Jewish Theme Research Articles

Иудейская тема в позднеантичной галльской литературной традиции

The article examines the question of how and why the topic of Jews was raised in the Gallic Christian literature of the VI–VII centuries, what image of Jews in the minds of readers was formed by stories whose heroes were Jews, what forms of relations between Christians and Jewish people were consolidated on the basis of literary examples. The main sources are the works of Gregory of Tours, Venantius Fortunatus, as well as anonymous hagiographic works of the VII century. The article is written within the framework of intellectual and new cultural history, in order to obtain adequate conclusions, the authors analyze the language and textual features of narratives. The article shows that the Jewish theme was not independent in either the historical or hagiographic literature of late Antique Gaul, while addressing it allowed late Antique authors to give the reader an understanding of what place Jews occupy in Christian society, and what are the boundaries of relations with them. In particular, it is shown that the Jews were perceived within the framework of the history of Salvation as "sheep of another fold", a source of tension. The sense of danger emanating from them was reinforced in the minds of readers thanks to the anti-Jewish rhetoric. Jews in the eyes of the reader of late Antiquity should have been associated with unbelief, deception, disobedience; they should have caused physical rejection and disgust, they are associated with darkness, blood, and a stench emanates from them. At the same time, since these "others" within the framework of the history of Salvation should become part of the Lord's fold, late Antique literature actively uses the image of a worthy shepherd who devotes himself to preaching the Gospel to Jews and who, by the power of words or miracles, brings them into the bosom of the Church.

Jewish Text in Howard Fast’s Novel “Torquemada”

The present study aims to identify the specifics of the Jewish text in Howard Fast’s iconic novel Torquemada. The study is based on the semiotic definition of the text. The Jewish theme in the oeuvre of Fast, a writer of Jewish origin, occupies a significant place. The specific construction of the Jewish theme allows one to highlight the boundaries of a certain Jewish text in the author’s work, which was clearly formed during the period of ideological and national quest. The novel Torquemada occupies a special place in the Jewish text of Fast. The Jewish text of the novel Torquemada is represented by a multi-level model. At the anthological level, the Jewish text of the novel can be correlated with the ideological quests of the author, Howard Fast. However, at the same time, it is an allegoric narrative about the fate of the Jews of the 20th century and the tragedy of the Holocaust. The events of the 15th century are the allegory of the events of the 20th century, and the times of the Spanish Inquisition are associated with the tragedy of the Jews of Europe.

The Jewish Theme in Theophanes the Confessor’s Testimony on the Prophet Muḥammad

Theophanes’ account regarding the rise of Islam and the history of the Prophet Muḥammad appears to be the most detailed and precise one that can be found in Byzantine historiography. The Confessor’s aim was to reproduce as many details about Muḥammad’s life as possible. Since his focus was not on religious ideas, but on key events surrounding the rise of the new religion, his account is not predominantly concerned with discussing Islam’s ideology. However, this does not allow us to regard it as in any way objective. Some of the views it contains were included with the clear goal of discrediting Islam as a religion that rivalled Christianity. This, for example, can be said of Theophanes’ remarks about the relationship between Muḥammad and the Jews. In this article, I focus on this aspect of Theophanes’ account, discussing it in the context of the long-running (the last several decades) scholarly debates regarding Jewish-Muslim relations.

