Center of Jadaic and Inter-religious Studies of Shandong University

Photographing Modernization in Jewish Salonica during the Late-Ottoman Period

2025-05-24T07:34:51-04:00

The studies of Jewish communities constitute an important part of Jewish history and the world history. Throughout the period of the Diaspora, Jewish communities have maintained their uniqueness while actively or passively interacting with the outside world. In recent years, the focus of academia on the study of Jewish communities has increased, but it still remains on the dominant Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. The Jewish community of Salonica during the Ottoman Empire was a community of the descendants of Sephardic Jews from medieval Spain. Research on this group will enrich the materials and provide new perspectives in the field of Jewish studies. This article presents the living conditions of the Jews in Salonica at that time through visual materials, their image in the eyes of the West, the impact of European colonialism, industrialization, and urbanization on them, and how Jews transitioned from tradition and religiosity to modernity and secularism. Under the influence of different external environments and social networks, Sephardic Jews embarked on a unique path of modernization different from that of Ashkenazi Jews.

From Radical Enlightenment to Religious Reform: On Saul Ascher’s Reconstruction to Judaism

2025-05-24T07:50:57-04:00

Saul Ascher is one of the Jewish thinkers that were influenced by Immanuel Kant in the late 18th century. Unlike many of his contemporaries advocating Jewish enlightenment, he tried to remove the political and modern anti-Semitic elements in Kant and Fichte’s philosophy, and constructed the system of Jewish ethical monotheism that originated from Moses Law and based on Kant’s reason and moral principles. Under the background of religious and philosophical anti-Semitism, and Jewish fighting for the liberation, Asher’s ideas showed a strong political and philosophical criticism and the motives that defended the Judaism and Jewish survival in a rationalist context, and he was one of the key figures who guided the Berlin Jewish community from radical enlightenment to positive religious reform.

Three Major New Trends in Contemporary American Judaism

2025-05-24T08:08:42-04:00

Since the end of the 20^th century, there have been three major trends of change in American Judaism, namely, “de-ethnicity”, “de-sectarianism” and “gender revolution”. After the war, the“multiculturalism ”turn of American society, the apparent decline of anti-Semitism and the accelerated integration of American Jews led to the obvious loosening of the old ethnic and religious barriers, which led to large-scale intermarriage and secularization in the Jewish community. The tradition of closely intertwined Jewish ethnic and religious identities was de-constructed by the wave of“de-ethnicity”. After the war, the continuous dialogue and reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity in the western society, as well as the tide of intermarriage among members of different religious groups, have also led to the increasingly frequent coexistence, mutual learning and infiltration between Judaism and other religions. The rise of the post-modern religious culture of “everyone can be a pastor” has led more and more Jews to alienate from the Jewish establishment, and to join the innovative Jewish religious movement, or the crosssectarian “outreach” movement. The tide of American liberalization and counterculture has boosted the surge of Jewish feminism and helped homosexuals get out of the marginal position. In various sects of the non-orthodox, women and homosexuals have gradually gained equal status with men in religious education, ordination and other fields. The“gender revolution” of“de-masculinization” has broken the long tradition of male domination in Judaism. These “advancing with the times” reforms mainly occurred in the highly“Americanized” non-orthodox movements. As a result, it also led to further differentiation between them and the orthodox groups committed to defending the Jewish tradition and the authority of religious law.

The Emergence of Modern Northeast China’s Export Trade and the Contributions of the Jewish Kabalkin Family

2025-05-24T08:33:27-04:00

In the late 19^th century, against the backdrop of colonization and competition from Japan, Russia, and Western powers, some towns in Northeast China, including Harbin, became areas open to foreign influence. Over approximately a quarter of a century, Harbin rapidly transformed from a remote fishing village into an emerging international financial center in East Asia. Harbin became a new arena for commercial competition among the great powers. The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway marked a turning point in the history of Jews coming to China. Subsequently, five Jewish communities were formed along the railway. During this developmental process, Jews played a pioneering and exemplary role in the formation of the financial capital system, the establishment of the transportation system, the construction of the import-export trade system, and the development of modern enterprises in Harbin and Northeast China. This further connected the regional economic market of Northeast China directly with global economies such as Europe, promoting the commercialization of agricultural products in Northeast China and driving the prosperity and development of the regional economic market. Studying this historical period is not only beneficial for the revitalization of Northeast China’s old industrial base but also has significant practical implications for the construction of the Northeast China Land and Maritime Silk Road Economic Belt and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

