Judaism S Encounter With American Sports

Author : Jeffrey S. Gurock
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2005-08-31
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0253111609

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Judaism's Encounter with American Sports by Jeffrey S. Gurock Pdf

Judaism's Encounter with American Sports examines how sports entered the lives of American Jewish men and women and how the secular values of sports threatened religious identification and observance. What do Jews do when a society -- in this case, a team -- "chooses them in," but demands commitments that clash with ancestral ties and practices? Jeffrey S. Gurock uses the experience of sports to illuminate an important mode of modern Jewish religious conflict and accommodation to America. He considers the defensive strategies American Jewish leaders have employed in response to sports' challenges to identity, such as using temple and synagogue centers, complete with gymnasiums and swimming pools, to attract the athletically inclined to Jewish life. Within the suburban frontiers of post--World War II America, sports-minded modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform rabbis competed against one another for the allegiances of Jewish athletes and all other Americanized Jews. In the present day, tensions among Jewish movements are still played out in the sports arena. Today, in a mostly accepting American society, it is easy for sports-minded Jews to assimilate completely, losing all regard for Jewish ties. At the same time, a very tolerant America has enabled Jews to succeed in the sports world, while keeping faith with Jewish traditions. Gurock foregrounds his engaging book against his own experiences as a basketball player, coach, and marathon runner. By using the metaphor of sports, Judaism's Encounter with American Sports underscores the basic religious dilemmas of our day.

Author : Jeffrey S. Gurock
Publisher : Toby Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1592644759

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Constant Challenge by Jeffrey S. Gurock Pdf

"Michael Scharf Publication Trust of Yeshiva University Press."

Author : Leonard Jay Greenspoon
Publisher : Purdue University Press
Page : 307 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781557536297

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Jews in the Gym by Leonard Jay Greenspoon Pdf

For some, the connection between Jews and athletics might seem far-fetched. But in fact, as is highlighted by the fourteen chapters in this collection, Jews have been participating in"and thinking about"sports for more than two thousand years. The articles in this volume cover a wide chronological range: from the Hellenistic period (first century BCE) to the most recent basketball season. The range of athletes covered is equally broad. The authors of these essays raise a number of intriguing questions such as: What differing attitudes toward sports have Jews exhibited across periods and cultures? In what sports have Jews excelled, and why? How have Jews overcome prejudices on the part of the general populace against a Jewish presence on the field or in the ring? This volume features a number of illustrations (many of them quite rare). It is accessible to the general reader and contains much information of interest to the scholar in Jewish studies, American studies, and sports history.

Author : Ari F. Sclar
Publisher : Purdue University Press
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2015-04-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781612493565

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Beyond Stereotypes by Ari F. Sclar Pdf

In the decades after the Civil War, sports slowly gained a prominent position within American culture. This development provided Jews with opportunities to participate in one of the few American cultures not closed off to them. Jewish athleticism challenged anti-Semitic depictions of Jews supposed physical inferiority while helping to construct a modern American Jewish identity. An Americanization narrative emerged that connected Jewish athleticism with full acceptance and integration into American society. This acceptance was not without struggle, but Jews succeeded and participated in the American sporting culture as athletes, coaches, owners, and fans. The diversity of topics in this volume reflect that the field of the history of American Jews and sports is growing and has moved beyond the need to overcome the idea that Jews are simply People of the Book. The contributions to this volume paint a broad picture of Jewish participation in sports, with essays written by respected historians who have examined specific sports, individuals, leagues, cities, and the impact of sport on Judaism. Despite the continued belief that Jewish religious or cultural identity remains somehow distinct from the American idea of the athlete, the volume demonstrates that American Jews have had a tremendous contribution to American sports and conversely, that sports have helped construct American Jewish culture and identity.

Author : Steven A. Riess
Publisher : Syracuse University Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 1998-06-01
Category : History
ISBN : 0815627548

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Sports and the American Jew by Steven A. Riess Pdf

This book debunks the conventional stereotype that Jews and sports are somehow anathema and clearly demonstrates that sports have long been a significant institution in Jewish American life. Jews were among the very first professional baseball players and the most outstanding early American track stars. In the 1920s and 1930s they dominated inner-city sports such as basketball and boxing and produced star athletes in virtually all sports. Many Jews were also prominent in the business, communication, and literary aspects of sport. These essays, written by leading contemporary sports historians, examine the contributions of Jewish men and women to American sports. Steven A. Riess's article on this topic is the most comprehensive overview ever written and will doubtless become a standard reference for years to come.

