This book explores the life and thought of one of the most important but least known figures in early Zionism; Nathan Birnbaum. Now remembered mainly for his coinage of the word "Zionism;" Birnbaum was a towering figure in early Jewish nationalism. Because of his unusual intellectual trajectory; however; he has been written out of Jewish history. In the middle of his life; in the depth of World War I; Birnbaum left his venerable position as a secular Jewish nationalist for religious Orthodoxy; an unheard of decision in his time. To the dismay of his former colleagues; he adopted a life of strict religiosity and was embraced as a leader in the young; growing world of Orthodox political activism in the interwar period; one of the most successful and powerful movements in interwar central and eastern Europe. Jess Olson brings to light documents from one of the most complete archives of Jewish nationalism; the Nathan and Solomon Birnbaum Family Archives; including materials previously unknown in the study of Zionism; Yiddish-based Jewish nationalism; and the history of Orthodoxy. This book is an important meditation on the complexities of Jewish political and intellectual life in the most tumultuous period of European Jewish history; especially of the interplay of national; political; and religious identity in the life of one of its most fascinating figures.
#534213 in Books Stanford University Press 1994-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 6.25 x 1.00l; 1.29 #File Name: 0804727023436 pages
Review
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful. I loved this book even though I did not agree with itBy ObsessiveReaderLarry Wolff provides an important corrective to the idea of Eastern Europe itself. Eastern Europe has suffered by being in thrall to empires: the Ottoman; the Austro Hungarian and finally the Soviet. Wolff points out the history of how the area has been seen as backward; uneducated and in need of civilizing. The idea is not new- it was used by various rulers as an excuse for conquest. the area also suffers geographically by being easy to invade.where Wolff falls down in my opinion is in his insistence in following Edward Said's insistence on the idea of an area as "other." I'm not going to get into why I think this is a lame idea. Ibn Warraq's superb book "In defense of the west" is available on . However Eastern Europe really was different: the second serfdom which occurred later and was far more repressive than in Western Europe; the belief in Russia that all people were subjects; and possessions of the tsar; rather than citizens; and the lack of industrialization all point to the fact that Eastern Europe was different.However if I did not read this book I could not make these arguments. It is important and even though I am an armchair reader I loved it and learned from it.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy bg - FloridaDelivered as advertised.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. It's a foundational text for a reasonBy DavidThis is widely seen as a (or even the) foundational text for anyone interested in studying Western understandings of Eastern Europe; and with good reason. The writing is clear and the argument is well made and supported. Early Modern historians often already know all about the ways in which the Enlightenment radically transformed European modes of thinking; not always for the better. Yet as products of the Enlightenment ourselves; a lot of these thought patterns get normalized and ignored as normal or natural. Wolff lays out how the distinction between Eastern and Western Europe; rather than reflecting any clear reality in the period; was arbitrarily created during the Enlightenment; just as were ideas of distinct racial hierarchies. Importantly; these ideas were usually not held by people before the Enlightenment; and Wolff does an excellent job of showing the emergence of new patterns of writing and why they were so popular.
