Hasidism Reappraised (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) [Paperback]

Ada Rapoport-Albert (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1874774358 | ISBN-13: 978-1874774358 | Publication Date: January 1, 1997

Hasidism has been a seminal force and a source of controversy in the Jewish world since its inception in the second half of the eighteenth century. Indeed, almost every ideological trend that has made itself felt among Jews since that time - from Zionism and Orthodoxy to contemporary Jewish feminism and movements within the yeshiva world - has claimed to have derived some inspiration from this vibrant movement. While this is sure testimony to its vitality and originality, it has also given rise to many misconceptions as to what Hasidism is about. This collection of twenty-eight essays offers a comprehensive treatment of the subject.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Ce fort volume ... Cet ouvrage represente sans conteste une etape importante pour la connaissance du hasidisme.' Jacques Gutwirth, Archives des Sciences Sociales des Religions 'A magnificent account of that phenomenon from the Jewish past-Hasidism. Not only is it a consummate work of scholarship, but the editor has drawn together some of the personal relationships between scholars to show how this has also been the yeast in the splendid lekakh. Before all else, a word of praise for the editor ... to be read as well as to be dipped into and also to have as a major reference work. Trawling the index alone kept me fascinated for many evenings. Some wealthy Jews build synagogues, Jewish centres, but Louis Thomas Sidney Littman, who founded the Littman Library for the love of God and in memory of his father, gave us the wisest gift of all. Our richest past. His memory for a blessing. Ada Rapoport-Albert is an Israeli lecturer at University College, London. She is a considerable editor, writer, and scholar, and by all personal accounts an inspired teacher.' Alex Auswaks, Jerusalem Post 'Probably the most important analytical study of the Hasidic movement to have appeared in the English language, and it can be read with profit by anyone seriously interested in Jewish history.' Edgar Samuel, Jewish Historical Studies 'Undoubtedly of great value for our knowledge of hasidism.' Jacques Gutwirth, Jewish Journal of Sociology 'An opportunity to encounter virtually all the most important trends in the study of Hasidism and to move beyond the approaches and theories that have until now constituted conventional wisdom ... It is a volume that will be essential for anyone with a serious interest in Hasidism and indeed for any Judaica collection.' Miles Krassen, Journal of Jewish Studies 'Handsome collection of twenty-eight essays by world-ranking scholars ... comprehensive indeed, and profound, articulate, often gripping, and frequently counter to conventional wisdom ... amply rewarded by the superb job of translating, editing and reducing to easily readable length ... a reflection of major watersheds in the study of Hasidism.' Lewis Glinert, Le'ela

About the Author

Ada Rapoport-Albert is Reader in and Head of the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London. Born in Israel, she studied at University College London, and has also taught at the Oriental Institute in Oxford and been a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Divinity College. She is the author of various studies on the history of hasidism, and the editor of Essays in Jewish Historiography (1988) and, with Steven J. Zipperstein, Jewish History: Essays in Honour of Chimen Abramsky (1988). Her forthcoming books to be published by the Littman Library, include Women and the Messianic Heresy of Sabbatai Zevi, 1666-1816, Female Bodies, Male Souls: Asceticism and Gender in the Jewish Tradition; Emergent Hasidism: Spontaneity and Institutionalization; and Messianic Hasidism: From Nineteenth-Century Bratslav to Twentieth-Century Habad.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Littman Library Of Jewish Civilization (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1874774358
• ISBN-13: 978-1874774358
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,990,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)