Jersey City Research Articles

Book ReviewParité! Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism. By Joan Wallach Scott. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.The Gay Republic: Sexuality, Citizenship, and Subversion in France. By Enda McCaffrey. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2005.

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook Review . By Joan Wallach Scott. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. Parité! Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism. By Joan Wallach Scott. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. The Gay Republic: Sexuality, Citizenship, and Subversion in France. By Enda McCaffrey. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2005.Catherine RaissiguierCatherine RaissiguierNew Jersey City University Search for more articles by this author New Jersey City UniversityPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Signs Volume 32, Number 2Winter 2007 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/508229 Views: 17Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Permission to reprint a book review printed in this section may be obtained only from the author(s).PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article: Eléonore Lépinard The Contentious Subject of Feminism: Defining Women in France from the Second Wave to Parity Lépinard, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 32, no.22 (Jul 2015): 375–403.https://doi.org/10.1086/508376

Churches and the Holocaust: Unholy Teaching, Good Samaritans, and Reconciliation, Mordecai Paldiel (Jersey City, New Jersey: KTAV, 2006). 443 pp., $39.50

Churches and the Holocaust: Unholy Teaching, Good Samaritans, and Reconciliation, Mordecai Paldiel (Jersey City, New Jersey: KTAV, 2006). 443 pp., $39.50

Measurement and modeling of urban atmospheric PCB concentrations on a small (8 km) spatial scale

Atmospheric transport and deposition of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is an important problem for ecosystems around the world. Data from several monitoring networks demonstrate that atmospheric PCB concentrations are dramatically elevated in urban areas compared to rural or background regions, such that these urban emissions of PCBs support the regional and global transport and deposition of PCBs to more remote areas. Identifying and controlling the sources of urban atmospheric PCBs is thus essential in minimizing the regional and global transport and deposition of these compounds. From December 1999 to November 2000, gas-phase PCB concentrations were measured at two monitoring locations, ∼8 km apart, within the New York City metropolitan area, at Jersey City and Bayonne, NJ. Concentrations, congener patterns, and temporal patterns of PCBs differ dramatically at the two sites, suggesting that a significant source of atmospheric PCBs exists within 8 km of the Bayonne site, resulting in spikes in gas-phase PCB concentration at Bayonne that are not observed at Jersey City. The Regional Atmospheric Model System (RAMS) coupled with the Hybrid Particle and Concentration Transport model (HYPACT) was used to estimate that the PCB source near Bayonne emits a flux of ΣPCBs on the order of 100 g d −1. Extrapolation of this source magnitude to the area of New York City suggests that this urban area emits at least 300 kg yr −1 ΣPCBs to the regional atmosphere, similar in magnitude to the flow of ΣPCB out of the Upper Hudson River into the New York/New Jersey Harbor.

Bilingual education & bilingualism

Bilingual education & bilingualism

S12 PRECLINICAL BASIS FOR MEMANTINE EFFICACY IN ALZHEIMER??S DISEASE

aPreclinical R & D, Merz Pharmaceuticals, Eckenheimer Landstrasse 100, Frankfurt/M 60318, Germany bDepartment of Psychology & Neuroscience, Ohio State University, 1835 Neil Avenue, Ohio, OH 43201, USA cForest Research Institute, Harborside Financial Center, Plaza V Jersey City, NJ 07311, USA EBPS Workshop Abstracts: Neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms of motor and cognitive dysfunctions Cracow, 2–4 September 2006

Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works (review)

