Full Description
This book explores the "Golden Age" of Sephardic Jewry on the Iberian Peninsula and its perception in German Jewish culture during the era of emancipation. For Jews living in Germany, the history of Sephardic Jewry developed into a historical example with its distinctive valence and signature against the pressure to assimilate and the emergence of anti-Semitism in Germany. It provided, moreover, a forum to engage in internal dialogue amongst Jews and external dialogue with German majority society about challenging questions of religious, political, and national identity. In this respect, the perception of prominent Sephardic Jews as intercultural mediators was key to emphasizing the skills and values Jews had to offer to civilizations in the past. German Jews invoked this past significance in their case for a Jewish role in present and future societies, especially in Germany.
Contents
Chapter 1: Iberian-Sephardic Culture as Intercultural System of Reference: Between Appropriation and Disassociation
Chapter 2: The Significance of Iberian-Sephardic Culture for the Haskalah
Chapter 3: The Origins of the Science of Judaism: Iberian-Sephardic Jews as Proponents of a European Cultural Tradition
Chapter 4 Jewish Historiography and Jewish History in Spain as a Counter-Model
Chapter 5: Adaptations of the Iberian Role and Counter Model
Conclusion
