Aspects of Violence in the Old Testament

Author(s): Adrian Vasile / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

Life is a gift from God. It is sacred for God is the absolute holiness. Being received as a gift from God, it is our duty to bring her to its holiness and then give it back to God to render it eternal, not to let it be spoilt by our nature that was corrupted by the original sin. Meant to support human life, the Human Rights Declaration considers life to be the right of rights, which is the greatest right which ultimately surpasses the others. In other words, all the other rights are meant to give quality to life. Based on these realities, according both to divine right and human right, we all have the holy duty to respect our personal life and its proper dignity (values) and in the same time we have the duty to respect in all respects the life of our brother. All attempts to take someone’s life are forbidden.

Syjoniści kontra „Żydzi polscy”. Palestyńskie echa memoriału Tuwima

Author(s): Michał Sobelman / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2014

The article discusses the reception of Tuwim’s manifesto in Israel, focusing in particular on the 1940s. The author analyses various critical reponses to the poem expressed by Jewish critics in Palestine. Tuwim’s reception in Israel is presented from a new perspective which has not been explore so far.

Niezależna

Author(s): Katarzyna Kuczyńska-Koschany / Language(s): Polish Issue: 06/2014

„Mienie pożydowskie” jako figura polskiego dyskursu publicznego

Author(s): Piotr Forecki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2015

The term “post-Jewish property” has a descriptive function in Polish. It is present in both colloquial speech and academic discourse. This specific collocation usually does not raise semantic suspicions and is considered a carrier of neutral content used to describe certain material assets, that is the property of Jews who were murdered by the Germans during the Holocaust, in particular – the real estate remaining in Poland, whose owners changed. The problem with the term “post-Jewish property” understood in this way is that it is based on false foundations and incorporates functions assigned to it in order to ensure the comfort of the Polish national community. The key objective of this paper is to deconstruct this highly convenient and useful conceptual collocation, indicate its origin and, primarily, to answer the question of what it tries to erase/conceal.

Kako su postali stranci.

Author(s): Fouad A. Ajami / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 20/2015

Kao djetetu arapskoga svijeta u ruke mi je došla retuširana inačica povijesti Endelusa, znamenitog razdoblja muslimanskog sjaja na Pirinejskom poluotoku. Ondje je cvala veličanstvena judeoarapska kultura, naučavala je arapska povjesnica. Sirijac Nizar Quabbani, suvremeni pjesnik, autor najdirljivijih stihova arapskog pjesništva, jednom je zgodom izjavio da je šetajući ulicama Granade prevrtao po džepovima tražeći ključeve njezinih kuća.

Izrael i njegovi paradoksi

Author(s): Denis Charbit / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 20/2015

Osnivanje države Izrael nekad se percipiralo kao suprotnost holokaustu, njegova najsavršenija antiteza: Holokaust je bio destrukcija i pulzija smrti, Izrael je konstrukcija i pulzija života; u logorima smrti crkavalo se ≫poput ovaca za klanje≪, u Izraelu se također umire neprirodnom smrću i redom koji je suprotan slijedu generacija, ali barem su vojnici poginuli u ratu i civili pokošeni u atentatima – do danas njih oko 30.000 – pokopani na grobljima na kojima im se može odati tiha počast, dok je gotovo 6 milijuna njihovih predaka lišeno pokopa ili je imalo pravo tek na zajedničku raku.

