Modern Orthodox Judaism : a documentary history /
Zev Eleff ; foreword by Jacob J. Schacter.
- 1 online resource : illustrations.
- JPS anthologies of Jewish thought .
- JPS anthologies of Jewish thought. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Retrograde instead of advancing" / New lights and old lights / This happy land / A Jewish Luther / An open letter to Gustavus Poznanski / "Some wolves clothed in sheep's-cover" / What prevails among the Jewish people? / This is religious liberty in America / Our holy place / Strange misbehavior / An aunt's admonishment / "The Talmud is not divine" / At the risk of being considered hyper-orthodox / A return to the Maimonidean view? / The Cleveland conference / It is decidedly heretical / An ornament for parlor-tables / A letter from an "enlightened Orthodox" Jew / On burning Reform prayer books / Minhag Ashkenaz and Minhag Reform / Rabbinic tenure / A new calling / Isaac Leeser's successor / The ethics / Backward or forward? / What is progress? / To the Hebrews of America / A school for the intelligent Orthodox / To preserve Judaism above all else / Mordecai Noah -- a member of the Reformed Society of Israelites -- Isaac Harby -- Jacob Mordecai -- Isaac Leeser -- Abraham Rice -- Mordecai Noah -- Abraham Kohn -- Trustees of the Congregation Shearith Israel -- Max Lilienthal -- Anna Marks Allen -- Benjamin Cohen Carillon -- Henry Goldsmith -- Abraham Rice -- Isaac Leeser -- Morris J. Raphall -- Bernard Illowy -- Benjamin Franklin Peixotto -- Eliyahu Holzman -- Samuel Myer Isaacs -- Max Lilienthal -- Palestine -- Alfred T. Jones -- Alexander Kohut -- Kaufmann Kohler -- Alexander Kohut -- Henry Pereira Mendes -- Sabato Morais -- Jacob H. Schiff. Part 1. Orthodox Judaism and the modern American experience. 1. Engaging reform. Section 1. Charleston clamorings and other "heresies". Section 2. Living Orthodox Judaism. 2. The traditional Talmud and response to Reform prayer books. Section 1. Talking Talmud. Section 2. The modified Mahzor. 3. An Orthodox ministry. Section 1. The impaired and itinerant "rabbi". Section 2. Defenders of tradition. Section 3. An Orthodox seminary? Sabath at the Polish shul / The chief rabbi's sermon / The Charleston responsum / Father and mother / Daughter of the Ramaz / The bylaws of the Agudath Ha-Rabbonim / The Orthodox convention / What is Orthodoxy? / Modern Orthodoxy in the light of Orthodox authorities / Pictures of Jewish home life / Young Israel / Proposal for a five-day work week / The Synagogue Council of America / An Orthodox high school / The question of the time / Yeshiva College / The Hebrew Theological College of Chicago / Is Schechter Orthodox? / The "general religious tendency" of the seminary / A dangerous situation / The Orthodox rabbis and the seminary / A reaffirmation of traditional Judaism / A definition of modern Orthodox / The "modern Orthodox" rabbi / What is Orthodox Judaism? / The Rabbinical Council of America / Orthodox-Traditional-Torah-true Judaism / "A modern Orthodox congregation" / May men and women sit together in shul? / A "family seated" Orthodox synagogue / A new religious group in American Judaism? / The excommunication of Mordecai Kaplan / The conservative Beth Din / The synagogue council ban / A conservative converts to Orthodox Judaism / A convert within your gates / William M. Rosenblatt -- Abraham Cahan -- Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin -- Anzia Yezierska -- S.N. Behrman -- The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of America -- Orthodox Jewish Congregational Union of America -- Henry Pereira Mendes -- Gotthard Deutsch -- Esther J. Ruskay -- Hebrew Standard -- Bernard Drachman -- Abraham Burstein -- Solomon T.H. Hurwitz -- Eliezer Ladizinsky -- Bernard Revel -- Hyman L. Meites -- Emanuel Schreiber -- Solomon Schechter -- American Hebrew -- Judah David Eisenstein -- Max Drob -- Henry Pereira Mendes -- Solomon Zucrow -- Leo Jung -- Solomon Reichman -- Jospeh Lookstein -- Joseph Rudnick -- Joseph B. Soloveitchik -- Julius Katz -- S. Felix Mendelsohn -- Agudath Ha-Rabbonim -- Fabian Schoenfeld -- Eleven Roshei Yeshiva -- C.E. Hillel Kauvar -- Samson R. Weiss. Part 2. The contest for modern Orthodox Judaism. 