Alan T. Levenson is the Schusterman/ Josey Professor of Jewish Religious and Intellectual History at the University of Oklahoma. His publications include Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism (2004); The Story of Joseph: A Journey of Jewish Interpretation (2004); An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers (2nd ed., 2006); and The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible (2011).

“Consequently, this book can serve as a useful addition for undergraduates collections on Judaism and Jewish history and as an introductory guide for advanced students.  Summing Up: Recommended.  All levels/libraries.”  (Choice, 1 December 2012)

• Notes on Contributors ixPreface xviiAcknowledgments xixIntroduction 1Part I Ancient Israel 131 What Is the Hebrew Bible? 15Frederick E. Greenspahn2 How “Historical” Is Ancient Israel? 25Ehud Ben Zvi3 Priests and Levites in the Hebrew Bible 35Stephen A. Geller4 How Unique Was Israelite Prophecy? 53Jonathan St€okl5 Judaism after the Exile: The Later Books of the Bible 70Daniel C. Snell6 Translation: The Biblical Legacy to Judaism 83Leonard GreenspoonPart II From Ancient Israel to Rabbinic Jewry 997 Jews in the Land During the Second Temple Period 101Steven Werlin8 Jews in Egypt: The Special Case of the Septuagint 121Peg Kershenbaum9 Early Christianity in a Jewish Context 142Julie Galambush10 The Babylonian Consolidation of Rabbinic Judaism 156Shai SecundaPart III The Medieval World: Jews in Two Cultures 16711 Jews in Christian Europe: Ashkenaz in the Middle Ages 169Eva Haverkamp12 The Jews in the Medieval Arabic-Speaking World 207Norman (Noam) Stillman13 Turning Point: The Spanish Expulsion 224Jane S. Gerber14 Medieval Jewish Mysticism 244Hartley LachterPart IV the Early Modern Period (sixteenth–eighteenth Centuries) 25715 Judaism and Science in the Age of Discovery 259Joseph M. Davis16 A History of Hasidism: Origins and Developments 277Gadi Sagiv17 Jews and Judaism in the Early Modern New World: Central and North America 291Dean Phillip Bell18 The Jews of the Ottoman Empire 309Yaron AyalonPart V The Modern Period 32519 How Jews Modernized: The Western Nations 327Carsten Schapkow20 The Zionist Movement and the Path to Statehood 343Brian Amkraut21 The Jews in the Land of the Russian Tsars 361Jarrod Tanny22 The Great Migration: 1881–1924 381Jessica Cooperman23 Polish Jewry between the World Wars 393Sean Martin24 Organized Movements of American Judaism: From 1880 to World War II 409Michael R. Cohen25 Paths of Modernity: Jewish Women in Central Europe 422Kerry Wallach26 Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hostility 441Richard S. LevyPart VI Jews and Judaism Since the Holocaust and the Birth of Israel 45927 The Existential Crisis of the Holocaust 461Peter Haas28 American Jews and the Jewish State 476David Bamberger29 Judaism(s) in Contemporary America 489Dana Evan Kaplan30 Traditional Judaism in the Twenty-First Century 514Mark I. Dunaevsky31 Contemporary American Jewish Culture 529Ted Merwin32 Israeli Culture from 1948 to the Present 548Keren Rubinstein33 The Israeli Economy 571Paul Rivlin34 Ethnic Diversity in Israel 586Ari ArielPart VII Special Topics 60135 The World of Jewish Music 603Marsha Bryan Edelman36 American Jewry’s Identification with Israel: Problems and Prospects 619Laurence J. Silberstein37 The Jewish Holy Days 643Stanley SchachterIndex 661

Alan T. Levenson is the Schusterman/ Josey Professor of Jewish Religious and Intellectual History at the University of Oklahoma. His publications include Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism (2004); The Story of Joseph: A Journey of Jewish Interpretation (2004); An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers (2nd ed., 2006); and The Making of the Modern Jewish Bible (2011).

“Consequently, this book can serve as a useful addition for undergraduates collections on Judaism and Jewish history and as an introductory guide for advanced students.  Summing Up: Recommended.  All levels/libraries.”  (Choice, 1 December 2012)

• Notes on Contributors ixPreface xviiAcknowledgments xixIntroduction 1Part I Ancient Israel 131 What Is the Hebrew Bible? 15Frederick E. Greenspahn2 How “Historical” Is Ancient Israel? 25Ehud Ben Zvi3 Priests and Levites in the Hebrew Bible 35Stephen A. Geller4 How Unique Was Israelite Prophecy? 53Jonathan St€okl5 Judaism after the Exile: The Later Books of the Bible 70Daniel C. Snell6 Translation: The Biblical Legacy to Judaism 83Leonard GreenspoonPart II From Ancient Israel to Rabbinic Jewry 997 Jews in the Land During the Second Temple Period 101Steven Werlin8 Jews in Egypt: The Special Case of the Septuagint 121Peg Kershenbaum9 Early Christianity in a Jewish Context 142Julie Galambush10 The Babylonian Consolidation of Rabbinic Judaism 156Shai SecundaPart III The Medieval World: Jews in Two Cultures 16711 Jews in Christian Europe: Ashkenaz in the Middle Ages 169Eva Haverkamp12 The Jews in the Medieval Arabic-Speaking World 207Norman (Noam) Stillman13 Turning Point: The Spanish Expulsion 224Jane S. Gerber14 Medieval Jewish Mysticism 244Hartley LachterPart IV the Early Modern Period (sixteenth–eighteenth Centuries) 25715 Judaism and Science in the Age of Discovery 259Joseph M. Davis16 A History of Hasidism: Origins and Developments 277Gadi Sagiv17 Jews and Judaism in the Early Modern New World: Central and North America 291Dean Phillip Bell18 The Jews of the Ottoman Empire 309Yaron AyalonPart V The Modern Period 32519 How Jews Modernized: The Western Nations 327Carsten Schapkow20 The Zionist Movement and the Path to Statehood 343Brian Amkraut21 The Jews in the Land of the Russian Tsars 361Jarrod Tanny22 The Great Migration: 1881–1924 381Jessica Cooperman23 Polish Jewry between the World Wars 393Sean Martin24 Organized Movements of American Judaism: From 1880 to World War II 409Michael R. Cohen25 Paths of Modernity: Jewish Women in Central Europe 422Kerry Wallach26 Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hostility 441Richard S. LevyPart VI Jews and Judaism Since the Holocaust and the Birth of Israel 45927 The Existential Crisis of the Holocaust 461Peter Haas28 American Jews and the Jewish State 476David Bamberger29 Judaism(s) in Contemporary America 489Dana Evan Kaplan30 Traditional Judaism in the Twenty-First Century 514Mark I. Dunaevsky31 Contemporary American Jewish Culture 529Ted Merwin32 Israeli Culture from 1948 to the Present 548Keren Rubinstein33 The Israeli Economy 571Paul Rivlin34 Ethnic Diversity in Israel 586Ari ArielPart VII Special Topics 60135 The World of Jewish Music 603Marsha Bryan Edelman36 American Jewry’s Identification with Israel: Problems and Prospects 619Laurence J. Silberstein37 The Jewish Holy Days 643Stanley SchachterIndex 661