Kres człowieka

Author(s): Zofia Mitosek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

Review of Benoît Peeters, Derrida, Grandes biograpies (Paris: Flammariom, 2010)

Утраченное соседство: образ еврейского местечка в воспоминаниях не евреев

Author(s): Olga Belova / Language(s): Russian Issue: 4/2015

The paper presents some results of the study of the image of the Jewish town (shtetl), as it appears in the oral tales of the non-Jewish locals. The presentation is based on the folklore and ethnographic data collected in 2012 during the field research in Western Belarus and in Bessarabia. The oral stories of local old residents from the settlement Zheludok (Grodno region, Belarus) and the village Vertiujeni (Floreshti district, Republic of Moldova) will be analyzed to show the mechanism of “Jewish history” reconstruction of former Jewish settlements where the Jewish population is now missing. The only evidence of Jewish heritage are the monuments of material culture (houses, synagogue, Jewish cemetery), and the only source of information – the memories of local residents about their neighbors – the Jews. As the collected material shows, the text about the “Jewish past” broadcasting by and among the non-Jews, combines ethnographic details and myth-making, and largely reflects the ethno-cultural stereotype of the Jew, characteristic to the folk tradition.

Potomstvo u kršćanskim raspravama protiv judaizma i islama

Author(s): Irven M. Resnick / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 01/1998

Opće je mjesto danas opisivati judaizam, kršćanstvo i islam kao srodne religije kojima je zajedničko porijeklo od praoca Abrahama. Sljedbenici svake od ove tri velike monotoeističke tradicije odista sebe vide kao djecu Abrahamovu i, shodno tomu, kao djecu Abrahamovog Boga. Takva prava na naslijeđe ipak su rijetko dovodila do obiteljske ljubavi i poštovanja a jedna zajednica često nije priznavala pravo koje je na naslijeđe polagala druga. Napravit ću kratak pregled polemičkih slučajeva prisvajanja potomstva u srednjevjekovnim kršćanskim tekstovima u kojima su kršćanska prisvajanja Abrahamovog potomstva bila karakteristično iskorištena za taktiku isključivanja i odbacivanja smišljenih radi odbacivanja Zidova i Muslimana kao "lažne braće".

Javni identitet sefardske jevrejske zajednice u Sarajevu

Author(s): Milica Rožman / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2015

The life of Sephardic Jews in Sarajevo can be seen in the period between the sixteenth and twentieth century. During this period the Sephardic community has gone through various socio-political changes, which influenced the creation of a public identity, that can be seen the best in the case of religious buildings and funerary monuments of culture. Immediately after their settlement in Sarajevo in the sixteenth century, Sephardic Jews built their first religious building - a synagogue Il Kal Grande. Over time, the number of Sephardic Jews increased, which contributed to raising less or slightly larger synagogues such as Beth Tefi, Il kal di Tia Maci Bohor, Il kal Nuevo and Il kal los di Mudus, all in the period from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The power of the Sephardic community was evident in the first half of the twentieth century, when a new Sephardic synagogue in Moorish style was built. Stylistically, synagogue fitted the ambience of the city, but had recorded the tendency of Jews to the quest for a national style. On the other hand, Old Jewish graveyard testifies about creating a public identity of the Sephardic community in Sarajevo. This graveyard complex dates from the seventeenth century, and two types of monuments can be seen there - older and younger, also a memorial entity that is related to the Holocaust. Socio-political stage and the Second World War affected the complete devastation of the Jewish population. It resulted in all Sephardic synagogues losing their original purpose and sacral character, but their very existence testifies to the centuries-old visual culture of Sephardic Jews. On the other hand, the old Sephardic cemetery has kept its original purpose and, undoubtedly, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the Balkans.

Historia i pamięć w biblijno-liturgicznym przekazie katechetycznym w koncepcji Sofii Cavalletti

Author(s): Barbara Surma / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2012

The main topic raised in this article is Sofia Cavalletti’s idea of religious education, which is closely related to historical message and educates to understanding what memory in liturgy really means. The aim of the article is to present briefly theoretical basis of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for second and third level of religious education (children 6–12 years old). This approach is based on the method of signs and it introduces children to the history and memory of the Chosen People.

