Welcoming Ex-Jews into the Jewish Historiographical Fold
Welcoming Ex-Jews into the Jewish Historiographical Fold
This chapter refers to the emancipation and enlightenment that failed to uproot hoary views about Jewish otherness nor erase the stigma of Jewishness in an era of unconditional social acceptance. It talks about how Jews became 'less Jewish' when antisemitism persisted and, in some contexts, worsened. It also explains how the enlightenment and scientific and industrial revolutions undermined the doctrinal foundations of Christianity, which initiated the tradition of viewing Jews as demonic outsiders and did not eliminate the stigma attached to Jewishness. The chapter explores the perception that Jews were different in kind from non-Jews that was too rooted in Western culture and sentiment to disappear when the religious doctrines that had engendered it in the first place weakened. It then describes Jews in liberal states like Britain, France, and the United States, who found being Jewish problematic to one degree or another.
Keywords: Jewish otherness, Jewishness, antisemitism, doctrinal foundations, Christianity
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