One Thousand Years of Solitude and the Sphere of Between: Martin Buber’s Problem Awareness of Philosophical Anthropology

2025-05-24T08:40:01-04:00

In his 1938 article“The Problem of Man” (Das Problem des Menschen), Jewish philosopher Martin Buber explores a unique philosophical anthropological understanding of the human condition, focusing on the ontological concept of“solitude” and the realm of“between”. Buber’s concept of“solitude”is not a sociological or psychological one, but rather a metaphysical exploration of the individual’s position and uniqueness in the universe, as reflected in the thought of philosophers from Augustine to Pascal over the millennia. Additionally, Buber discusses the sphere of“between” as not a means to deny or to overcome “solitude”, but rather as a place where human beings“encounter” each other on a“narrow ridge”. According to Buber, only in this absolute solitude does the“between” Ekstase, serve as a bridge between the ethics of modern individualism and collectivism.

The Identity Construction of Spanish Marrano Jews and Its Modern Implications

2025-05-24T08:54:11-04:00

Marranos are “new Christians” who were forced to convert to Christianity under the anti-Semitic movement in Spain at the end of the 15^th century, but who still practiced Judaism in private. This article focuses on the transformation process of Sephardic Jews into Marranos in Spain, and analyses how Marranos have gradually achieved the construction of their identity as “non-Jewish Jews” through the search for self-identity, collective identity and social identity. The identity construction of Marrano Jews is a reflection and reexamination of“what is a Jew”. Marrano highlights the possibility of non-Jews adhering to Judaism, and their concern for the world and individualism perfectly correspond to the many dimensions of modernity. At the same time, Marrano’s dispersal brought a spirit of change containing freedom, equality, and tolerance to the places it passed through, which is in essence a mode of life and attitude towards human beings with modernist sentiments. Therefore, in a sense, it can be said that everyone of us is Marano.

Deuteronomy and the Root of Political Theology: Discuss with Zhang Xu’s “Towards Jerusalem in ‘Athens and Jerusalem’: On Jewish Political Theology”

2025-05-24T09:05:42-04:00

In dialogue with Professor Zhang Xu’s article“Towards Jerusalem in‘ Athens and Jerusalem’: On Jewish Political Theology”, this paper firstly brings with two methodological and hypothetical problems that may exist in the article: On the one hand, it points out the tension and discrepancy between the terms of“Jewish (political) theology”,“Old Testament theology”and“Hebrew biblical theology”; On the other hand, it argues that von Rad’s“traditional history” paradigm should not be simply pitted against the modern text-historical critical method and postmodern studies. Subsequently, the paper focuses on two central issues in contemporary studies on Book of Deuteronomy, namely, (a) the“subversive adaption” of Neo-Assyrian imperial ideology by Deuteronomic theology, and (b) the duality of Deuteronomy as both canon and interpretation in the literary history of Pentateuch, to complement and enrich the study of Deuteronomy’s political theology. On this basis, the paper emphasizes the historical causality of covenant theology as reflected in the Deuteronomic formula of“blessing and cursing” and its significant influence on the concept of“salvation history”. Finally, the paper also addresses that the“root(s) of political theology”should not be confined to a single tradition of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, but should be more fully grasped in the context of a synthesis of the Deuteronomi (sti) c (D) and Priestly (P) traditions, as well as of Apocalypticism, Wisdom, and the sectarian literature in Qumran, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of“Jerusalem in ‘Athens and Jerusalem’”.

Sanctity of the Land and Sanctity of the State: An Analysis of Religious Zionism and Settlement

2025-05-24T09:13:09-04:00

Settlement activities have always been one of the goals of Zionism. For the past 40 years, religious Zionists have been the driving force behind the Israeli settlement project, and the Bloc of the Faithful is its main activist organization. They see territorial identity as a core principle, and settlement in the land of Israel as a messianic activity, a further stage of redemption. The withdrawal of the Sinai settlements and Gaza settlements created a clash between religious Zionism and state policy, and it was assumed that the result would be a violent, bloody confrontation. But despite turmoil and resistance, in the end, most religious Zionists acted with restraint, and the sanctity of the state transcends the sanctity of the land.