4. The arrival of Eastern European immigrants. Section 1. Resisting a Treifene Medine. Section 2. Accommodating to a Goldene Medine. 5. Trailblazers. Section 1. The revel revolution. Section 2. Solomon Schechter and the Orthodox. 6. The parting of the ways: Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. Section 1. What's in a name? Section 2. Mixed seating and "modern Orthodox". Section 3. Heresy hunting. The search for a modern Orthodox "ideologist" / Making Orthodoxy relevant in America / Dear Yitzchak / The radicals / The College Bowl sensation / Watching with great enthusiasm and excitement / Modern Orthodoxy is not a movement / A modern Orthodox movement / Maimonides School / A Rabbinical Supervisory Council for day schools / Orthodox student pride / Camp Moshava / National Conference of Synagogue Youth / Drisha Institute for Jewish Education / Synthesis / A new beginning / The "ou" symbol / How kosher is ou? / The self-appointed spokesman / Confrontation / The new encounter / The Friday night Bat Mitzvah / Fancy parties and busy fathers / Law is law / The reacculturation of the "Yeshiva student" / The social politics of shul / My return to the rabbinate / A hero for the "religiously apathetic" / Needed: clinical pastoral training / The core of Judaism / Minimal set of principles / The state of Orthodox belief--an open view / The state of Orthodox belief--a less-open view / Halakhic man and the mathematician / Authentic Halakhah and the "teleological jurist" / The letter and the spirit of the law / New York's most powerful rabbi? / Never again! / The voluntary covenant / The religious Zionist's responsibilities in "Galut" to "Eretz Israel" / A few words of confession / An expression of the "Jewish soul" / The Six-Day War / The Rosenberg case / The student struggle for Soviet Jewry / Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik's opposition to the Vietnam War / A prayer for Soviet Jews / Five reasons why every Jewish woman should adhere to family purity / Hedge of roses / Commandment number one: Birth control / Tay-Sachs disease / An official policy for genetic screening / The pros and cons of "mass hysteria" / Creativity in "family law" / In the matter of prenuptial agreements / Why Orthodox rabbis should insist on a prenuptial agreement / The rabbi's wife / "My occult powers" / The role of the rabbi's wife / A rebbitzen respectfully dissents / Is now the time for Orthodox women rabbis? / The female "congregational educator" / New roles for rebbetzins / Yes, we are Orthodox, and yes, we hired a female member of our clergy! / An American Zionist lives a "schizoid life" / A modern Orthodox utopia turned to ashes / "Centrist Orthodoxy" / Gifter slaughters Lamm for Passover / Baruch Lanner will be your rabbi / "Frum from birth" / An "unorthodox" ad? / The misleading salesmen of Torah u-Madda / Trashing Torah u-Madda / The Israel experience / "I never saw the rav read a secular book" / Modern Orthodoxy goes to Grossinger's / The RIETS responsum on women's prayer groups / The affairs of the rabbinical council / Piety not rebellion / "Very little Halachic Judaism" / "Modern Orthodox" and "traditional Conservative": is an alliance possible? / Jewish women hear muffled voices / Take Rav Soloveitchik at full depth / Modern Orthodox Gedolim / Stalemate at Stern College / Modern Orthodoxy's demise / Social Orthodoxy / The Freundel affair / Open Orthodox Judaism / The close of Edah / Shirah Hadashah / A statement of principles / Taking back modern Orthodox Judaism / Charles S. Liebman -- Irving "Yitz" Greenberg -- Aharon Lichtenstein -- Walter Wurzburger -- Yeshivah of Flatbush Student Government -- Fifth Graders of Hillel Day School -- Emanuel Rackman -- Norman Lamm -- Shulamith Meiselman -- Torah Umesorah -- Gwendolyn R. Buttnick -- Lillian X. Frost -- Abraham I. Rosenberg -- Soshea Leibler -- Samuel Belkin -- Yeshaiv University Office of Admissions -- Herbert S. Goldstein -- Alexander