History 29 – Jewish History (Section 2408) Course Syllabus

T/Th 12:45-2:05 pm – HSS #154 Spring 2015

An Orthodox Jew praying at the Western Wall, the philosopher Maimonides, a German Jewish family circa 1941 Instructor: Professor Kris Pangburn Email: PANGBURN_KRIS@smc.edu Office Hours: T/Th 12:00-12:30 pm, HSS #310 This course provides an introduction to the remarkable – and often tragic – history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present. The course moves chronologically, starting with an examination of the ancient Israelites and their relations with the Greeks and Romans. From there, we will embark on a rapid tour of Jewish life in both the Muslim and Christian worlds from the medieval through the modern eras.

Special attention will be paid to the following themes:

– the origin and evolution of Jewish religious beliefs and practices – the expansion of the Jewish Diaspora throughout history – the rise of modern anti-Semitism and its culmination in the Holocaust – the Zionist Movement and the establishment of the state of Israel – the question of what it has meant to be “Jewish” throughout history

Required Books

The following four books, which are required for this course, are available for purchase at Santa Monica College Bookstore. If you buy your books on-line, be careful to order the editions below:

Efron, et al., The Jews: A History (Pearson, 2008) 9780131786875 Gold, The Life of the Jews in Poland before the Holocaust (U of Nebraska, 2013) 9780803271753 Metzker, A Bintel Brief (Schocken, 1990) 9780805209808 Wiesel, Night (Hill and Wang, 1958) 9780374500016 Course Requirements and Grading

Attendance/Participation (incl. short essays and quiz) 15% Primary source paper #1 (4 pages) 15% Primary source paper #2 (4 pages) 20% Mid-term essay exam (April 2) 20% Final essay exam (June 9) 30%

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Course Objectives (Student Learning Outcomes)

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe and discuss, orally and/or in writing, the origins of Jews from biblical times to the present, including ancient Israel in its geopolitical environment; the Second Temple Period, emergence of Christianity and its subsequent interaction with Jews, including the various diasporas; intellectual and cultural developments within Judaism; origins and development of the Talmuds; Jews in Muslim lands; Jewish experience of Modernity, including nationalism, secularism, socialism, modern anti-Semitism, and the modern State of Israel. 2. Demonstrate factual and chronologically accurate knowledge of key events, issues, trends, and people of the relevant time period and region, as designated in the Course Outline of Record. 3. Compare and contrast major events, trends, themes, people, etc. related to the above topics and discuss their historical significance. 4. Demonstrate the ability to interpret historical information by applying analytical skills used by historians (such as synthesizing evidence from primary and secondary sources, comparing and contrasting multiple perspectives, contextualizing information, and/or identifying causes and effects of change and continuity), as designated in the Course Outline of Record. 5. Critically examine historical material, including primary sources, attentive to such concepts as historical agency, context, perspective, and multi-causation. 6. Appraise the value of historical knowledge for understanding more recent and/or comparable issues, events, and trends. 7. Demonstrate understanding of history as a discipline characterized by the application of critical analysis to factual evidence. 8. Draw connections between different time periods and regions in Jewish history, and discuss the value of historical study for understanding change/continuity over time. Attendance and Classroom Conduct

It is crucial that you do not miss any classes, because lecture material will appear on exams. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting notes from a classmate, and for asking me about any handouts that I may have distributed. Students who are repeatedly absent will be dropped.

PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES IN CLASS. Be on time each day, and do not leave the room except during our scheduled breaks, unless it’s an emergency. Note that reading assignments are due on the day they are assigned (see the lecture and reading schedule below). You should come to class prepared to discuss the day’s assignment. Honor Code and Exam Guidelines

The SMC Honor Code and Code of Academic Integrity remind students of their responsibility to behave honestly and ethically (http://www2.smc.edu/catalog/2014_2015/default.htm). You should take a moment to familiarize yourself with these codes, particularly with regard to plagiarism on written assignments. A first offense of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and an Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed with the Campus Disciplinarian.

During an exam, it is forbidden to talk to another student, consult notes without the instructor’s permission, use your phone, or look at another student’s paper. In addition, be sure to arrive on time, since you will not be permitted to take the test if other students have completed it and left the room before you arrive. Make-up exams and early exams will not be given, so you should inform the instructor as soon as possible if you have a scheduling conflict.

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Withdrawal Policy

You may withdraw from this course without penalty at any time prior to Sunday, May 17. After that date, students who drop may not be able to receive a “W” on their transcripts. For more information, please see http://www2.smc.edu/catalog/2014_2015/default.htm. Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability and require accommodations for this course, please speak with me privately as soon as possible. If you have not already done so, you will need to register with the college’s Center for Students with Disabilities. The Center is located in Room 101 of the Admissions and Student Services Complex, located on the north side of Main Campus (near Admissions). To make an appointment, call (310) 434-4265 or (310) 434-4273. ________________________________________________________________________________ Lecture and Reading Schedule

All texts on the syllabus that are marked with an asterisk (*) can be found at the E-Companion website. To access this site, go to the college homepage and click the link for Corsair Connect, which is on the top left of the screen. Enter your Student ID Number and Password. Once you have logged in, click on the E-Companion link and select this course (History 29). The documents are grouped under their respective lecture headings on the left side of the screen. You are required to PRINT these documents, organize them in a binder, and bring them with you to class.