The History, Reforms and Current Status of Collectivist Education on Kibbutzim in Israel

2025-05-24T10:48:26-04:00

Since the end of the 20^th century, the traditional education of collectivism in Israeli kibbutzim has eventually developed into a systematic education of value identity. The Value Recognition Education of Israeli Kibbutz is the recognition education of the Socialist value system centered on the Kibbutz lifestyle, including a collection of education and teaching methods formed on this basis. This kind of Value Recognition Education is the inheritance and development of Kibbutz’s Communist education and Collectivism education. The development of Kibbutz Value Recognition Education is based on the macro and micro levels. On the macro level, this is the education process that runs through the entire life of the educated; and on the micro level, it is a collection of multiple educational methods under specific social and historical conditions. Kibbutz’s Value Recognition Education has achieved remarkable results. It helped the Kibbutz through the development crisis of the mid-1980s and increased the vitality, attractiveness and cohesion of the Kibbutz.

Idolatry as Metaphor: Holocaust Writing in Cynthia Ozick’s The Shawl

2025-05-24T11:06:57-04:00

Contemporary American Jewish writer Cynthia Ozick advocates anti-idolatry as a means of safeguarding Jewish tradition. However, the imaginative power embodied in pagan idolatry is precisely the soil in which literary creation is born and extended. When the combination of Jewish identity and her literary creation creates a tension with the oxymoronic feature, Ozick inevitably needs to utilize metaphors to manifest her literary pursuits and religious assertations. This paper argues that Ozick presents three types of idolatry in The Shawl with the“shawl” as an idol, which is manifested in the form of metaphor. Meanwhile, Ozick associates idolatry with the Holocaust as an expression of her reflection on Jewish tradition and modernity.

The Forgotten “Dialogue between Judaism and Confucianism”: A Study on the Interpretation of Couplets in Kaifeng Synagogue

2025-05-24T11:20:20-04:00

This article revolves around couplets hanging in the Jewish synagogue in Kaifeng during the Qing Dynasty, interpreting, comparing, and analyzing the content of the couplets. It examines Kaifeng Jews’ flexible use of traditional Chinese culture such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and their attempts to interpret the teachings, classics, and history of Judaism. For example, borrowing the Taoist concept of “having or not having thoughts”to explain the concept of the sole deity in Judaism, quoting lines from the Book of Songs that contain the meaning of respecting the heavens and ancestors to interpret the commandment of worshipping God in Judaism, and using the Confucian concept of“birth and death” to interpret and understand the commandment of “not to kill” in the Ten Commandments of Moses. The“dialogue between Confucianism and Taoism” presented by the couplets provides a novel case for the existing research on Chinese religious dialogues such as“dialogue between Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism”, “dialogue between Islam and Confucianism”, and “dialogue between Christianism and Confucianism”.

The Background and Theoretical Exploration of the National-State Identity of the Russian Jews

2025-05-24T11:29:40-04:00

Historically, the national-state identity of Russian Jews has continuously encountered various setbacks and failures. The reasons for this can be analyzed from both external historical and internal cultural perspectives. On the external historical level, apart from the general influence of“anti-Semitism,” the evolution of the national-ethnic theories and policies of Russia and the former Soviet Union, as well as their interactions with Jews, certainly should be more direct and specific considerations. At the same time, on the internal cultural level, it is essential to deeply understand the unique historical experiences and religious identity patterns of Jews, which have had a profound impact on their self-identification and the making of their modern “nationality”.

Development and Implication of Legal Education in Israel

2025-05-24T12:18:31-04:00

Legal education emerged in the area of Israel during the British rule, characterized by vocational education, strong British influence and on a very small scale. In the early years of the State, it was transformed into an academic education, mixed in style but generally similar to continental Europe, with religious norms incorporated into the secular legal education system. Thereafter, legal education oscillated between continental European and American styles, and eventually became Americanized. Law schools and the government together made efforts contributed to the reform of legal education in Israel. While retaining some traditional features such as religion and ethnicity, Israel has moved toward the Americanization of legal education. The motivations for the development of legal education in Israel include academic legal research, political, cultural and economic interests. The implication that the development of Israeli legal education brings to our country consists of judging the merits of legal education idea according to practice as standards and realizing reform and innovation in legal education, emphasizes the coordination and balance between traditional legal culture and modern value of rule of law, internationalization and nationality. Due to the particularity of cultural and historical background, economic and social structure, legal construction path and legal talents demand, legal education in Israel has certain limitations. The Americanization in Israel alerts that, we should pay particular attention to the reality and the development of our own country, so as to avoid the absurd phenomenon of being too far away from reality.