Author : Peter Levine
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 1993-09-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780195359008

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Ellis Island to Ebbets Field by Peter Levine Pdf

In Ellis Island to Ebbets Field, Peter Levine vividly recounts the stories of Red Auerbach, Hank Greenberg, Moe Berg, Sid Luckman, Nat Holman, Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Marty Glickman, and a host of others who became Jewish heroes and symbols of the difficult struggle for American success. From settlement houses and street corners, to Madison Square and Fenway Park, their experiences recall a time when Jewish males dominated sports like boxing and basketball, helping to smash stereotypes about Jewish weakness while instilling American Jews with a fierce pride in their strength and ability in the face of Nazi aggression, domestic anti-Semitism, and economic depression. Full of marvelous stories, anecdotes, and personalities, Ellis Island to Ebbets Field enhances our understanding of the Jewish-American experience as well as the struggles of other American minority groups.

Author : Harold Uriel Ribalow,Meir Z. Ribalow
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 520 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Athletes
ISBN : UCAL:B4384706

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The Jew in American Sports by Harold Uriel Ribalow,Meir Z. Ribalow Pdf

Author : Ezra Mendelsohn
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2009-03-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0199724792

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Jews and the Sporting Life by Ezra Mendelsohn Pdf

Volume XXIII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the role of sports in modern Jewish history. The centrality of sports in modern life--in popular and even in high culture, in economic life, in the media, in international and national politics, and in forging ethnic identities--can hardly be exaggerated, but in the field of Jewish studies this subject has been somewhat neglected, at least until recently. Students of American Jewish history, for example, often emphasize the role of sports in the Americanization of the immigrants, while students of Jewish nationalism pay closer attention to its appeal for the regeneration of the Jewish nation, as well as the creation of a new, healthy, Jewish body. The essays brought together in Jews and the Sporting Life expand the body of knowledge about the place sports occupied, and continue to occupy, in Jewish life. They examine the connection between sports and Jewish nationalism, particularly Zionism, and how organized Jewish sports have been an agent of nation-building. They consider the role of Jews as owners of sports teams, as amateur and professional athletes, and as fans and bettors. Other themes include sports and Jewish literature, and boxing as a sport that enabled Jewish men to prove their masculinity in a world that often stereotyped them as weak and "feminine." This volume concentrates on twentieth century developments in Israel, Europe, and the United States.

Author : Raanan Rein,David Sheinin
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2014-11-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789004284494

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Muscling in on New Worlds by Raanan Rein,David Sheinin Pdf

Muscling in on New Worlds brings together a dynamic new collection of studies that approach sport as a window into Jewish identity formation in the Americas.

Author : Peter Levine
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : History
ISBN : 9780195085556

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Ellis Island to Ebbets Field by Peter Levine Pdf

In Ellis Island to Ebbets Field, Peter Levine vividly recounts the stories of Red Auerbach, Hank Greenberg, Moe Berg, Sid Luckman, Nat Holman, Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Marty Glickman, and a host of others who became Jewish heroes and symbols of the difficult struggle for American success.From settlement houses and street corners, to Madison Square and Fenway Park, their experiences recall a time when Jewish males dominated sports like boxing and basketball, helping to smash stereotypes about Jewish weakness while instilling American Jews with a fierce pride in their strength andability in the face of Nazi aggression, domestic anti-Semitism, and economic depression. Full of marvelous stories, anecdotes, and personalities, Ellis Island to Ebbets Field enhances our understanding of the Jewish-American experience as well as the struggles of other American minoritygroups.