Tues, 2/17: Introduction Thurs, 2/19: Between History and Myth: The Beginnings of Jewish Civilization

Efron, Ch. 1 * Fisher, Living Religions (First Excerpt) * Novak, The World’s Wisdom (First Excerpt)

Tues, 2/24: A Jewish Kingdom Rises and Falls: The First Temple Period

Efron, Ch. 2 * Fisher, Living Religions (Second Excerpt) * Novak, The World’s Wisdom (Second Excerpt)

Thurs, 2/26: Out of Exile: Judaism Confronts Greek Culture

Efron, begin Ch. 3 (read to p. 62 to end of “Hellenization and Its Discontents in Palestine”) * Fisher, Living Religions (Third Excerpt)

Tues, 3/3: A Community Divided: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes – QUIZ

Efron, finish Ch. 3 * Fisher, Living Religions (Fourth Excerpt) * Encyclopedia articles, “Essenes,” “Dead Sea Scrolls,” “Pharisees,” and “Sadducees” * Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (First Excerpt)

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Thurs, 3/5: Roman Oppression and Jewish Revolt – SHORT ESSAY DUE

Efron, begin Ch. 4 (read to p. 82 to the end of “Resistance and Its Aftermath”) * Josephus, excerpts from The Wars of the Jews (75 CE)

Tues, 3/10: Birth of a Jewish Sect: The Rise of Christianity

Efron, finish Ch. 4 * Fisher, Living Religions (Fifth Excerpt) * Encyclopedia articles, “Messiah” and “Christianity” * Novak, The World’s Wisdom (Third Excerpt)

Thurs, 3/12: The Development of Rabbinic Judaism

Efron, Ch. 5 * Fisher, Living Religions (Sixth Excerpt) * Encyclopedia articles, “Mishnah” and “Talmud” * Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Second Excerpt)

Tues, 3/17: Jews in the Medieval Islamic World – PRIMARY SOURCE PAPER #1

Efron, begin Ch. 6 (read to p. 127 to the end of “The Community of the Cairo Genizah”) * Encyclopedia article, “Islam”

* Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Third Excerpt) Thurs, 3/19: NO CLASS – COLLEGE ADMINISTRATIVE DAY Tues, 3/24: Maimonides and the Golden Age in Spain

Efron, finish Ch. 6 * Encyclopedia articles, “Sephardim” and “Maimonides”

* Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Fourth Excerpt) Thurs, 3/26: A Precarious Existence: Jews in Christian Europe Before 1096

Efron, Ch. 7 * Encyclopedia article, “Ashkenazim”

* Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Fifth Excerpt)

Tues, 3/31: Late Medieval Persecution

* Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Sixth Excerpt)

Thurs, 4/2: MID-TERM EXAM

Tues, 4/7: Flight from Spain: Sephardic Jews in the Ottoman Empire

Efron, Ch. 8

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Thurs, 4/9: Flight from Germany: Ashkenazi Communities in Eastern Europe

Efron, begin Ch. 9 (read to p. 213 to the end of “Early Modern Ashkenazi Culture”) * Encyclopedia article, “Shtetl”

Tues, 4/14: NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK Thurs, 4/16: NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK

Tues, 4/21: Islands of European Tolerance: The Port Cities

Efron, finish Ch. 9 * Excerpts from The Memoirs of Glückel of Hameln (1691) Thurs, 4/23: The Emergence of Hasidism

Efron, begin Ch. 11 (read to p. 269 to the end of “Israel Salanter and the Muser Movement”) * Encyclopedia article, “Hasidism” Tues, 4/28: Memories of Jewish Life in Poland – SHORT ESSAY DUE

Gold, The Life of Jews in Poland before the Holocaust (2007), pp. ix-70, 103-116 Thurs, 4/30: The Era of Jewish Emancipation

Efron, Ch. 10 * Encyclopedia articles, “Emancipation” and “Haskalah” * Mendes-Flohr, The Jew in the Modern World (First Excerpt)

Tues, 5/5: New Directions in Jewish Thought

Efron, Ch. 11, pp. 269-85 (to the end of “Rise of Modern Jewish Historiography”) * Encyclopedia articles, “Spinoza” and “Mendelssohn”

* Mendes-Flohr, The Jew in the Modern World (Second Excerpt) Thurs, 5/7: Reform Judaism and the Orthodox Response

Efron, finish Ch. 11 * Encyclopedia articles, “Reform Judaism” and “Orthodoxy”

Tues, 5/12: Modern Anti-Semitism and the Birth of Zionism

Efron, begin Ch. 12 (read to p. 326 to the end of “Philanthropy and Acculturation”) * Encyclopedia article, “Herzl” * Hallo, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (Seventh Excerpt)

Thurs, 5/14: The Great Wave of Jewish Immigration to North America

Efron, finish Ch. 12 Begin Metzker, A Bintel Brief , intro; pp. 1-145

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Tues, 5/19: Life on the Lower East Side

Finish Metzker, A Bintel Brief , intro; pp. 1-145 Thurs, 5/21: Nazi Policy Towards the Jews – SHORT ESSAY DUE

Efron, begin Ch. 14 (read to p. 386 to the end of “The Economics of Persecution”) * Hitler, excerpts from Mein Kampf (1925)

* New York Times article, “Bands Rove Cities” (Nov. 11, 1938) Tues, 5/26: The Holocaust

Efron, finish Ch. 14 Begin Wiesel, Night (1958)

Thurs, 5/28: Remembering the Death Camps: Wiesel’s Night

Finish Wiesel, Night (1958) Tues, 6/2: The Embattled State of Israel

Efron, Ch. 13 (read p. 357 to end); Ch. 15 * Fisher, Living Religions (Seventh Excerpt) Thurs, 6/4: REVIEW SESSION – PRIMARY SOURCE PAPER #2

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* FINAL EXAM = Tuesday, June 9, 12:00 – 3:00 PM *

Don’t forge t to mark your ca lendars !