The Yugoslav Planting Campaign in Martyrs’ Forest 1952–1955: Symbolism, Rituals and Meaning

This article will try to examine the phenomenon of memorial forests and its role in the creation of Holocaust mem- ory of the Jewish community in Yugoslavia. Our intention is to present the Yugoslav Jewish tradition of planting memorial for- ests and analyze its symbolical background. The Martyrs’ For- est in Israel will be used as an example of newly-founded place of remembrance, and considering that, the main aim of the arti- cle is to show, in comparison with other examples, what kind of symbolical rituals were used to provide a historical context and legitimacy for new memorials.

Muhammad dan Orisinalitas Al-Quran dalam Pandangan Abraham Geiger

Among the interest in the study of Muhammad and the Quran was born from the Orientalists. Including the Orientalists who were very influential on this study was Abraham Geiger. From this research, it is found that Geiger has a view that tends to be contrary to that of Muslim scholars in general. Where Geiger views that Muhammad was someone who had tried to bring up the Quran because it was influenced by the Jewish culture that already existed in the Arab region at that time. Geigers opinion is based on several facts that he put forward, which include: When Muhammad carried out his mission in Medina, Muhammad was dealing with Jews who had long had a strong influence on the local community and Muhammad had close relations with Jews. in the area. This fact is then reinforced by Geigers findings in the Qur'an which are indicated to be taken from the Jewish tradition, such as the discovery of 14 vocabulary words of the Koran which tend to be the same as Jewish dogma, the discovery of doctrinal concepts that indicate the adaptation of the Qur'an from the Jews. and the stories in the Koran that tend to be in line with Jewish teachings.

The Jewish Reception of Aristotle’s Poetics in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-century Provence: A Survey of the Arabic Sources

The last few years have seen a renewed interest in Aristotle’s logic in the Jewish tradition, giving a decisive impulse to the research on the Greek-into-Hebrew philosophical transmission in medieval and early modern times. The present article aims to contribute to the studies on Aristotelian logic in Hebrew by focusing on a less explored aspect, namely the reception of Aristotle’s Poetics in Jewish culture.

The Promise of Jewish Theistic Naturalism for Jewish Environmental Ethics

This paper seeks to explain the greater appeal of Jewish naturalistic theologies given our greater appreciation today of the ecological vulnerability of our world. By examining the theological writings of two prominent twentieth-century Jewish thinkers—Hans Jonas and Arthur Green. The paper demonstrates that their espousal of naturalistic yet theistic worldview in their interpretations and reconstructions of Jewish tradition shares significant affinities and promotes an ethical attitude toward the environment. First, I show that Jonas and Green reject reductive forms of naturalism and embrace a nonreductive or “expansive” style of naturalism. Then, I argue that their theologies intend to stimulate a sense of responsibility toward all creation by envisioning humans as partners of a non-omnipotent God. I conclude by noting the metaphysical, epistemological, and moral promises of theistic naturalism to Jewish environmental ethics.

Birds as Dads, Babysitters, and Hats

The commandment to send the mother bird from her nest before taking her eggs or chicks, known in Jewish tradition as shiluach hakan, is found in Deuteronomy 22:6–7. This essay addresses dominant perspectives on the mother bird mitzvah—its association with good luck, bad luck, and compassion—before showcasing rabbinic texts from Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud Hullin Chapter 12 that evince interest in birds as ingenious builders, as fathers and not just mothers, as queer parents and altruists, as rebel spirits who resist captivity even unto death and, finally, in birds as co-inhabitants of the earth whose lives are parallel to as well as enmeshed with our own. I offer here a bird-centric approach to the commandment, an effort to read it in a spirit of anti-anthropocentrism, drawing on animal studies scholar Matthew Calarco’s notion of indistinction.

Judaism Is the New Orient

The spiritual journeys that Israeli-Jews make to the Far East do not merely provide them with experiences and revelations, but also help them reclaim meaning, answer life’s questions, and shape their identity and lifestyle. Surprisingly, some journeys end in embracing Jewish tradition. Why—and how—do secular Israelis, who have never shown any interest in the spiritual matters and aspects of their native tradition, find, following their journey, that Jewish spirituality is relevant to their quest for meaning? This chapter conducts a critical discussion on the Easternization thesis (which claims the West is undergoing a profound paradigmatic transformation), culminating in the conclusion that the East is not Westerners’ and Israelis’ true object of desire, but rather an object on which they project their Western/Israeli discomfort, passions, and images. Judaism, which has been going through an exoticization process within the framework of local New Age ideas—much like the Far East in global spirituality—has been adapting itself to this coveted imagined model.