ANTISEMITISM IN SOVIET UKRAINE: ORIGINS, CONTENT, CONSEQUENCES. HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of the article is to analyze and systematize the scientific literature on the study of various aspects of Stalin's state policy of anti-Semitism implemented on Ukrainian lands in the Soviet era. Methodology. The study used general scientific and special historical methods of scientific knowledge. This made it possible to study and generalize the historiography of anti-Semitism in the Soviet period of national history. Scientific novelty. For the first time, modern studies of the phenomenon of Soviet anti-Semitism in the Ukrainian territories are systematized on the basis of the thematic principle. The reasons that complicated the process of researching the history of Ukrainian Jews in the Soviet period are analyzed. Conclusions. In modern historiography, the Jewish issue had to fight for its "place under the sun". The activation of researchers' attention to Judaica, the history of Jews and the Holocaust is associated with the 80-90s of the 20th century. Since the process of formation of Ukrainian historiography was just beginning in the 1990s, the Jewish theme did not immediately become its component. In recent years, the largest number of publications that have appeared in Ukraine are devoted to the problems of the Holocaust and Baby Yar, as its personification. Why was the Holocaust possible? Why did the choice of assimilation strategy not become salvation for the Jews? How did anti-Semitic sentiments grow in the conditions of Stalinist authoritarianism and why do they remain viable at the everyday level? Reflections, searches for answers to these and other questions are presented in modern Ukrainian and foreign historiography, some of them remain open, which preserves prospects for further research.

Anti-Semitism in the Propaganda and Public Discourse in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus during the Russia-Ukraine War (February – August 2022) – ACTA

Abstract This paper explores and analises aspects of Antisimetism and the Jewish theme in the Russian, Belarusian and Ukraninan propaganda during the first seven months of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Mark Uralsky, Henrietta Mondry. Dostoevsky and the Jews

The review is concerned with a book that explores F. Dostoevsky’s attitude to the ‘Jewish question.’ The author of the frst eight chapters, M. Uralsky lays out his concept through an extensive corpus of already published material that has ofen remained unnoticed by Russian scholars of Dostoevsky, for example monographs and articles in English, German and Italian. Uralsky’s main objective appears to be to explain Dostoevsky’s paradoxical treatment of Jews. In the book’s fnal three chapters, their author, H. Mondry, interprets the depictions of Jews in The House of the Dead [Zapiski iz myortvogo doma], Crime and Punishment [Prestuplenie i nakazanie] and The Possessed [Besy], and also proposes a new perspective on the ‘Jewish theme’ in A Writer’s Diary [Dnevnik pisatelya]. The reviewer believes that the book will prove useful for humanities scholars who hunger for a comprehensive view of the ‘Jewish theme’ in Russian and European history and wish to learn about the historical and literary context that defned Dostoevsky’s treatment of Jews.

Żydowskie osadnictwo wiejskie w świetle ankiety włościańskiej 1814 roku: postrzeganie Żydów a rzeczywistość społeczno-gospodarcza na początku XIX wieku

Jewish Rural Settlements in the Light of the Peasant Survey of 1814: The Perception of Jews and the Socio-Economic Reality at the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century In 1814 the government launched the Peasant Survey, aimed at collecting local elites’ opinions on the best ways of improving the living conditions of peasants. The 140 responses, almost all of them containing comments on Jews, are a rich source of knowledge about the rural Jews of that period. This paper analyzes the Jewish theme in the survey: the predominant critical perception of Jews and various accusations against them as well as proposed reforms. The comparison with the results of the 1819 census of rural Jews in the Kraków voivodeship, including their occupational structure, demonstrates the gap between the elites’ judgement and the reality.

‘Plainspoken about Jew and Gentile’: Vladimir Nabokov, the legacy of Russian liberalism, and the Jewish question

ABSTRACT Vladimir Nabokov modelled his moral and political values on those of his father, V. D. Nabokov, especially revering his defence of Russian Jewry. This paper attempts to clarify broad-brushstrokes accounts of V. D. Nabokov, demonstrating how his ambivalent approach to the ‘Jewish Question’ evolved as a result of his Russian liberalism. Using contemporary accounts and revisiting primary sources, this challenges the hagiographic legacy built by his son and critics. In turn, this allows for a more refined understanding of Vladimir Nabokov’s literary engagement with the ‘Jewish theme’, his sacred relationship with his father, and the limitations of inherited liberalism.

