Professor Marc Saperstein

A survey of major events and trends in the history of the Jewish people from the eighteenth century to 1948. Central themes include the impact of Enlightenment and the struggle for Emancipation, new religious expressions of Judaism, modern antisemitism and the Holocaust, Zionism, and the American experience. Focus will be on the analysis of primary sources.

Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, editors, The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History. Oxford, 1995 paperback. (List $48.95, Amazon from $41.95).

Howard Sachar, The Course of Modern Jewish History. New Revised edition (August 1990). Vintage Books. (List $24.00, Amazon $16.80).

In addition, each student must purchase one of the following recently published books and prepare an oral report on it during the appropriate session, comparing the treatment of the subject matter with that in the Sachar text. This will then be used for the final paper (see below). Only one student may report on each book. Any student interested in one of the first two reports (both very recent, publications, both finalists in the Koret Foundation book prize in the Jewish History category) who wants to get a head start and begin reading before the course starts may e-mail me to get approval: msaper@gwu.edu).

Shmuel Feiner, The Jewish Enlightenment (report #1, May 4) (U of Penn Press, $45.00).

Ronald Schechter, Obstinate Hebrews: Representations of Jews in France, 1715- 1815 (report #2, May 6) (U of California Press, Amazon from $44.40)

David Sorkin, The Transformation of German Jewry, 1780- 1840 (report #3, May 11)

(Wayne State U Press, paperback, $19.95)

Paul Lawrence Rose, Wagner, Race and Revolution (report #4, May 13) (Yale U Press, Amazon from $11.95).

Moshe Rosman, Founder of Hasidism (report #5, May 18) (U of California Press, Amazon from $40.83)

David Assaf, The Regal Way (Israel of Ruzhin) (report #6, May 18) (Stanford U Press, Amazon $65.00)

Eli Lederhandler, The Road to Modern Jewish Politics (report #7: May 20) (Oxford U Press, Amazon from $7.94)

Michael Stanislawski, For Whom Do I Toil? Judah Leib Gordon. . . (report #8, June 1)

(Oxford U Press, Amazon from $14.30)

Steven Zipperstein, Elusive Prophet: Ahad Ha’am …. (report #9, June 3) (U of California Press, Amazon from $7.30).

Ilan Troen, Imagining Zion (report #10, June 8) (Yale U Press, Amazon from $30.85)

Claudia Koonz, The Nazi Conscience (report #10) (Harvard U Press, Amazon, $20.87)

Marian Kaplan, Between Dignity and Despair (report #12, June 15) (Oxford U Press, Amazon, from $10.00)

Daniel Blatman, For Our Freedom and Yours: The Jewish Labour Bund in Poland, 1939-1949 (report #13, June 15) (Vallentine Mitchell, Amazon from $26.00)

Emily Bingham, Mordecai: An Early American Family (report #14, June 17)

(Hill & Wang, Amazon from $11.20).

Michael Staub, Torn at the Roots: The Crisis of Jewish Liberalism in Postwar America (report #15) (Columbia U Press, Amazon from $12.99)

Schedule of Meetings, Topics, Readings, Reports

April 22: Introductory Meeting: Periodization, the Medieval Background (Augustine to Luther)

April 27: Early Modern Changes: Amsterdam, England, New World

Readings:

Sachar, chap. 1 (pp. 25- 35)

JiMW, documents I,1 (Menasseh); II, 1 (Spinoza); II,5 (Lessing); IX, 1-3 (New Amsterdam)

April 29: Eighteenth-Century Background

Readings:

JiMW, documents I,2 (Toland), I, 4 (Wertheimer), I, 6 (Frederick II Charter), I,8 (Dohm), I,9 (Joseph II), I, 10 (Michaelis); VII,1 (Voltaire)

Sachar, chap. 2, pp. 26-46

May 4: Jewish Enlightenment, Mendelssohn and His Circle, and Reactions

Readings:

JiMW, documents I, document 12 (Mendelssohn), II, documents 7-23 (pp. 68-111), focus: documents 8-10.

Sachar, chap. 2, pp. 46-52

Shmuel Feiner, The Jewish Enlightenment (report #1)

May 6: Emancipation in Western Europe

Readings:

JiMW I, document 13 (Abbé Grégoire), III entire section, pp. 114-54; focus: documents 2, 10-13 (Assembly of Notables), 23, 25-26 (Germany)

Sachar chaps. 3, 5, pp. 53-70, 97-116

Ronald Schechter, Obstinate Hebrews (report #2)

Additional Bibliography:

Birnbaum and Katznelson, eds., Paths of Emancipation,

May 11: Jewish Responses to Emancipation: Assimilation, Reform, Wissenschaft, Political Activism

Readings:

JiMW IV, entire section (pp. 161-206), focus: documents 2-5; V, documents 1-9 (pp. 211-237); VI, documents 4-8 (pp. 256-61).

Sachar, chaps. 6-7, 117-59

David Sorkin, The Transformation of German Jewry, 1780- 1840 (report #3)

Additional Bibliography:

Meyer, The Origins of the Modern Jew, chapters 4-6

Jacob Katz, Out of the Ghetto

May 13: Gentile Reactions to Emancipation: Antisemitism

Readings:

JiMW VII, entire section (pp. 304-71); focus: VII, 20 (von Treitschke), 26 (Protocols)

Sachar, chap. 11, pp. 221-39

Paul Lawrence Rose, Wagner: Race and Revolution (report #4)

Additional Bibliography:

Jacob Katz, From Prejudice to Destruction

Peter Pulzer, The Rise of Political Anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria.

