptation and isolation (1772-1881); Moving closer to the surrounding society – the Enlightenment and acculturation into Russian and Polish societies.

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1Students taking this course may only take one of the following courses: French Jewry from the French Revolution to the Dreyfus Affair (10308), German Jewry and the Challenge of Modernization (10573).