Community, Covenant and Commitment: Selected Letters and Communications, by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, edited by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot. Jersey City, NJ: Ktav, 2005. 352 pp. $29.50. If one were to conduct a survey to determine who were twentieth century American Orthodoxy's greatest figures, Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993) would surely be included among the top. With no intention of engaging in hagiography, I would suggest that despite his innate shyness and modesty, Rabbi Soloveitchik rose to unparalleled prominence in part due to his possession of a rare combination of mind, heart, and tongue; he had a brilliant mind, a compassionate heart, and an unusual gift for oratory. A critical biography of Rav, as he was known to his students and followers, has yet to be written and probably wont be in the foreseeable future for both personal and scholarly reasons. He is, in some ways, reminiscent of Maimonides, in that there are those who know him as a Halakhic authority and know nothing of his philosophy, while others know him as a philosopher and know little or nothing of his Halakhic methodology and expertise; some view him as a traditionalist while others view him as a modernist; some view him as the greatest religious leader of the generation-if not generations-while a minority deny his greatness and view him with suspicion, if not disdain. Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot has performed a great service to those who wish to gain further insight into Rabbi Soloveitchik's thought and character by editing this volume of his letters which span some four decades. The more than 70 letters included are subsumed under six topical sections: communal and public policy; educational issues; American Orthodoxy and the rabbinate; religious Zionism and the State of Israel; inter-religious affairs; and personal and philosophical reflections. The letters relate to a broad range of issues confronting contemporary Orthodox Jews, including: humane methods in the process of ritual slaughter; drafting rabbis into the chaplaincy; interfaith dialogue and other matters of interfaith affairs; Talmud study for women; praying in a non-Orthodox synagogue; the participation of Orthodox rabbis in intra-religious boards; communal policy for Jewish adoption agencies; a proposed prayer service for Yom Ha-atzmaut; the Who is a Jew issue in Israel; and many others. Each of the letters is succinctly contextualized by Helfgot and, together with his more in-depth introduction to the volume, the reader is provided with a better understanding of both the issues at hand and the letter-writer himself, Rabbi Soloveitchik. Rabbi Soloveitchik spoke and wrote on a wide variety of topics, and did not create a unified system. Indeed, some of his students point to apparent inconsistencies and even contradictions between some of his writings in varied works. None of the alleged inconsistency is evident is this collection of letters. On the contrary; there is a consistency throughout which defies labeling as eitherHaredi or Modern Orthodox. …

DOES CRIME JUST MOVE AROUND THE CORNER? A CONTROLLED STUDY OF SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT AND DIFFUSION OF CRIME CONTROL BENEFITS*

Recent studies point to the potential theoretical and practical benefits of focusing police resources on crime hot spots. However, many scholars have noted that such approaches risk displacing crime or disorder to other places where programs are not in place. Although much attention has been paid to the idea of displacement, methodological problems associated with measuring it have often been overlooked. We try to fill these gaps in measurement and understanding of displacement and the related phenomenon of diffusion of crime control benefits. Our main focus is on immediate spatial displacement or diffusion of crime to areas near the targeted sites of an intervention. Do focused crime prevention efforts at places simply result in a movement of offenders to areas nearby targeted sites—“do they simply move crime around the corner”? Or, conversely, will a crime prevention effort focusing on specific places lead to improvement in areas nearby—what has come to be termed a diffusion of crime control benefits? Our data are drawn from a controlled study of displacement and diffusion in Jersey City, New Jersey. Two sites with substantial street‐level crime and disorder were targeted and carefully monitored during an experimental period. Two neighboring areas were selected as “catchment areas” from which to assess immediate spatial displacement or diffusion. Intensive police interventions were applied to each target site but not to the catchment areas. More than 6,000 20‐minute social observations were conducted in the target and catchment areas. They were supplemented by interviews and ethnographic field observations. Our findings indicate that, at least for crime markets involving drugs and prostitution, crime does not simply move around the corner. Indeed, this study supports the position that the most likely outcome of such focused crime prevention efforts is a diffusion of crime control benefits to nearby areas.

Atmospheric dry deposition of trace elements measured around the urban and industrially impacted NY–NJ harbor

Long-term direct trace metal dry deposition measurements were made during 2001 and 2002 at two sites near the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary in New Jersey: Jersey City (JC) and New Brunswick (NB). In addition intensive dry deposition and atmospheric size distribution (ASD) measurements were made between September 2001 and June 2002. Dry deposition samples were obtained using modified MIC-B wet deposition samplers which deployed knife-edge surrogate surfaces during dry periods. ASDs were measured with micro-orifice uniform deposit impactors (MOUDI) and coarse particle rotary impactors (CPRI). The fluxes of trace metals were found to be highest at the JC site and lowest at the NB site. The dry deposition fluxes ranged from 0.030 (Cd) to 3800 (Al) μg m −2 d −1 and 0.14 (Cd) to 8100 (Al) μg m −2 d −1at NB and JC sites, respectively. Metals of crustal origin were found mostly in the coarse particle fraction and anthropogenic metals were found mostly in the fine particle fraction. For the intensive experiments, overall dry deposition velocities of several trace metals were determined by dividing measured fluxes by measured concentrations in different particle size ranges. For most of the elements, the flux was highly correlated with PM 10 and coarse particle concentrations. The overall dry deposition velocities of crustal elements (Al and Mg) varied from 3.7 to 8.7 cm s −1 with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.50 to 0.84. The best-fit dry deposition velocities for anthropogenic elements (Cr, Mn, Zn, and Pb; Cu, Mo, and Ba; V and Ni) varied more than those for crustal elements (0.52–25 vs. 3.7–8.7 cm s −1). The dry deposition velocities for most elements obtained using three size ranges were statistically significant with R 2 values ranging from 0.37 to 0.84 except for V and Ni (0.12).