The Supplement to MT Esther 4:1-17 and It’s Sitz im Leben Sectarianism in the Late Second Temple Period

2025-05-24T12:26:22-04:00

The application of source criticism in the Book of Esther benefits from the diverse preservation of the text in different traditions. The Alpha text in 4:1-17 empirically supports source criticism in attributing this chapter’s content to both the “Esther Source” and the“Esther redaction”. The more recent supplement of ER (4:3; 5-7; 8b; 9-17) can be contextually interpreted in light of the sectarian disputes of the late Second Temple period. Esther’s grief, her close relationship with Mordecai, and Mordecai’s“godfather” role reflect both individual cases and the broader phenomenon: Queen Shelamzion’s obedience to the Pharisees and the “Pharisaic women” of the late Second Temple period - the Pharisaic control over elite women and their sexual abstinence within the marriage due to their allegiance to the Pharisees.

A Comparative Study of Crypto-Jews and Crypto-Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula during the 15th-16th Centuries

2025-05-24T12:44:14-04:00

The article explores the Marranos (crypto-Jews) and Moriscos (crypto-Muslims), two communities in Spain during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, who, in the face of religious persecution, resorted to secret religious practices. While two groups ostensibly embracing Christianity, these communities privately adhered to their original beliefs, exhibiting extraordinary resilience in preserving their religious faith and cultural traditions. Their varied clandestine practices and cultural adaptations provide a window into the sophisticated strategies employed by marginalized groups in response to religious persecution, underscoring the complexity and diversity of their coping mechanisms.

An Alternative Approach to Maimonides’ Contradictions

2025-05-24T12:56:51-04:00

A contrast between an external meaning and inner profundities is a central assumption of much scholarship about medieval Jewish thinkers, and about Maimonides in particular. His introduction to The Guide for the Perplexed is the locus classics often cited in support of what has become known as“esoteric” readings of medieval philosophy. It contains unusual instructions for how to read the Guide. Among them is a warning to be on the lookout for inconsistencies that the author deliberately builds into the text. These contradictions have been invoked in order to support an enormous variety of interpretations, from those that see Maimonides as a mystic to those who consider him a skeptic, and many others besides. Most of these approaches purport to be revealing Maimonides’“true belief” about some theological or philosophical doctrines and claim that it is hidden beneath an orthodox veneer that is more acceptable to the masses. In contrast, those who claim that Maimonides was sincere when he argued for the positions that he explicitly defends tend either to ignore the contradictions or to play down their peculiarity by likening them to writing styles used by other philosophers. In this paper, I argue that while the inconsistencies in question are an important aspect of his esoteric techniques, they are not connected with a hidden philosophical opinion, nor do they arise from his dialectical method of writing. Instead, they are among the strategies that Maimonides uses to explain some particularly obscure biblical passages. Maimonides' “real opinion” need not be conflated with what he conceals when he employs contradictions. It is therefore possible both to respect Maimonides’ own declaration to be writing esoterically by carrying out discussions that are inconsistent with each other and also to take his philosophical and theological arguments at face value. Doing so allows the reader to approach the Guide in ways akin to those generally used to clarify and explain similarly great philosophical works and, thereby, to appreciate the originality of its arguments without devaluing their acuity.

Did Hasdai Crescas Read Averroes’ Discourse on God’s Knowledge?

2025-05-24T13:15:35-04:00

The two medieval Hebrew translations of Averroes’ short Discourse on God’s Knowledge have recently been edited by Silvia Di Donato. Did Hasdai Crescas, who cites Averroes by name 20 times in his Light of the Lord, read this work? Although Crescas uses arguments similar to those found in the Discourse, it cannot be proved he read it. The term “eternal knowledge”is found 13 times in Averroes’ Discourse and 4 times in Crescas’ Light. In his other works, Averroes avoids the term, and it is found either never or very rarely in them. The term is similarly avoided by Maimonides. It was, however, a favorite of Alghazali, and it is found also in Judah Halevi’s Kuzari. Averroes’ frequent use of the term in his Discourse is thus curious to say the least.