Author : Anja Dinter
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
Page : 41 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2012-06
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9783656207948

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The Role of Sports in Jewish-American Society by Anja Dinter Pdf

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,3, University of Potsdam (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Jewish-American History and Life, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: It is the aim of the following work to analyze the role of sports in Jewish-American life, mainly concentrating on the time until the end of the World War II. Up to the present day the notion of Jewish culture and tradition emphasizing intellectual accomplishments and the life of the mind and not having place for sport and the physical has been prevalent. Due to the traditional emphasis of learning and an appreciation for sophistication during all of Jewish history, the stereotype view of a general rejection of sports by Jews and the image of Jewish physical weakness seems to have evolved as a consequence. This image has even been misrepresented by anti-Semites, as Henry Ford, to show that Jewish-Americans are "ill-fit to be true Americans". Previously read books dealing with Jewish sports in Germany and an article on the importance of sports within Jewish religion that contradicted the image mentioned above, let an increased interest in the specific mind-set of Jewish-Americans towards physical activities develop. Due to the complexity of the topic and the extent of this paper only certain aspects can be presented in the discourse, unfortunately excluding other interesting ones. The focus will be on the actual participation and achievements as well as attitudes of Jews towards sports and the effects of this field on the integration of Jewish immigrants. The time frame has been limited to the period between the first large waves of immigration and the end of World War II because of the adjustment of Jewish sports to general developments thereafter. Nevertheless, some general tendencies of the post-World War II decades will be discussed. Background information on the general historical co

Author : Jeffrey S. Gurock
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 802 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2009-03-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9780253220608

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Orthodox Jews in America by Jeffrey S. Gurock Pdf

Although there are many good books on the history of Jews in America and a smaller subset that focuses on aspects of Orthodox Judaism in contemporary times, no one, until now, has written an overview of how Orthodoxy in America has evolved over the centuries from the first arrivals in the 17th century to the present. This broad overview by Gurock (Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva Univ.; Judaism's Encounter with American Sports) is distinctive in examining how Orthodox Jews have coped with the personal, familial, and communal challenges of religious freedom, economic opportunity, and social integration, as well as uncovering historical reactionary tensions to alternative Jewish movements in multicultural and pluralistic America. Gurock raises penetrating questions about the compatibility of modern culture with pious practices and sensitively explores the relationship of feminism to traditional Orthodox Judaism. There are several excellent reference sources on Orthodox Jews in America, e.g., Rabbi Moshe D. Sherman's outstanding Orthodox Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook, to which this is an accessible and illuminating companion; recommended not only for serious readers on the topic but for general readers as well.David B. Levy, Touro Coll. Women's Seminary Lib., Brooklyn, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author : Bob Wechsler
Publisher : KTAV Publishing House, Inc.
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1602800138

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Day by Day in Jewish Sports History by Bob Wechsler Pdf

The Ultimate Jewish Sports History and Trivia Book.

Author : Jonathan D. Sarna
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 558 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2019-06-25
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780300190397

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American Judaism by Jonathan D. Sarna Pdf

Jonathan D. Sarna's award-winning American Judaism is now available in an updated and revised edition that summarizes recent scholarship and takes into account important historical, cultural, and political developments in American Judaism over the past fifteen years. Praise for the first edition: "Sarna . . . has written the first systematic, comprehensive, and coherent history of Judaism in America; one so well executed, it is likely to set the standard for the next fifty years."--Jacob Neusner, Jerusalem Post "A masterful overview."--Jeffrey S. Gurock, American Historical Review "This book is destined to be the new classic of American Jewish history."--Norman H. Finkelstein, Jewish Book World Winner of the 2004 National Jewish Book Award/Jewish Book of the Year

Author : Stephen H. Norwood,Eunice G. Pollack
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 881 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2007-08-28
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781851096435

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Encyclopedia of American Jewish History [2 volumes] by Stephen H. Norwood,Eunice G. Pollack Pdf

Written by the most prominent scholars in American Jewish history, this encyclopedia illuminates the varied experiences of America's Jews and their impact on American society and culture over three and a half centuries. American Jews have profoundly shaped, and been shaped by, American culture. Yet American history texts have largely ignored the Jewish experience. The Encyclopedia of American Jewish History corrects that omission. In essays and short entries written by 125 of the world's leading scholars of American Jewish history and culture, this encyclopedia explores both religious and secular aspects of American Jewish life. It examines the European background and immigration of American Jews and their impact on the professions and academic disciplines, mass culture and the arts, literature and theater, and labor and radical movements. It explores Zionism, antisemitism, responses to the Holocaust, the branches of Judaism, and Jews' relations with other groups, including Christians, Muslims, and African Americans. The encyclopedia covers the Jewish press and education, Jewish organizations, and Jews' participation in America's wars. In two comprehensive volumes, Encyclopedia of American Jewish History makes 350 years of American Jewish experience accessible to scholars, all levels of students, and the reading public.