S5-04-03: Treatment during the whole continuum of Alzheimer’s disease: From evidence to guidelines

not available. S5-04-05 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM MORE NATURALISTIC STUDIES-A DEBATE Richard Gray, University of Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Contact e-mail: r.gray@bham.ac.uk Abstract not available.not available. S5-04-06 DISCUSSION OF THE AD 2000 STUDY Lon Schneider, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Contact e-mail: lschneid@hsc.usc.edu Abstract not available. SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2006 POSTER PRESENTATIONS P1not available. SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2006 POSTER PRESENTATIONS P1 P1-001 MEMANTINE REVERSES COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN TRANSGENIC MICE WITH BOTH PLAQUES AND TANGLES Pradeep K. Banerjee, Lauren Billings Luhrs, Frank M. LeFerla, Forest Research Institute, Jersey City, NJ, USA; University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. Contact e-mail: laferla@uci.edu Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is generally believed to result from the progressive accumulation of beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which may cause or occur coincident with significant neuronal loss. Memantine, an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, is widely-prescribed in humans with AD, although the effect of this drug on progressive neuropathology remains unknown. Objective(s): In this study, using a battery of cognitive tasks, the effect of memantine was tested in triple transgenic mice which harbor mutations in three genes relevant to AD pathology (PS1M146V, APPSwe and tauP301L).These mice develop both plaques and tangles in a region-specific and age-progressive manner and also exhibit learning impairment and synaptic dysfunction. Methods: Memantine (30 mg/kg/day) was administered orally via drinking water either from 2-12 months or from 9-12 months of age in “preventative” or “reversal” trials, respectively. Results: We found that in both treatment paradigms, memantine significantly prevented memory deficits in the Morris water maze, inhibitory avoidance and novel object recognition tasks compared to vehicle-treated transgenic mice. Conclusions: These findings carry two important implications. First, memantine is able to prevent the progressive decline in cognitive functioning in these mice. Second, and perhaps more importantly, memantine is able to slow or reverse established cognitive deficits in older transgenic mice, confirming memantine’s use in individuals with established AD pathology. P1-002 SYNAPTIC DEGENERATION AND MEMORY LOSS IN A MODEL OF TAUOPATHY Cathy A. Andorfer, Mei Yue, Christopher Janus, Jada Lewis, Michael Hutton, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA. Contact e-mail: andorfer.cathy@mayo.edu Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by filamentous inclusions of the microtubule associated protein tau, known as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and by beta-amyloid deposits. A direct link between these pathological hallmarks and behavioral manifestations of the disease has not been established. The memory impairment in AD correlates better with the progression of tau pathology than that of amyloid pathology, however, the strongest correlate to memory impairment is loss of synapses and synaptic function. We are currently examining the connection between tau dependent cognitive dysfunction and synaptic disruption by taking advantage of a unique mouse model of conditional tau pathology, known as rTg4510. This mouse line contains the P301L tau mutation and a tet-off activator transgene that allows for suppression of mutant tau expression via doxycycline. Objectives: 1) Determine if disruptions in synapses are involved in the pathologic and memory defects that have been observed in this mouse model. 2) Determine if suppressing mutant tau expression with doxycycline treatment leads to a recovery of memory that is related to repair of pathologic changes in synapses. Method: We have examined mice at multiple ages using the Morris Water Maze to test memory deficits. Synaptic degeneration is being analyzed based on changes in preand postsynaptic markers and loss of dendritic spines. Results: rTg4510 mice develop NFTs, neuronal death and memory loss that is reversible following suppression of the mutant tau transgene. Memory loss occurs before neuronal loss and recovery of memory occurs despite significant neuronal death. Thus there is a dissociation of neuronal death from the primary mechanism of memory loss in this model. Pre-synaptic synaptophysin S94 Poster Presentations P1