On the dialectological landscape of Arabic among the Jewish community of Beirut

Author(s): Aharon Geva-Kleinberger / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2017

The research reported here is based on dialectological fieldwork among Lebanese Jews from 2006 to 2015. In the 20th century most Jews of Beirut lived in the Jewish Wādi ˀAbu Žmīl quarter, an area measuring 300 metres by one kilometre. Very few families lived in other parts of the city. The Beirut community consisted of Jews originally Lebanese, Syrian Jews from Aleppo and Damascus, numerous Ashkenazi Jews, Jews originally Maghrebi, some Kurdish Jews, Jews from Turkey and Greece, especially Salonika, and Sephardi Jews originally from Andalusia who reached Beirut after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The Beirut Jews’ dialect differed from that of the Sidon Jews, but in many respects also from the dialects of the Beirut Arabs, lacking highly typical phenomena such as the Imāla. Like diverse other Modern Judeo-Arabic dialects, this one embraces the vast array of vocabulary used in Jewish life. At its height Beirut’s Jewish community numbered several thousands, but over time it dwindled and disappeared – together with its dialect. Most of its speakers left, many of them for Israel, where the fieldwork was undertaken.

INTERFAITH MARRIAGE IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Author(s): Recep Çiğdem / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

This article examines interfaith marriage in different cultures focusing on Islamic law. The modern approach to this social phenomenon is also studied. In order to provide the reader with the legal background, juristic approaches to interfaith marriage are highlighted. Some court cases as well as the universal declaration of human rights and the Cairo declaration of Islamic human rights are examined for this purpose. The article aims at giving a broader perspective on interfaith marriage.

DYNAMIK, GEOGRAPHIE UND GESELLSCHAFTSSPEZIFIK DER JÜDISCHEN ANSIEDLUNG IN PEST UM DIE MITTE DES 19. JAHRHUNDERTS

Author(s): Larissa HROTKÓ / Language(s): German Issue: 2/2008

The author examines the life and internal social problems of the Jews settled in Pest towards the end of the 18th century. Even before that time Jewish society was not homogeneous, and this was also the case in Pest. The social differences can be seen in the dynamics and geography of the settlement. The first to arrive in Pest were entrepreneurs from Óbuda who had considerable influence in the region, followed by wholesale merchants from Pozsony. The more prosperous entrepreneurs and wholesalers attracted the poorer Jewish strata who did not have the permanent Pest residence permits required for independent business activity (the so-called Toleranz). Although the great majority of the Jews lived in Terézváros (Theresa Town), where individual families lived depended on their financial situation. The more prosperous the new settlers were, the further they lived from the old centre of Terézváros, the core of which was formed by the area around Dob and Király streets. However, it was here that the first synagogues were opened. The denominational records of births and deaths that formed part of the research material show that in the new Pest Jewish society there were also family forms differing from the religious norm. The question arises of how the Jewish community accepted the unmarried mothers and children born out of wedlock. There is proof that the single mothers also had their sons circumcised and all deceased Jewish children were probably buried in the Israelite cemetery. These facts point to acceptance, but the way the entries were made in the records of births and deaths indicates that the community acknowledged only reluctantly the structure of births outside wedlock.

Arabic in the Service of Regeneration of Jews. The Participation of Jews in Arabic Press and Journalism in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Author(s): Reuven Snir / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2006

The first periodical publications carrying news written by and for Arabs appeared during the first part of the 19th century. The major developments in the field of non-governmental Arabic press occurred, however, only during the second half of that century. That was also the time when Jews started to take an active part in founding, editing, and writing for Arabic newspapers, periodicals, and professional journals in various parts of the Arab world. First it included newspapers and periodicals in Judeo-Arabic dialects and only later in standard Arabic language. The main centres of journalistic activity by Jews in the Arab world were Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut, Alexandria, Damascus and Tunis. Newspapers founded by Jews were mostly ephemeral, however, there were also periodicals that prospered for decades. There was a connection between the involvement of Arab Jews in canonical Arab culture and the development of the Arabic-Jewish press and journalism: wherever Jews tried to integrate politically, socially and culturally into society (Iraq, to a lesser extent in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria) there were always active Jewish owners of Arabic newspapers and periodicals as well as editors and journalists writing in standard literary Arabic. But wherever Jews showed no significant interest in the canonical Arabic cultural activities of their society (e.g. North Africa), only periodicals in Judeo-Arabic dialects written in Hebrew letters are to be found (in addition to newspapers in other languages). Jewish newspapers published in both Judeo-Arabic dialects and standard Arabic had generally one main aim in common: promoting modernisation of Jewish life in Arab societies and encouraging Jews to become acquainted with the achievements of Western civilisation. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, there has been a sharp decline in Arabic journalism by Jews; in fact we are currently witnessing the demise of Arab-Jewish culture. A tradition that started more than fifteen hundred years ago is vanishing before our eyes.