«КОНДУИТ И ШВАМБРАНИЯ» ЛЬВА КАССИЛЯ: ИСТОРИЯ ТЕКСТА

The article analyzes the structural and textual changes made by Lev Kassil in the reprinting of the story “Conduit and Shvambraniya”. The material for this study is the 1935 and 1937 editions of the story, two editions in 1957, and the last lifetime edition in 1965. An analysis of the published editions shows the formation of the story “The Conduit and Shvambrania” as a single novel, a single narrative and structural whole, which was not yet the case in the 1935 edition. The author reveals the changes made by Lev Kassil in later versions of the story and offers a classification of authorial corrections: 1) deletions of ideological and political nature; 2) deletions and changes caused by attacks of pedagogical critics; 3) corrections and changes of artistic nature. Lev Kassil was forced to respond to the ideological campaigns that were unfolding both on the national scale and in the professional literary environment (the anti-Semitic campaigns of the 1930s and 1940s, the deportation of the Volga Germans in the 1940s, discussions of “pseudo-romanticism and formalism” in criticism, etc.). Another reason for changing the text of the story was the circumstances of the writer’s family biography: the repression of his brother Iosif Kassil, who was the prototype of one of the main characters in the story — Os’ka. Nevertheless, The Conduit and Shvambrania was the only book in Kassil’s work in which a Jewish theme was expressed.

Interpretation of one verse of Byron’s cycle of “Jewish Melodies”

Interpretation of one verse of Byron’s cycle of “Jewish Melodies”

In Memoriam: Kenneth McMillan Newton (1941–2021)

In Memoriam: Kenneth McMillan Newton (1941–2021)

In Memoriam: Kenneth McMillan Newton (1941–2021)

In Memoriam: Kenneth McMillan Newton (1941–2021)

NATURALISM IN THE WORKS OF IVAN FRANKO OF THE LATE PERIOD AS A MEANS OF ENHANCING ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND CONVINCIBILITY OF THE IMAGE

The late period of Ivan Franko's artistic work is characterized by the presence of a number of stories that contain a naturalistic reproduction of Jewish themes. In such stories as «Pure Race», «In the Prison Hospital», «In the Carpentry», «In the Forge (From My Memories)» there are memories of the author about different stages of his life, which clearly distinguishes the Jewish theme revealed by naturalistic means.The story «Pure Race» demonstrates the collision in the life of an old Jew who found himself in a compartment of a train with representatives of other nationalities. The description of events in the compartment is presented with elements of naturalism – the use of factualism and a detailed description of events, the objectivity of the image. The story «In the prison hospital» has the following naturalistic features: the story tells about the stay in the hospital of two or three seriously ill people with a detailed description of the circumstances of their lives with factual accuracy. The story «In the Carpentry» contains a fragment from the life of a Jew, written by the author from his youthful memories and under the influence of a certain historical moment. The story describes the terrible murder of calves by a Jewish boy, with the fixation of all the details that convey all the burden of what was seen in the soul of the hero. The story «In the Forge (From my memories)» contains the author's childhood memories from his stay in the father's forge with the recording of all the small moments of his impressions. In the memoirs there is a naturalistic description with a detailed account of events in life of Boryslav.In the above stories, with the help of naturalistic means, the problems of Jewish life in Galicia are reproduced. Among the naturalistic features of the depiction of Jewish figures there are: factography, detailed description with fixation of all the details as a consequence of scientific accuracy, plausibility, objectivity of reproduction and unity in the depiction of natural and social factors, which together makes the reader their witness.

Этнокультурное пограничье: концептуальный, типологический и ситуативный аспекты (Чужое–Иное–Свое). Статья третья

The final part of the triptych is devoted to the problematics of Ukrainian-Jewish literary border. Unlike two previous parts, where geoplitical and regional aspects prevailed (Galitchina, Kharkov — Donbass), here the “internal” border is focused on, or, according to M. Bakhtin, “the dialogical contact between texts (statements)” which implies the priority role of the synchronic approach. As а semantic and methodological “common denominator” for two approaches, the formula for the dialectical interconnection of categories “Alien,” “Other,” “Own” is used. The research is conducted in three directions: 1) the Jewish theme in Ukrainian literature as the “text;” the accent is put on the specificity of literary solutions; 2) writers-Jews in the liminal literary space of Ukraine, the phenomena of cultural diffusions and interferences; 3) Ukrainian writers of the Jewish origin — sociopsychological version of the ethnocultural border.

