Academia.eduAcademia.edu
2005 dcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Je w is h C u l t u r a l A c h ie v e m e n t Aw a r d s Imagining History Paula Hyman I w a n t to th a n k D e b o r a h D a s h M o o r e f o r h e r g e n e r o u s in tr o d u c tio n a n d a p p r e c ia tio n o f m y w o r k . O n e o f th e b e n e f its o f a c a d e m ia is th a t o c c a ­ s io n a lly y o u h a v e th e o p p o r tu n ity to c o n n e c t b o th in te lle c tu a lly a n d p e r ­ s o n a lly w ith a f e llo w s c h o la r , a n d th a t h a s c e r ta in ly b e e n th e c a s e w ith D e b o r a h a n d m e , a s w e ll a s w ith s e v e r a l o th e r s in th is a u d ie n c e . I w o u ld a ls o lik e to e x p r e s s m y g r a titu d e to th e N a tio n a l F o u n d a tio n f o r J e w is h C u ltu r e f o r c o n f e r r in g u p o n m e th is y e a r ’ s J e w is h C u ltu r a l A c h ie v e m e n t A w a rd in H is to r ic a l S tu d ie s . I w a s a lw a y s g o o d a t im a g in in g . S o it is n o s u r p r is e th a t I im a g in e d 1 c o u ld b e a c o lle g e p r o f e s s o r , e v e n th o u g h I d id n o t h a v e a s in g le f e m a le in s tru c to r — e x c e p t f o r o n e te a c h in g a s s is ta n t — in m y f o u r y e a r s a s a n u n d e r g r a d u a te a t H a r v a r d U n iv e rs ity . M y m o th e r h a d a lw a y s a s s e r te d th a t I c o u ld b e w h a te v e r I w a n te d to b e . A n d , a s a ll w h o k n o w h e r c a n te s tif y , s h e is q u ite p e r s u a s iv e . I a m g r a te f u l th a t s h e is h e r e th is e v e n in g to ta k e s o m e c r e d it f o r th is a w a r d . I le a r n e d to lo v e h is to r y in h ig h s c h o o l a n d p u r ­ s u e d th a t lo v e in c o lle g e . I n th e n e w m u ltid is c i ­ p lin a r y p r o g r a m I m a jo r e d in — s o c ia l s tu d ie s — h is to r ic a l s tu d y , r a th e r th a n o n e o f t h e s o c ia l s c i ­ e n c e s , s e e m e d to m e th e b e s t w a y to e x p lo r e h o w a n d w h y p e o p le a c te d a s th e y d id in p a r tic u la r c o n te x ts , a n d to a n c h o r g r a n d io s e th e o r ie s in th e r e a l w o r ld . I w a s p a r tic u la r ly c u r io u s a b o u t th e Paula Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore h is to r y o f th e J e w s , o f w h ic h I w a s g iv e n a ta n ta ­ liz in g g lim p s e in m y m a n y y e a r s o f s tu d y a t th e H e b r e w T e a c h e r s C o lle g e o f B o s to n , n o w H e b r e w C o lle g e . I w a s f o r tu n a te to s tu d y th e r e , b e c a u s e v ir tu a lly a ll s c h o la r s in J u d a ic S tu d ie s o f m y g e n e r a tio n , a n d c e r ta in ly o f th e g e n e r a tio n s p r e c e d in g m in e , a c q u ir e d th e ir lin g u is tic a n d te x tu a l k n o w le d g e in r a b b in ic s c h o o l, w h ic h w a s th e n th e p r e s e r v e o f m a le s . A t H e b r e w T e a c h e r s C o lle g e I a c h ie v e d f lu e n c y in H e b r e w , r e a d b ib lic a l, r a b b in ic , a n d m o d e m te x ts , a n d le a r n e d T a lm u d . I n c h o o s in g to s tu d y J e w is h h is to r y , I w o u ld f u lf ill m y o w n in te lle c tu a l p a s s io n a n d a ls o s tr iv e to f ill a la c u n a in th e c u r r ic u lu m o f th e A m e r ic a n u n iv e r s ity — th e c u r io u s a b s e n c e o f th e s tu d y o f th e J e w is h e x p e r ie n c e a f te r th e b ib lic a l p e r io d . C o lu m b ia U n iv e r s ity o f f e r e d m e a s e r ie s o f e x tr a o r d in a r y s c h o la r s w h o s e r v e d a s m y m o d e ls o f s e r io u s s c h o la r s h ip . G e r s o n C o h e n w a s a r ig o r o u s m e n to r a n d p a s s io n a te te a c h e r , w h o ta u g h t m e h o w to b e c r itic a l, a n d s e lf - c r itic a l. I s m a r S c h o r s c h in tr o d u c e d m e to th e m o d e m J e w is h e x p e r ie n c e a n d d e m o n s tr a te d h o w to c h a lle n g e c o n v e n tio n a l w is d o m , in h is c a s e , th e c o n c e p t th a t th e le a d e r s 10 o f m o d e m G e r m a n J e w s w e r e p o litic a lly n a iv e a t b e s t a n d c r a v e n a s s im ila tio n is t a t w o r s t. Z v i A n k o r i s h a r e d h is lo v e o f a ll a s p e c ts o f J e w is h h is to r y a n d h is m e th o d o lo g ic a l s o p h is tic a tio n w ith h is s tu d e n ts a n d w a s a c lo s e r e a d e r o f m y d is s e r ta tio n . A n d R o b e r t P a x to n illu m in a te d th e s o c ia l a n d p o litic a l c o n te x t o f m o d e m F r a n c e , to w h o s e J e w s I w a s d e v o tin g m y d is s e r ta tio n . B e c a u s e I h a d a v a r