A prozeliták, avagy betérés a zsidóságba

Author(s): Norbert Ferenc Jónás / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 2/2023

In the intertestamental period, the term “proselyte” acquired the meaning of a pagan-born individual who converted to the Jewish faith. During this era, the prerequisites for conversion were formulated, and the sequence and significance of essential ritual acts were established. The Jewish diaspora was more receptive to proselytes compared to the Palestinian context. However, Roman citizens living in major imperial cities, who held contempt for Jewish communities, viewed proselytism negatively, considering it aggressive encroachment or a political maneuver by Jews. This study enquires into the phenomenon of proselytism within rabbinic literature, Alexandrian Philo and Josephus Flavius.

HAZAR KAĞANLIĞI VE HAZARLARIN YAHUDİLİĞE GEÇİŞİ

Author(s): Elkhan Allahverdiyev / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 65/2025

The Hazar State was established by the Hazar Turks and existed between the 7th and 11th centuries, becoming one of the significant political powers of the Medieval world. Stretching from the Dnieper shores in the west to the Volga steppes in the east, this state served as an important bridge for trade between the two great powers of the North European and Mediterranean regions: the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. The Khazar State hosted various ethnic groups, including Turks, Jews, Persians, Finno-Ugric, Slavs, and many others. Religiously, it accommodated multiple belief systems, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and pagan beliefs. The ruling class was Jewish, while other populations adhered to different faiths. The Hazars accepted Judaism due to their desire to strengthen their political independence and a unique religious choice for their empire. Khazar Khagan or Khazar Bek Bulan led his people to this religion. The Hazar State was defeated by the armies of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev in 965. This event weakened the political existence of the Hazars and ultimately led to the end of the existence of this state.

Иудео-христианская эсхатология и позднеантичная мистериальная практика

Author(s): Eugene Afonasin / Language(s): Russian Issue: 1/2025

Eschatological ideas began to play a significant role in the ancient religious tradition relatively late. This can be shown by the example of the mystery cults of Isis, Mithras and Cybele, as well as their adaptation and evaluation in early Christian authors, Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. This analysis brings us closer to clarifying the relationship of Judeo-Christian mysticism to pagan mystery practices. We can see how each cult easily finds ideas suitable for it in the rich Greco-Roman religious culture and adapts them to its own needs, often changing them beyond recognition. Operating in a similar cultural and historical context, the creators of the cults of Isis, the Great Mother, Mithras, Yahweh or Christ competed with each other, but at the same time borrowed from each other's basic ideas, the most important of which at the beginning of the era was the idea of personal salvation. If, on the contrary, one assumes that a certain ‘basic’ cult was the donor, forgetting that there was no dominant cult in the Greco-Roman world before the 3rd century AD, neither politically nor demographically, then the researcher, by initially taking an asymmetrical position and thereby assuming the role of apologist, runs the risk of missing in the course of the polemic all the advantages that a comparative-historical approach can offer. We may never get answers to some questions as a result, but an unbiased perspective, untainted by imperial ideology, will make it possible to look at the problem in a more comprehensive and multifaceted way, which, by the way, is facilitated by the excellent and constantly updated collections of inscriptions, archaeological evidence and narrative sources on Greco-Roman cults, such as (in the case of Isis) the RICIS collection.

