Men of Silk: The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish SocietyHasidism, a kabbalah-inspired movement founded by Israel Ba'al Shem Tov (c1700-1760), transformed Jewish communities across Eastern and East Central Europe. In Men of Silk, Glenn Dynner draws upon newly discovered Polish archival material and neglected Hebrew testimonies to illuminate Hasidism's dramatic ascendancy in the region of Central Poland during the early nineteenth century. Dynner presents Hasidism as a socioreligious phenomenon that was shaped in crucial ways by its Polish context. His social historical analysis dispels prevailing romantic notions about Hasidism. Despite their folksy image, the movement's charismatic leaders are revealed as astute populists who proved remarkably adept at securing elite patronage, neutralizing powerful opponents, and methodically co-opting Jewish institutions. The book also reveals the full spectrum of Hasidic devotees, from humble shtetl dwellers to influential Warsaw entrepreneurs. |
Contents
Hasidism in Central Poland1830 25 | |
Anatomy of a Hasidic Conquest | |
Warsaw and the Patrons of Polish Hasidism | |
The Social Composition of Hasidic Leadership | |
Charlatans or Lovers of Israel? Evaluating Hasidic Populism | |
Marketing Hasidism | |
Examples through 1815 | |
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Men of Silk:The Hasidic Conquest of Polish Jewish Society: The Hasidic ... Glenn Dynner No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
Abraham Joshua Heschel According AGAD antiHasidic Aryeh ba’al shem ba’alei Barukh Bein Pshyskha Berdyczów Berek Besht bet midrash blessed memory Bratslav Central Poland century Congress Kingdom daughter David Assaf disciples Elimelekh of Leżajsk elite Ephraim Etkes father HaHasidut Hasidic Hasidic books Hasidim Hasidim uMitnaggdim Hasidism’s Haskalah haskamot Hayyim Hebrew Horowitz Hundert Isaac of Berdyczów Israel Jacob Isaac Jerusalem Jewish Enlightenment Jews Joseph Kabbalistic kahal Korzec Kozienice Leib Lemberg Levi Isaac Leżajsk Maggid Maggid of Kozienice Mahler Margaliot married Maskil Maskilim Meir Menahem Mendel midrash Międzyrzecz Mitnaggdim Mordecai Moses Moshe mystical Nahman of Bratslav nonJewish Opatów Ostróg Poland Polish Hasidism Polish zaddikim Połonne prayer house printed Przysucha rabbi Rabinowicz RapoportAlbert Rosman Schiper Seer of Lublin Seer’s Sefer Shem Tov Shivhei haBesht Sieniawa Simha Bunem social spiritual synagogue Szmul Temerel Toldot Torah town Warsaw Wilensky Wodziński Yiddish yihus Yizhak zaddik Zalman Ze’ev Żelechów złoties Żółkiew Zvi Hirsch Żydzi