Rosenberg -- National Council of Young Israel -- Joseph B. Soloveitchik -- Irving "Yitz" Greenberg -- Oscar Z. Fasman -- Joseph Speiser -- William N. Ciner -- Ralph Pelcovitz -- Samuel C. Heilman -- Anonymous -- Steven "Shlomo" Riskin -- Sherman P. Kirshner -- Herman Wouk -- Leonard B. Gewirtz -- Marvin Fox -- Immanuel Jakobovits -- Joseph B. Soloveitchik -- Emanuel Rackman -- Immanuel Jakobovits -- Ronald I. Rubin -- Meir Kahane -- Irving Greenberg -- Bessie Gotsfeld -- Joseph B. Soloveitchik -- Joel B. Wolowelsky -- Eliezer Berkovits -- National Council of Young Israel -- Jacob Birnbaum -- Hamevaser -- Haskel Lookstein -- Women's Branch of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America -- Norman Lamm -- Herbert S. Goldstein -- Allan Kaplan -- Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists -- Moshe D. Tendler -- Emanuel Rackman -- Rabbinical Council of America -- Saul J. Berman -- Sara Hyamson -- Channa Gerstein -- Theodore L. Adams -- Helen Felman -- Blu Greenberg -- Richard Kestenbaum -- Abby Lerner -- Adam Scheier -- David Landesman -- David Singer -- Gilbert Klaperman -- Mordechai Gifter -- Elie Hiller -- Anonymous -- Haskel Lookstein -- Paul Eidelberg -- Behnam Dayanim and Dov Pinchot -- Esther Krauss -- Abba Bronspigel -- Shlomo Riskin -- Five Yeshiva University Roshei Yeshiva -- Louis Bernstein -- Rivka Haut -- Eliezer Berkovits -- Avi Weiss -- Laura Shaw -- Aharon Lichtenstein -- Dena Freundlich -- Cindy Bernstein and Norman Lamm -- Gary Bauman -- Jay P. Lefkowitz -- Kesher Israel Board of Directors -- Dov Linzer and Avi Weiss -- Saul J. Berman -- Tova Hartman -- Nathaniel Helfgot -- Asher Lopatin. Part 3. A modern Orthodox movement. 7. Becoming modern Orthodox Jews. Section 1. The new Orthodox left. Section 2. A modern Orthodox movement. 8. Orthodox, Inc. Section 1. The day school. Section 2. Beyond the school. Section 3. Yeshiva University. Section 4. Industrializing Kashrut. Section 5. Interfaith dialogue. 9. The Orthodox Synagogue and rabbinate. Section 1. Rites of passage. Section 2. A more Orthodox sanctuary? Section 3. The "new" Orthodox rabbi. 10. The state of Orthodox belief. Section 1. What does Orthodoxy believe? Section 2. Halakhah, the modern Orthodox way? 11. Responding to tragedies and triumphs. Section1. The Holocaust. Section 2. Zionism and the state of Israel. Section 3. Communism, Vietnam, and Soviet Jewry. 12. The Orthodox family. Section 1. Ritual purity and birth control. Section 2. Tay-Sachs: an Ashkenazic "disease". Section 3. The prenuptial agreement. 13. From rebbetzin to rabbah. Section 1. The rabbi's wife. Section 2. A female synagogue leader. 14. Sliding to the right and to the left. Section 1. The center under siege. Section 2. Sliding to the right. Section 3. Sliding to the left. 15. Reconsidering modern Orthodox Judaism in a new century. Section 1. Loosening grip. Section 2. Modern Orthodoxy reclaimed?
Modern Orthodox Judaism offers an extensive selection of primary texts documenting the Orthodox encounter with American Judaism that led to the emergence of the Modern Orthodox movement. Many texts in this volume are drawn from episodes of conflict that helped form Modern Orthodox Judaism. These include the traditionalists' response to the early expressions of Reform Judaism, as well as incidents that helped define the widening differences between Orthodox and Conservative Judaism in the early twentieth century. Other texts explore the internal struggles to maintain order and balance once Orthodox Judaism had separated itself from other religious movements. Zev Eleff combines published documents with seldom-seen archival sources in tracing Modern Orthodoxy as it developed into a structured movement, established its own institutions, and encountered critical events and issues--some that helped shape the movement and others that caused tension within it. A general introduction explains the rise of the movement and puts the texts in historical context. Brief introductions to each section guide readers through the documents of this new, dynamic Jewish expression.