Urban Bicycle Route Safety Rating Model Application in Jersey City, New Jersey

Bicyclists consistently identify safety as one of their highest priorities in selecting bicycle routes. If transportation officials want to succeed in achieving the goal of increasing nonvehicular modes of travel, bicycle routes must be provided that are convenient and safe. In this study, a pilot study was undertaken to develop a tool to compare the relative safety of alternate bicycle routes. A multivariate logistic model was developed for urban bicycle routes based on four years of bicycle crash data from Jersey City, N.J. The resulting model meets a 90% confidence level by using various operational and physical factors (traffic volume, lane width, population density, highway classification, the presence of vertical grades, one-way streets, and truck routes) to predict the severity of an injury sustained by a bicyclist that would result from a motor vehicle crash occurring at a specific location. The model was used to rate proposed bicycle routes in Jersey City, N.J., assuming that a bicycle crash on the safest route would be the least likely to produce severe injuries. Both existing conditions and mitigated scenarios were rated and compared with field observations.

Art, Science, and Imagination

Essay| April 01 2006 Art, Science, and Imagination: Pluto’s Cave: Making Visible the Invisible By ACME Physics, Big Orbit Gallery, Buffalo, New York, October 15-December 18, 2005 New Jersey City University Visual Arts Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey, January 19-February 16, 2006 Adriane Little Adriane Little Adriane Little is an artist and educator living in Buffalo, New York. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Afterimage (2006) 33 (5): 41. https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2006.33.5.41 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Adriane Little; Art, Science, and Imagination: Pluto’s Cave: Making Visible the Invisible. Afterimage 1 April 2006; 33 (5): 41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2006.33.5.41 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAfterimage Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2006 by The Regents of the University of California2006 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: Urban Male Adolescents Speak Out

Context: Risky sexual behaviors among adolescent males put them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and unplanned fatherhood, yet few facilities in the United States provide focused sexual and reproductive health services to these young men. A general acknowledgement exists that the development of such services is needed, yet there is little research to guide providers in making existing services more attractive to young males and in developing new sexual health services for this population. Objectives: This research aimed to explore attitudes and perceptions of urban black male adolescents regarding the availability of and access to reproductive healthcare. Methods: Eighteen black male adolescents participated in three focus group discussions held in a central New Jersey city. Transcripts of the discussions were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Resulting categories were grouped into themes, which reflected the adolescents' perceptions and experiences. Member checks were used to verify findings. Results: The adolescents felt that obtaining sexual health services was a stressful experience fraught with both internal and external barriers. Internal barriers included a fear of stigma and a loss of social status, shame, and embarrassment. External barriers included disrespectful providers, a lack of privacy/confidentiality, and challenges in accessing and negotiating the healthcare system. The young males described an idealized clinic environment as informal, welcoming, and respectful. Discussion and Conclusions: Providers should focus on improving the quality of care in existing clinics, particularly in the areas of access, privacy, and confidentiality, and on developing adolescent-friendly clinics focusing on male services. Adolescents should be encouraged to visit clinics prior to an acute need for services. There also is a need for providers who are comfortable with and able to communicate with male adolescents.

The urban origins of suburban autonomy

Acknowledgments Introduction: Urbanism, Infrastructure, Politics 1. Private Benefits, Public Goods 2. Independent Yonkers, Expansionist New York 3. Greater New York and Later Annexation Schemes 4. Expansionist Jersey City and Its Discontents 5. The Rise and Fall of Greater Newark Conclusion: The Evolution of Urban Politics Notes Index

Modern? American? Jew? Museums and Exhibitions of Ben Shahn's Late Paintings

The year 1998 marked the centennial of the birth of artist Ben Shahn (1898–1969). Coupled with the approach of the millennium, which many museums celebrated by surveying the cultural production of the 20th century, the centennial offered the perfect opportunity to mount a major exhibition of Shahn's work (the last comprehensive exhibition had taken place at the Jewish Museum in New York City in 1976). The moment was also propitious because a renewed interest in narrative, figurative art, and political art encouraged scholarly and popular appreciation of Ben Shahn, whose reputation within the history of American art had been eclipsed for many decades by the attention given to the abstract expressionists. The Jewish Museum responded in 1998 with Common Man, Mythic Vision: The Paintings of Ben Shahn, organized by the Museum's curator Susan Chevlowe, with abstract expressionism scholar Stephen Polcari (Figure 1). The exhibition traveled to the Allentown Art Museum in Pennsylvania and closed at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1999.Smaller Shahn exhibitions then in the planning stages (although not scheduled to open during the centennial year) were to focus on selected aspects of Shahn's oeuvre: the Fogg Museum was to present his little-known New York City photographs of the 1930s in relationship to his paintings, and the Jersey City Museum intended to exhibit his career-launching series, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti (1931–32). Knowing this, Chevlowe smartly chose to focus on the later years of Shahn's career and on his lesser-known easel paintings of the post-World War II era. In so doing, Chevlowe challenged viewers to expand their understanding both of the artist and his place in 20th-century American art.

