Judaism in America, 1654-Present
I hope you will join me for an 8-week program that I will be teaching called "Judaism in America, 1654-Present”. This Gratz College Continuing Education class will be on Zoom on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from February 6 to March 26, 2024.
Now in its fourth century, the history of Judaism in America faces a unique combination of factors, including initial isolation, freedom of religion, and secularization, which have shaped its development from the Colonial Period to the present. In this class, we will discuss eight topics in chronological order: Colonial and Early National Judaism, the German Period (1815-1880), Reform Judaism to WWII, Conservative Judaism and Reconstructionism to WWII, Orthodoxy to WWII, Suburban Judaism, American Jewish Secularism, and 21st Century American Judaism. Each session will include a presentation both of the relevant American religious context and how the American Jewish experience is related to international contemporaneous Jewish developments. Special attention will also be paid to the role of women in Judaism in America. Class will be taught in seminar style. No prerequisites. All welcome.