ie ty o f te a c h e r s , I w a s e x p o s e d to m a n y m e th o d s b u t a ls o h a d th e f r e e d o m to c h o o s e m y o w n p a th . A s a c h ild o f th e 1 9 6 0 s , I w a s d r a w n to s o c ia l h is to r y , w h ic h a s s e r te d th a t th e liv e d e x p e r ie n c e o f o r d in a r y p e o p le w a s th e v e r y s t u f f o f h is to r y . M y p r o f e s s o r s s u p p o r te d m y w o r k , e v e n w h e n m y a p p r o a c h d if f e r e d f r o m th e ir s . A lth o u g h I h a v e p u r s u e d r e s e a r c h in m a n y d if f e r e n t g e o g r a p h ic a l a r e a s a n d c h r o n o lo g ic a l p e r io d s , m y in te r e s t in n o n - e lite s h a s p r o v id e d th e u n if y in g th r e a d o f m y s c h o l ­ a r s h ip . W h e th e r it w a s v illa g e J e w s in n in e te e n th - c e n tu r y A ls a c e , h o u s e w if e a c tiv is ts o n th e L o w e r E a s t S id e , o r J e w is h f a th e r s a n d m o th e r s th in k in g a b o u t, a n d r a is in g , th e ir f a m ilie s in d if f e r e n t s e ttin g s , 1 tr ie d to u n d e r s ta n d , a n d m a k e u n d e r s ta n d a b le , th e p o s s ib ilitie s f o r , a n d c o n s tr a in ts o n , th e ir a c tiv ity a s w e ll a s th e a m b ig u itie s o f t h e ir id e n titie s . A s f a r a s 1 w a s c o n c e r n e d , th e y w e r e a g e n ts o f h is to r y , n o t s im p ly its o b je c ts . A f te r b e c o m in g a f e m in is t, it b e c a m e o b v io u s to m e th a t w o m e n , w h a te v e r t h e i r s o c ia l c la s s , b e lo n g e d to th e n o n - e lite , a n d w e r e p e r h a p s th e m o s t n e g le c t ­ e d o f th a t la r g e g r o u p . B e c a u s e o f th e ir g e n d e r , th e y r e m a in e d in v is ib le to h is ­ to r ia n s ; th e ir a c tiv itie s , a n d th e ir s e lf - u n d e r s ta n d in g , w e r e d e e m e d la c k in g in h is to r ic a l s ig n if ic a n c e . A s I s tu d ie d J e w is h w o m e n , I w a s p e r s u a d e d th a t th e in c lu s io n o f g e n d e r d if f e r e n tia ls in th e in v e s tig a tio n o f s u c h m a jo r p r o c e s s e s o f m o d e m J e w is h h is to r y a s a c c u ltu r a tio n , s o c ia l a c tiv is m , id e n tity f o r m a tio n , a n d th e n a tu r e o f c o m m u n ity h a d th e p o te n tia l to tr a n s f o r m th e w a y w e c o n s id e r e d th e tr a je c to r ie s o f th e p a s t. G e n d e r - s e n s itiv e s c h o la r s h ip h a s p r o v id e d n e w q u e s tio n s f o r c la s s ic a l J e w is h te x ts a n d h a s c h a lle n g e d o u r f o c u s o n te x ts a s th e w a y to u n d e r s ta n d J u d a is m b y e x p o s in g th e liv e d J u d a is m o f o r d in a r y w o m e n a n d m e n . I t h a s r e v e a le d th e tr a n s f o r m a tio n s o f m e n a n d w o m e n ’ s r o le s in th e m o d e m p e r io d a n d u n v e ile d th e in tr a c o m m u n a l te n s io n s th a t h a v e a c c o m p a n ie d a c c o m m o d a tin g to n e w c o n d itio n s a n d to n e w r e la tio n s to th e la r g e r s o c ie ty . T h e in c lu s io n o f w o m e n in J e w is h h is to r y h a s a ls o e n a b le d h is to r ia n s to d r a w o n th e c o n s id e r a b le b o d y o f th e o r y o n p o w e r r e la tio n s a n d id e n tity th a t g e n d e r s tu d ie s h a v e g e n e r a te d . I a m p le a s e d to h a v e p a r tic ip a te d in th e e s ta b lis h m e n t o f a d y n a m ic n e w s u b f ie ld t h a t h a s s tim u la te d th e f o r m u la tio n o f a s e r ie s o f n e w q u e s tio n s a b o u t th e p a s t a s w e ll a s n e w r e s e a r c h to b e g in to a n s w e r th o s e q u e s tio n s . I t is g r a tif y in g to w itn e s s th e m a in s tr e a m in g o f g e n d e r s tu d ie s a n d th e e x p e r ie n c e o f w o m e n w ith in m y o w n d is c ip lin e , w h ic h h a s u s u a lly p r e s e n te d a r a th e r c o n s e r v a tiv e f a c e to th e w o r ld . A n d it is p a r tic u la r ly g r a tif y in g to s e e th e n u m e r o u s y o u n g e r s c h o la r s a n d g r a d u a te s tu d e n ts w h o a r e b r in g in g th e s tu d y o f J e w is h w o m e n ’ s h is to r y to n e w h e ig h ts . I a m d e lig h te d to h a v e y o u n g e r c o lle a g u e s w ith w h o m to s h a r e , a n d to d e b a te , a s I c o n tin u e m y o w n w r e s tlin g w ith th e is s u e s th a t J e w is h w o m e n ’ s h is to r y h a s r a is e d a n d w ith th e f ie ld o f m o d e m J e w is h h is to r y a s a w h o le . 11 Je w is h Cu l t u r a l A c h ie v e m e n t Aw a r d s S c h o 1 a r s h ip A w a r d P r o c e e d in g s Sunday^ June 6, 2004