Pledges of Jewish allegiance : conversion, law, and policymaking in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Orthodox responsa / David Ellenson and Daniel Gordis.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgments; Introduction: Who Is a Jew? What Is a Jew? : Jewish Identity, Jewish Status, and the Challenge of Conversion; 1. Conversion in Jewish Tradition: An Introduction to the Classical Sources; 2. Trends in Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century German Orthodox Responses to Conversion and Intermarriage; 3. Hungarian and Central European Writings on Conversion and Intermarriage; 4. Europe and the United States in the Modern Period; 5. Israel: Conversion to Judaism in a Jewish Socie; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Since the late 1700s, when the Jewish community ceased to be a semiautonomous political unit in Western Europe and the United States and individual Jews became integrated-culturally, socially, and politically-into broader society, questions surrounding Jewish status and identity have occupied a prominent and contentious place in Jewish legal discourse. This book examines a wide array of legal opinions written by nineteenth- and twentieth-century orthodox rabbis in Europe, the United States, and Israel. It argues that these rabbis' divergent positions-based on the same legal precedents-demonstr.

Print version record.

English.

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