The Jewish Cultural Revolution in Central and Eastern Europe 1987-1930
Publisher
:
Éditions Belin
Parution date
:
2002
EAN
:
9782701130231
Description
At the end of the Nineteenth Century there were two distinct Jewish cultures, according to Delphine Bechtel. To the West, in Austria, Germany, and Bohemia, was a liberal bourgeoisie, assimilated socially, politically and linguistically into their surrounding societies. To the East however, in Poland and Russia, the Jews were considered a separate nationality, and they lived in enclaves as semi-isolated minorities inside those countries, preserving their languages (Yiddish and Hebrew) and distinct cultures. 1897, the year of the first Zionist congress in Basel and the year of the creation of the Bund, or Jewish workers movement, marked a turning point for modern Jewish culture: the coming together of Jews from different parts of Europe paved the way for a cross-fertilization that would spark, according the author, the Jewish Cultural Revolution. What followed was a thirty-year period of heightened artistic and intellectual flourishing.
Author
Delphine Bechtel : Delphine Bechtel received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and is a professor of German, Yiddish, and Central-European culture at the Sorbonne.
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