Этнокультурное пограничье: концептуальный, типологический и ситуативный аспекты (Чужое–Иное–Свое). Статья третья

The final part of the triptych is devoted to the problematics of Ukrainian-Jewish literary border. Unlike two previous parts, where geoplitical and regional aspects prevailed (Galitchina, Kharkov — Donbass), here the “internal” border is focused on, or, according to M. Bakhtin, “the dialogical contact between texts (statements)” which implies the priority role of the synchronic approach. As а semantic and methodological “common denominator” for two approaches, the formula for the dialectical interconnection of categories “Alien,” “Other,” “Own” is used. The research is conducted in three directions: 1) the Jewish theme in Ukrainian literature as the “text;” the accent is put on the specificity of literary solutions; 2) writers-Jews in the liminal literary space of Ukraine, the phenomena of cultural diffusions and interferences; 3) Ukrainian writers of the Jewish origin — sociopsychological version of the ethnocultural border.

Review

Review

ҐЕНДЕРНІ ВИМІРИ ЄВРЕЙСЬКОЇ ТЕМИ У ПОЕЗІЇ ЛЕСІ УКРАЇНКИ

In the article, Lesia Ukrainka’s poetry based on the Jewish cultural motifs and archetypal plots, mainly of biblical genesis, has been studied. Selected poems are being examined through the lens of imagology and gender theory. The author emphasizes gender nuancing of the Jewish theme developed in the poetry. In the study, the noticeable imagological, and gender aspects are being considered as follows: the legitimation of national identity by gender interactions; a detection of mothers’ competition under the patriarchal pressure; the discourse of a gender communicative abyss; the equalization, and the abolition of gender restrictions in order to create the idea of a person of integrity regardless gender values. In conclusion, it should be noted that the intricate social history of the Hebrew women is being transposed into Ukrainian modernity in Lesia Ukrainka’s poetry.

Spominska retorika v literarni esejistiki Josepha Rotha

Razprava z izhodišč teorije spominske retorike (A. Erll) osvetljuje pripovedne strategije in korelacijo med narativizacijo kolektivnega spomina in literarno reprezentacijo identitet in kulturnih praks vzhodnoevropskega judovstva v Juden auf Wanderschaft (Judje na popotovanju), osrednjem literarnoesejističnem delu z judovsko tematiko avstrijsko-judovskega pisatelja Josepha Rotha (1894–1939). Avtor s povezovanjem izkustvenega in antagonističnega spominskoretoričnega načina, ki nastopata v funkcionalnem sozvočju z monumentalnim, legitimira kulturne prakse vzhodnoevropskega judovstva, umeščene med duhovnim in čutnim. S kritično dekonstrukcijo zahodnoevropskih ideoloških diskurzov istočasno razkriva judovskokulturne samoprevare in v prepletu antagonističnega z refleksivnim načinom senzibilizira bralca za dojemanje »drugega stanja« in konstrukcijskega značaja kulture. Premik spominskoretoričnega težišča s kontrastnega na korespondenčnega modelira človečnost v nadetnični razsežnosti in jo izpostavi kot idejni postulat za odnos do vzhodnega judovstva kot komplementarne tujosti (O. Schäffter). Kljub kulturnim binarnostim kot produktu antagonistične spominske retorike in historičnemu pesimizmu o usodi Judov, ponujajo hibridne identitetne konstrukcije bralcu prepričljive signale za razkrivanje transdiferenc in možnosti idejnega večglasja v medkulturni komunikaciji.

