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Ruth Ellen Gruber

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Virtually Jewish: Reinventing Jewish Culture in Europe Hardcover – Illustrated, January 7, 2002

by Ruth Ellen Gruber (Author)

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More than half a century after the Holocaust, in countries where Jews make up just a tiny fraction of the population, products of Jewish culture (or what is perceived as Jewish culture) have become very viable components of the popular public domain. But how can there be a visible and growing Jewish presence in Europe, without the significant presence of Jews? Ruth Ellen Gruber explores this phenomenon, traveling through Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and elsewhere to observe firsthand the many facets of a remarkable trend. Across the continent, Jewish festivals, performances, publications, and study programs abound. Jewish museums have opened by the dozen, and synagogues and Jewish quarters are being restored, often as tourist attractions. In Europe, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, klezmer music concerts, exhibitions, and cafes with Jewish themes are drawing enthusiastic--and often overwhelmingly non-Jewish--crowds.

In what ways, Gruber asks, do non-Jews embrace and enact Jewish culture, and for what reasons? For some, the process is a way of filling in communist-era blanks. For others, it is a means of coming to terms with the Nazi legacy or a key to building (or rebuilding) a democratic and tolerant state. Clearly, the phenomenon has as many motivations as manifestations. Gruber investigates the issues surrounding this "virtual Jewish world" in three specific areas: the reclaiming of the built heritage, including synagogues, cemeteries, and former ghettos and Jewish quarters; the representation of Jewish culture through tourism and museums; and the role of klezmer and Yiddish music as typical "Jewish cultural products." Although she features the relationship of non-Jews to the Jewish phenomenon, Gruber also considers its effect on local Jews and Jewish communities and the revival of Jewish life in Europe. Her view of how the trend has developed and where it may be going is thoughtful, colorful, and very well informed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] delightful, thoughtful, insightful, and provocative look at the new Jewish culture phenomena in Europe, a land now largely bereft of Jews."--Ari Davidow, "klezmershack.com

From the Inside Flap

A richly documented and insightful deliberation on the dilemma of what to do in places where Jewish culture once flourished, but Jews are no longer to be found or are very few in number.... Even where there seems to be a resurgence of Jewish life, it is fragile and fraught. At the same time, Jews from the United States and Israel have their own problematic relationship to the killing fields of Europe and to efforts to 'preserve' the last traces of a Jewish past. This is an altogether fascinating subject and no one is better prepared to write about it than Gruber.--Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, author of Destination Culture

Virtually Jewish is a riveting exploration of a significant contemporary phenomenon. Half a century after the Holocaust and a decade after the fall of Communism, Europeans are grappling with the legacies of their past as they seek to redefine who they are. Combining firsthand reporting and informed analysis, Ruth Ellen Gruber opens the door to a fascinating and sometimes troubling reality. Above all, it's a good read.--Sylvia Poggioli, Senior European Correspondent, National Public Radio

Ruth Gruber is absolutely the right person to describe the manufacture of virtual Jewish culture in present-day Europe. The phenomenon is tangled, fluid, and ever-changing, but this book, crammed with acute observations, unravels the subject and pins it down brilliantly. Here is a veritable gold mine of descriptive data. Subtle and nuanced in its presentation... Virtually Jewish is required reading for anyone interested in the contemporary Jewish world and will doubtless fascinate many people far beyond it.--Jonathan Webber, University of Oxford

Virtually Jewish brilliantly and insightfully examines the big picture of Jewish culture in Europe today. Essential reading for anyone seriously interested in this topic, especially as it relates to the current klezmer music scene.--David Krakauer of Klezmer Madness!, internationally renowned musician and recording artist

From the Back Cover

"A richly documented and insightful deliberation on the dilemma of what to do in places where Jewish culture once flourished, but Jews are no longer to be found or are very few in number.... Even where there seems to be a resurgence of Jewish life, it is fragile and fraught. At the same time, Jews from the United States and Israel have their own problematic relationship to the killing fields of Europe and to efforts to 'preserve' the last traces of a Jewish past. This is an altogether fascinating subject and no one is better prepared to write about it than Gruber."―Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, author of Destination Culture

"Virtually Jewish is a riveting exploration of a significant contemporary phenomenon. Half a century after the Holocaust and a decade after the fall of Communism, Europeans are grappling with the legacies of their past as they seek to redefine who they are. Combining firsthand reporting and informed analysis, Ruth Ellen Gruber opens the door to a fascinating and sometimes troubling reality. Above all, it's a good read."―Sylvia Poggioli, Senior European Correspondent, National Public Radio

"Ruth Gruber is absolutely the right person to describe the manufacture of virtual Jewish culture in present-day Europe. The phenomenon is tangled, fluid, and ever-changing, but this book, crammed with acute observations, unravels the subject and pins it down brilliantly. Here is a veritable gold mine of descriptive data. Subtle and nuanced in its presentation... Virtually Jewish is required reading for anyone interested in the contemporary Jewish world and will doubtless fascinate many people far beyond it."―Jonathan Webber, University of Oxford

"Virtually Jewish brilliantly and insightfully examines the big picture of Jewish culture in Europe today. Essential reading for anyone seriously interested in this topic, especially as it relates to the current klezmer music scene."―David Krakauer of Klezmer Madness!, internationally renowned musician and recording artist

About the Author

Ruth Ellen Gruber is the author of Upon the Doorposts of Thy House (1994) and Jewish Heritage Travel (1992/1999). She lives and writes in Italy and Hungary.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2002
Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520213637
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520213630
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.24 x 0.99 x 9.24 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #5,561,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #354 in General Poland Travel Guides
- #4,997 in Jewish Holocaust History
- #5,059 in History of Judaism

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Ruth Ellen Gruber

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Award-winning American writer, editor and photographer Ruth Ellen Gruber has chronicled European Jewish issues for more than three decades and works on cultural topics including an ongoing project called "Sauerkraut Cowboys" documenting how Europeans embrace the mythology of the American Wild West. She is the coordinator of the web site www.jewish-heritage-europe.eu and in 2011 was awarded Poland's Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit, one of Poland's highest honors for foreign citizens. She was the Distinguished Visiting Chair in Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston, SC.

Ruth coined the term "Virtually Jewish" to describe the way the so-called "Jewish space" in Europe is often filled by non-Jews: klezmer music, culture festivals, museums, tourism, and kitsch as well as serious and sensitive study and involvement.

Her books include National Geographic Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe, (2007), Letters from Europe (and Elsewhere) (2008), Virtually Jewish: Reinventing Jewish Culture in Europe (2002), and Upon the Doorposts of Thy House: Jewish Life in East-Central Europe, Yesterday and Today (1994). She was the co-author with Amalie R. Rothschild of Live at the Fillmore East: A Photographic Memoir (1999) and has contributed chapters to other books.

A former foreign correspondent for United Press International, she has written for scholarly journals as well as media publications including the New York Times, Tablet Magazine, The Forward, Hadassah Magazine, the New Leader, the London Independent and many more. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Hadassah Brandeis Institute, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Autry National Center/Institute for the Study of the American West, and others.