Jewish Sites Research Articles

Pilgrimage Holy Sites: A Classification of Jewish Holy Sites in Israel

This paper deals with Jewish pilgrimage sites in Israel. The research analyzes the characteristics of Jewish holy sites in present-day Israel, in terms of the fundamental concepts introduced into the study of pilgrimage by Turner (1969; 1973), Turner and Turner (1978), and Cohen (1992). The paper concentrates on a critique of the Turners' concept of the location of the pilgrimage centers, following which the connection between pilgrimage and tourism emerges. The method used includes observation of different Jewish holy sites in Israel and interviewing pilgrims to these sites. The study develops a continuum along which characteristic features of the sites can be rated. The dimensions of the continuum are described in terms of formality versus popularity, peripherality versus centrality, and tourism versus pilgrimage. The continuum links increased formality in ritual with central sites and decreased formality with peripheral sites, which also have elements of tourism, folklore, and secularism. The study of Jewish holy sites indicates significant disparities with the location of pilgrimage centers that were claimed by the Turners to be typically marginal and peripheral to sociopolitical centers.

Jewish site seeing

Jewish site seeing

Judaica Resources on the Internet, for Adults and Children

Introduces the reader to the history of the Internet and the requirements for accessing it. The three major capabilities of the Internet-electronic mail, telnet, and file transfer protocol are discussed. Examples of how Jewish Internet resources may be used in the educational arena are included. The article concludes with a list of Jewish Internet sites.

The Integration of North African Jews in France

The uprooting of the North African Jews and their massive departure for Israel and France constitute, beyond any doubt, one of the most dramatic episodes in the decolonization of the southern Mediterranean countries. The Jews of this region had strong links to the former colonial regimes and deep sympathies for the State of Israel. This led them to assume, rightly or wrongly, that they had much to lose in the new political and social order that in the 1950s began replacing the one installed by the French. Their departure put an end to more than two thousand years of Jewish life in the Maghreb, of which they were among the earliest inhabitants, having settled there, like the Berbers, long before the Arabs. The National Liberation Front of Algeria had issued various appeals inviting Jews to support the Algerian revolution. You are an integral part of the Algerian people, declared a 1960 communique addressed to them by the provisional government of Algeria. 1 For you, it is not a question of choosing between France and Algeria, but of becoming true citizens of your country. Like their coreligionists in Tunisia and Morocco, few Jews in Algeria heeded such calls. There had been some Jewish militants in the Algerian national movement, but their numbers decreased significantly in the last years of the war of independence, when terrorists targeted synagogues and other Jewish sites. In fact, these attacks caused some Jews to side with extremists such as the OAS (Organisation Armee Secrete [Secret Armed Organization]), which did not eschew violent means in the

Past and Future Values: The Architectural Legacy of Metropolitan Religion

In spite of the increasing secularisation of the world around them, religious buildings in Britain are difficult to ignore. Often the most architecturally important buildings in their communities, concern for the use and development of churches and chapels is by no means confined to regular worshippers. In rural areas, declining populations and reduced congregations have led to radical reorganisations of parochial ministry which have been characterised less by closure of churches than by the creation of multiple benefices: here as many as four or five parishes, each of which once had their own priest, may be served by a single incumbent. In the urban context the problems have been rather different. The large number of church buildings is less easy to justify geographically and attempts at urban rationalisation have involved closure, change of use, and demolition more often than in the countryside. In both contexts these developments have provoked fierce local debate, so that those who find themselves at the sharp end of such controversies are often surprised by how hard people will fight for the right to have a church to stay away from! The tendency over the last decade to regard 'heritage' as a packaged commodity in which there is no room for future development, coupled with a growing dissatisfaction with the modernist architectural styles of the post-war years, has considerably added to the burden of those responsible for buildings which are too large or costly for present needs but which are also too architecturally important, or have too many 'historical associations' to be consigned to the bulldozer. Deliberations about the future use of some of London's most important churches are now under way, and two recent publications reveal that concern about the architectural legacy of religious observance in the capital is by no means confined to the established church nor, indeed, to Christian denominations. Jewish monuments have not sofar figured prominently in general debates on conservation, and 'saving' campaigns directed at specific Jewish buildings have been rare. For most non-Jews, knowledge of the types of buildings and artefacts which constitute the 'Jewish heritage' is very limited, and within the Jewish community itself appreciation of the artistic value and historical significance of buildings, furnishing and records has not been widespread. In the last two or three years, however, attempts have been made to increase awareness of the riches which survive, and to encourage a systematic policy of recording and (when appropriate) preservation. In July 1990 a conference on the theme 'Preserving the Jewish heritage' was held at Southampton University, and was the first nationwide attempt to co-ordinate action on Jewish heritage conservation in Britain. Later the same year a symposium organised in New York by the Jewish Heritage Council of the World Monuments Fund addressed similar themes from an international perspective. Both events were influential in deciding the shape and content of a conference devoted to Jewish monuments in the British Isles organised by Dr Sharman Kadish in association with the Centre for Metropolitan History and held at the Yakar educational foundation in Hendon in October 1991. About 100 Jewish and non-Jewish delegates heard sixteen wide-ranging papers dealing with the history, preservation and future use of Jewish sites and buildings. Abstracts of the papers have now been made available, and provide a useful introduction to a subject which does not usually figure prominently in discussions on the preservation and destruction of historic monuments in London and other urban centres. 1 The papers fall into three groups, considering in turn London, the regions and 'Jewish heritage conservation and the wider community'. They are introduced by a summary of Dr Kadish's opening address which outlines some of the problems facing campaigners for Jewish monuments and recom-

Squandered heritage: Jewish buildings in Britain

In the winter of 1987–88 the United Synagogue sold the magnificent East London synagogue in Stepney Green (1877) to property developers, without consultation nor apparent concern for its fate. This sale drew attention to an issue long neglected by the leaders of Anglo‐Jewry: the conservation of the Jewish architectural heritage in the British Isles. Immediate steps must be taken to arrest the disappearance of historic Jewish landmarks: synagogues, cemeteries and secular buildings. This article recommends co‐operation between the Jewish community and the general conservation agencies (especially English Heritage) in the systematic documentation of Jewish sites, in order to establish priorities for preservation and to draw up guidelines for the listing of Jewish buildings. It calls for Anglo‐Jewry to put conservation on the communal agenda and for the education of the Jewish public to appreciate the importance of our architectural heritage.