ФІЛОСОФСЬКИ ГЛИБОКА І НАПРУЖЕНА ЖИТТЄВА ПРАВДА Л.Г. ФРІЗМАНА

Книги відомого українського, харківського літературознавця Л.Г. Фрізмана належать світовій культурі та літературі, затребувані в багатьох країнах світу, на багатьох мовах. Мета роботи – показати становлення і розвиток Л.Г. Фрізмана як відомого вченого, дослідника, педагога, літературознавця, який належить не тільки російській, українській, а й світовій культурі. Енциклопедичні знання, найширша ерудиція, велике наукове спілкування сприяли появі блискучих критичних праць Л.Г. Фрізмана. У дослідженнях з історії літератури і літературного побуту минулих епох, що вивчаються в їх нерозривній єдності й неподільності, поступово вимальовувався своєрідна постать Л.Г. Фрізмана – глибокого дослідника і мудрої людини. Головними напрямками наукових інтересів Л.Г. Фрізмана стали історія російської літератури і громадської думки XIX– XX століть, пушкінознавство, що закріпило за ним місце «першого пушкініста України», романтизм, поетика літературних жанрів. Набагато пізніше проявився інтерес Л.Г. Фрізмана до літературознавства в книзі «У колах літературознавців: Мемуарні нариси». Книга Л.Г. Фрізмана «Така доля. Єврейська тема в російській літературі» являє собою еволюцію єврейського питання. Історико-філософський роздум Л.Г. Фрізмана про Н. Коржавіна відображено в останній роботі «Незакінчене означає недомовлене». У роботі ми прийшли висновку, що Л.Г. Фрізман блискуче вникав як в найскладніші наукові тексти, так і в науково-популярні книги. Своєрідність наукової манери Л.Г. Фрізмана і його літературознавчий талант, живе людське тепло одушевляють вимогливу читацьку аудиторію. Його високий професіоналізм літературознавця, його інтелект і самовіддану працю, всупереч перешкодам і бар’єрам життєвих труднощів, збагачують як національну, так і світову наукову скарбницю життєвої правди.

Єврейська тема у творчості Дениса Лукіяновича

The article deals with the early works of Denys Lukiyanovych (1873–1965) on Jewish subjects in the aspect of genre-style specificity and in the context of the history of Ukrainian literature of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The key images and motives of the works, their problems, plot-compositional, linguistic and artistic features, marked by modernity, the tendency to impressionism, combined with a realistic vision of reality, are analyzed. It is proved that D. Lukiyanovych's early prose is characterized by colourful artistic time, multifaceted compositional construction, variety of plot elements (artistic precursions, decorations, etc.), layers of one event to another, and a vivid impressionistic manner. Nevertheless, the writer was able to create a true picture of life with clear realistic features, saturated with elements of naturalism, but not devoid of deep psychological content. Humanism and internationalism, author’s sincere compassion for the ordinary man are manifested in D. Lukiyanovych's literary works. In his early prose some important antipodes emerge, i.e. the «little man» and the «social order», which perhaps most succinctly convey the acute social conflict. Particular attention was also paid to Lukiyanovych's «Jewish people», who exemplify the assertion of high moral qualities that do not depend on nationality, because these traits are inherent by nature. It is the inner, mental reflections that prevail in such authorial images, though there is no complete blurring of the boundaries of the rational and irrational world. Such an interpretation by D. Lukiyanovych of the Jewish theme was a contrast almost to everything written in our literature about Jews before. The original focus is on some human issues: the injustice of power in the treatment of the ordinary man, bureaucracy of the state machine, the class division in a society, often the imbalance of urban lifestyles, which has its own rules, the possibility of discrepancy between the appearance of the individual and his inner consciousness, kindness among people, inability of the followers to enjoy their social rights and freedoms. It is noteworthy that D. Lukiyanovych doesn’t put the problem of the disadvantage of the Jewish people as such at the center of his works, but nevertheless the author focuses more on the «individual» misfortune of each particular person.