Analyse spatiale des crimes commis sur la rue à l’intérieur des marchés de drogues

In this paper we utilize data from the Drug Market Analysis Program (DMAP) in Jersey City, New Jersey, to provide some preliminary insight into the spatial relationship between street level drug markets and crime. We begin our paper with a description of how the DMAP information system was used to define drug markets and the characteristics of the markets that were identified. We then turn to an analysis of the incidence of reported crime within drug market boundaries. We find that drug market areas include a disproportionate share of arrests and crime related emergency calls for service in Jersey City. Streets and intersections within the drug markets are also much more likely to evidence reported crime than non-drug market places. We conclude with a discussion of our findings and the implications of our research for further study of the spatial relationships between drug markets and crime.

‘An Outpost of Strength’

Essay| August 01 2005 ‘An Outpost of Strength’: The Los Angeles Times Performs Law and Order Versus Chaos During the Watts Rebellion of 1965 Weena Perry Weena Perry Weena Perry is living in Jersey City where she is working assiduously on her dissertation, “America in Ruins: Making National Meaning from Images of Urban Destruction.” Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Afterimage (2005) 33 (1): 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2005.33.1.32 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Weena Perry; ‘An Outpost of Strength’: The Los Angeles Times Performs Law and Order Versus Chaos During the Watts Rebellion of 1965. Afterimage 1 August 2005; 33 (1): 32–37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2005.33.1.32 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAfterimage Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2005 by The Regents of the University of California2005 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Our History … Mega Projects West Coast … Conferences …

In April of 1961, Engineering News-Record, in its Obituaries column, announced the death of Thomas A. Scott (1877–1961), retired chairman of the board for Merritt-Chapman & Scott. Scott was a renowned constructor who began his career as a blacksmith’s helper in his father’s company. His father, Thomas Albertson Scott (1830–1907), but known to all as Captain Scott, had gone to sea at age 15 and had by 1855 obtained an ownership interest in a schooner. But Captain Scott sold that interest after only a few years and moved his family to Coytesville, New Jersey, where he opened a general store. Within two years he abandoned storekeeping and took a contract to salvage the cargo from a steamer sunk near Fort Lee, New Jersey. After that he was employed by Francis Hopkinson Smith, who had a contract to construct the Race Rock Lighthouse located at the west end of Fishers Island and at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. So in the early 1870s the elder Scott moved his family to New London, Connecticut, so they would be with him during the construction of the Lighthouse, a 67-ft-high granite tower. Quoting from the Web site eastendlighthouses.org/rRock, “The construction on the ‘Boulder’ (really a ledge that is 3 to 13 feet below water) required 7 years, thousands of tons of riprap, numerous acts of courage and amazing persistence.” The work was completed in 1878, and the family remained in New London as the Captain continued to be engaged in marine salvage and construction work. As a credit to the quality of the construction, it must be noted that the Race Rock Lighthouse is still in service. The Captain’s firm was incorporated in 1903, under the name of T. A. Scott Company, Inc., and Thomas A. Scott—who had worked as a seaman, ship’s captain, salvage officer, and operations manager—became president. Under his leadership the firm turned increasingly to construction but continued to be extensively involved in marine salvage operations. Design/build is not such a new thing, because in 1904 T. A. Scott Company designed and built a plant to manufacture bichromate of potash and soda for the Mutual Chemical Company in Jersey City, New Jersey. The T. A. Scott Company greatly expanded its salvage operations during World War I but the Navy drew Scott away from the company. He was commissioned a Lieutenant Commander and

Hot Spots Policing Experiments and Criminal Justice Research: Lessons from the Field

In this article, more general lessons are drawn from two randomized experiments in hot spots policing that the author helped design and implement in the 1990s: the Minneapolis Hot Spots Experiment and the Jersey City Drug Market Analysis Experiment. Using a case study approach, factors that facilitate and inhibit development and implementation of randomized trials are identified with particular focus on the special problems and/or advantages of place-based experiments. While the author's main comments focus on the success of place-based randomized trials in evaluating hot spots policing approaches, he draws insight as well into the reasons why the successful example of experiments in hot spots policing has not inspired similar place-based experimentation in other areas of policing or criminal justice. Eight specific lessons regarding the implementation and development of place-based randomized trials and experimental methods more generally are identified.