May 18: Eastern Europe: Hasidism

Readings:

JiMW VIII, documents 10-15; III, 17

Sachar, pp. 72-80

Moshe Rosman, Founder of Hasidism (report #5)

David Assaf, The Regal Way (Israel of Ruzhin) (report #6).

Additional Bibliography:

Ada Rapoport-Albert, ed.: Hasidism Reappraised (esp. Parts 2, 6 & 8 for history)

May 20: Eastern Europe: Haskalah and Acculturation

Readings:

JiMW VIII, documents 6-9, 16-21

Sachar, 80- 96, 181-220

Eli Lederhandler, The Road to Modern Jewish Politics (report #7)

Additional Bibliography:

Steven Zipperstein, The Jews of Odessa

Benjamin Nathans, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with Late Imperial Russia

June 1: Persecution and Responses

Readings:

JiMW VIII, documents 22-43, pp. 400-448; focus: documents 24-25

Sachar, chaps. 12, 14, pp. 240-60, 284-304

Michael Stanislawski, For Whom Do I Toil? Judah Leib Gordon. . . (report #8)

Additional Bibliography:

Hans Rogger, Jewish Policies and Right-Wing Politics in Imperial Russia

June 3: Zionism in Europe

Readings:

JiMW X, documents 1-23 (pp. 532-82); focus: documents 2-6

Sachar, chap. 13, pp. 261-83

Steven Zipperstein, Elusive Prophet: Ahad Ha’am …(report #9)

Additional Bibliography:

Shlomo Avineri, The Making of Modern Zionism

June 8: Zionism in Palestine

Readings:

JiMW X, documents 24-43 (pp. 582-633); focus: documents 28 (Jabotinsky), 38 (Hashomer Hazair)

Sachar, chap 18, pp. 369-93.

Ilan Troen, Imagining Zion (report #10)

Additional Bibliography:

Zeev Sternhill, The Founding Myths of Israel

June 10: The Holocaust: Perpetrators

Readings:

JiMW XI, documents 1,2,4,6-23, (pp. 636-60); focus: documents 1-2 (Hitler), 32 (Himmler), 33 (Hoess)

Sachar, chap. 20, pp. 419-38.

Claudia Koonz, The Nazi Conscience (report #11)

Additional Bibliography:

Michael Marrus, The Holocaust in History

June 15: The Holocaust: Victims

Readings:

JiMW XI, documents 3,5,24-28, 31, 34-35; focus: documents 24 (Kaplan), 31 (Zygelboym), 34 (Rumkowski)

Sachar, chap. 21, pp. 439-59

Marian Kaplan, Between Dignity and Despair (report #12)

Daniel Blatman, For Our Freedom and Yours: The Jewish Labour Bund in Poland, 1939-1949 (report #13)

15. June 17: The American Experience

Readings:

JiMW IX, documents 5-44 (pp. 455-527); focus: documents 9 (Noah), 10 (Leeser), 30 (Magnes) 31 (Brandeis), 33 (Kaplan)

Sachar, chaps. 8, 15, 24, pp. 160-80, 305-22, 520-41

Emily Bingham, Mordecai: An Early American Family (report #14)

Michael Staub, Torn at the Roots: The Crisis of Jewish Liberalism in Postwar America (report #15)

Additional Bibliography:

Irvin Howe, World of Our Fathers

Requirements for the Course

1. Regular attendance, preparation of assigned readings, participation in class discussion. (10%)
2. One oral report on a portion of an additional historical study, to be chosen from the list above and given in class in accordance with the above schedule: approximately 15 minutes. The purpose is not just to summarize what the historian says, but rather to characterize the nature of the work, its main thesis or argument, the historian’s approach to his material (methodology), criticism of other historians, etc. (20%)
3. A final paper based on the full text book, in comparison with the corresponding chapters in Sachar: approximately 15-20 pages. The paper should also comment on the use of primary sources by the author: what kinds of sources are most important for the argument? Proportion of Jewish vs. non-Jewish sources? Does the author discuss any sources found in The Jew in the Modern World? Do you see anything distinctive in the author’s interpretation of primary sources? Does the author cite and disagree with other historians who have written on the same subject? Does the book rely on any clear theoretical framework that acknowledged by the author? The papers are due (either postmarked or delivered to the instructor) one week after the final meeting of the course. (50 %)
4. In place of taking a final examination, students will be required TO COMPOSE A FINAL EXAMINATION FOR THE COURSE. You are to imagine you are a Teaching Assistant responsible for creating an exam for undergraduates, covering the material as fully as possible, using different types of questions. It is due at the last meeting of the course, and it will be evaluated as to the extent to which the exam reveals your own knowledge of the material and issues of the course, and could serve as a learning experience for students who were to take it. (20%)

Contact information for Professor Marc Saperstein:

George Washington University, msaper@gwu.edu
2142 G Street NW, Washington DC 20052; 202-994-4780, fax: 202-994-2176

Additional Books for Report:

Immanuel Etkes, The Gaon of Vilna: The Man and His Image (California, 2002), (Session 8) – Rosenman

Benjamin Nathans, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with Late Imperial Russia (California, 2002) (Session 9)

ChaeRan Freeze, Jewish Marriage and Divorce in Imperial Russia (Brandeis, 2002). (session 10)

Michael Stanislawski, Zionism and the Fin de-Siecle: Cosmopolitanism and Nationalism from Nordau to Jabotinsky (California, 2001) (session 11)

Zeev Sternhill, The Founding Myths of Israel (Princeton, 1998), (session 12)

Christopher Browning, Nazi Policy, Jewish Workers, German Killers (Cambridge, 2000) (session 13)