Kalendarz Żydowski as a Mirror of Jewish Life in Poland in the 1980s

Author(s): Monika Stępień / Language(s): English Issue: 20/2022

The article is devoted to the Jewish Calendar [Kalendarz Żydowski] published by the Religious Union of the Mosaic Faith [Związek Religijny Wyznania Mojżeszowego] in Poland in the 1980s. In addition to the abbreviated liturgical calendar and the most important prayers, Kalendarz Żydowski included numerous articles on Jewish history, religion and culture and featured important events in the life of the Jewish community. The texts published in Kalendarz Żydowski were written by, among others, activists from different Jewish organisations reporting on their work. By virtue of the publisher, the most extensive of those were, of course, the regularly published reports on the activities of the Religious Union of the Mosaic Faith. Articles on the work of other organisations usually appeared in conjunction with the anniversary of their establishment. The aim of this paper is to examine what elements of Jewish life are addressed in Kalendarz Żydowski, and which changes taking place within the Jewish community it reflects.

Десет писама на арамејском из Елефантине – јеврејска заједница у Елефантини с краја 5. века пре Христа

Author(s): Boško Erić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 2/2024

This paper contains an introduction, commentary, textual, and linguistic analysis of ten letters written in Aramaic related to the Jewish community in Elephantine. There is also a copy of the facsimile of the letters, and their scientific translation into Serbian. The work begins with pointing out and comparing hypotheses about the historical and political circumstances that caused the migrations of Jews to Egypt in three main waves from the 8th to the 6th century B.C. The first wave was during the Neo-Assyrian expansion over Syria and the Northern Kingdom. The next one was more organized and the Judean kings probably sent Judean soldiers into Egypt. The last one was in connection to the fall of Judea. Then, the work discusses the religious context, such as the one in which the Jews lived before their migrations to Egypt, as well as in the military colony in Elephantine where they built a temple to God Yahweh. The paper also demonstrates that religious syncretism started before migrations to Egypt, probably in the Northern Kingdom where Aramean immigrants introduced Israel’s Yahweh to their pantheon, and Israeli/Samaritans accepted Aramean gods. Then they moved together to Egypt. Later, the Judeans joined them. After that, through the analysis of the content of the letters, the author briefly talks about the act that determines the date of the celebration of Passover. Then, the existence of the temple of God Yahweh in Elephantine, its demolition, as well as the reasons for it, and the attempts to rebuild it and obtain permission for its rebuilding is discussed more extensively. He explains that a possible reason for the rebellion, which resulted in the looting and demolition of the temple, was a long-standing disagreement between the Egyptians and the Jews. The Egyptians believed that the god Khnum, usually depicted with the head of a ram, lived on the Elephantine’s island, but the Jews offered lambs for the sacrifices at the same place. However, the letters show that the immediate cause of the conflict was the theft of a “dye stone” from the Elephantine’s Egyptians. From the letters, it can be seen how the Jews tried to get help from their compatriots from Judea and Samaria for the rebuilding of the temple, but no one answered their letters. They did not give up and one of the prominent figures of the Elephantine’s Jews, Yedaniah, tried again and he devised a letter for the Judean elders in Jerusalem. What is particularly interesting are the changes seen in the drafted letters on a rhetorical level, where, with those rhetorical sophistications, the writer wanted to do as much as possible to get help from Jerusalem. Besides these, the author of this work also devotes himself to the linguistic analysis of the letters and points out some of the specificities of the dialect in which the letters were written (for example, instead of the older third person singular pronoun h’, we now have for the masculine third person singular hw, and for the feminine third person singular hy; regular use of l- as object marker, instead of older ʼyt/yt; l- as a marker for agent of the verb in the passive participle; gradual change of the grapheme z to d for the phoneme */ð/). At the end, the author provides a translation of the letters into Serbian where he tries to translate the letters in such a way that those who do not know enough of (or at all) the Aramaic language can get an impression of what the letters looked like in the original.