A survey of some recent works on Jewish women, analyzing them in terms of historiographic approaches. Focus on women as historical actors, how acknowledging women's experiences might change traditional periodizations of Jewish history, and how historians have used methods from other disciplines to uncover the role of women. Comparison of works on the roles of women in Jewish history to works on women in other specific subject areas. Since 1945 A chronological view of the last fifty years of Jewish history. The Jewish experience in the U.S., Israel, and Europe from a political, social, and cultural perspective.
Term paper involves primary source research into a topic in recent Jewish history.
The esoteric dimension of Jewish thought and practice known as Kabbalah'. The rich symbolic language of kabbalistic consciousness, the mystical longings at the heart of Jewish spiritual devotion,and the esoteric elements of Jewish ritual and ethical practices. The historical development of the Kabbalah. Focus on the spiritual experience that is at the core of kabbalistic teachings. Includes group discussion of classical mystical texts, in English translation, that teach kabbalistic psychology, theology, and praxis.