The Jews of Kaifeng, China: History, Culture, and Religion (review)

Jersey City, N.J.: KTAV Publishing House, 2003/193 pp. $29.50. In the preface to this work, Xu Xin, Professor of the History of Jewish Culture at Nanjing University, asserts quite correctly that a great deal of what been written about the Jews of China is fantasy, much is polemic, and much is, at best, pseudo-history. What is puzzling, however, is that he promptly follows this statement with the claim that little if any attention has been paid to charting the life of the Kaifeng community a historical standpoint, and caps this with a sentence reading, study undertakes to fill the gap. The problem here is that the publication in 1966 of the second edition of Bishop William Charles Whites 1942 Chinese Jews, together with the appearances in the first half of the 1970s of works by Hyman Kublin and Donald Daniel Leslie, sufficiently awakened the dormant interest in the history of the Jewish people of dynastic China to encourage the writing of at least two dozen additional books on the subject, as well as a hundred or two pertinent academic studies. Accordingly, Prof. Xu's complaint that there has been no more than a sketchy interest in investigating and writing from a historical standpoint about the way of life of the forty or more generations of Jews who made their homes in the Chinese Empire must be judged as greatly exaggerated. Although this large outpouring of print concerning the saga of these far-flung members of the Judaic Diaspora varies greatly in quality and reliability, I submit that much of it has already succeeded in attaining the goal that Prof. Xu aspires to in the writing of his book. In fact, the knowledgeable reader will quickly discover that Xu repeatedly cites and paraphrases portions of the texts in the existing literature as he compiles his own work on the subject. This is not to say that Xu has failed to provide any worthwhile or innovative data and interpretations that have hitherto been unknown to other historians in the field of Sino-Judaica. A native of China, where he was reared and educated, he attained professorial rank as a specialist in English literature at a major Chinese university, and in time received several grants various Jewish organizations that made it feasible for him to study Judaic history and thought in institutions of learning located in the United States and in Israel (where he also studied Hebrew at the Ulpan Akiva). He has, moreover, visited Kaifeng on numerous occasions, thereby enabling himself to earn the friendship and confidence of many of the descendants of the members of the city's old Jewish community. In 1997 he organized a seminar for Chinese academics that led to the introduction of courses in Jewish studies in several of the attendees' universities and provided a more realistic understanding and appreciation of Judaism's nature and development to the educated lay reader. He also found the time and energy to translate a single-volume abridgement of the Encyclopaedia Judaica into Chinese. This was published in China and was distributed to Chinese libraries, whose holdings of Judaic texts tend in almost all cases to be miniscule, and to academics and others who might find it of interest. It is obvious, accordingly, that Xu Xin is eminently qualified to investigate the historical experience of the kehillah of Kaifeng, Given his extensive exposure to both the Chinese and Jewish aspects of the subject he was exploring, it is therefore discouraging to note that he appears to be unfamiliar with much of the relatively recent additions to the literature of Sino-Judaica, and that he is inadvertently guilty of making a series of errors of omission and commission in a work that is in many ways deserving of commendation. These errors, for the most part of minor significance, may understandably cause the reader to wonder how much confidence to place in those pages of the text containing materials that are entirely new to him. …

Wagner, Cinema, and Redemptive Glee

Imagine that you are in Jersey City, a seaport east of Newark. We are at the Loew’s Grand Cinema, a half-restored, half-ruined 1920s picture palace that seats two thousand, has marble and velvet in the lobby and Turkish alabaster chandeliers in an auditorium with a ceiling at least one hundred feet up. I have decided that my sons need an “authentic” cinematic experience, so I have taken them to see The Thief of Baghdad, a 1939 Technicolor epic (co-directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, and Tim Whelan) that is being shown in a 35 millimeter print, projected on period equipment with no modern concessions—no Surround sound or Dolby, for instance, just old speakers, all behind the screen. The audience is made up of people who have traveled to get here (Michael Powell devotées, Sabu fans, old movie palace fans, Orientalists), alongside a local Jersey City crowd, émigré middle Easterners of all ages in mixed East-West apparel. At least one family member is ready to be entertained by absolutely everything on hand. But not four minutes into the film a Wagner proximity alarm goes off. I hear a musical allusion to The Flying Dutchman [Der f liegende Holländer ], more specifically, to measures 32–64 of the overture. And, despite telling myself that I was off duty, I later noted two leitmotivic repetitions of this music about an hour in.