Explores the relationship between Zionism as the political movement that established the State of Israel and Zionism as an aesthetic and cultural revolution that sought to reinvent the modern Jew. What were the roles of literary and visual culture in the construction of Israel's founding myths and interpretations of its present realities? Focuses on efforts to negotiate the relationship between sacred and secular space; exile and homeland; the revival of Hebrew as a living language; Jews and Arabs; and Israel's founding ideals as a democratic and Jewish state. Includes consideration of prose, poetry, graphic novel, art, and film. Intended for students interested in Middle East Studies, Comparative Literature, and/or the relationship between literature and politics. Enrollment limited to 16 first-year students. WI {L/H} 4 credits
Justin Cammy T Th 9:00-10:20

A year-long introduction to modern Hebrew, with a focus on equal development of the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Study of Israeli song, film and short texts amplifies acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. By the end of the year, students will be able to comprehend short and adapted literary and journalistic texts, describe themselves and their environment, express their thoughts and opinions, and participate in classroom discussions. No previous knowledge of Hebrew language is necessary. Enrollment limited to 18. {F} 10 credits Completion of this course (or its equivalent) is REQUIRED by Smith College for any student planning to study abroad in Israel.
Itsik Pariente
Full-year course M W F 9:00-10:20

Continuation of JUD 100y. Emphasizes skills necessary for proficiency in reading, writing and conversational Hebrew. Transitions from simple Hebrew to more colloquial and literary forms of language. Elaborates and presents new grammatical concepts and vocabulary, through texts about Israeli popular culture and everyday life, newspapers, films, music and readings from Hebrew short stories and poetry. Prerequisite: one year of college Hebrew or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 18. Offered at Smith in alternate years. In Fall 2011 Intermediate Modern Hebrew is offered at Smith College. {F} 4 credits.
Itsik Pariente M W F 11:00-12:10

The history of the Final Solution, from the role of European anti-Semitism and the origins of Nazi ideology to the implementation of a systematic program to annihilate European Jewry. How did Hitler establish a genocidal regime in a seat of European culture? How did Jews physically, culturally, and theologically respond to this persecution? {H} 4 credits
Justin Cammy (Jewish Studies) and Ernest Benz (History)
T Th 10:30-11:50

The Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh/Old Testament).  A survey of the Hebrew Bible and its historical and cultural context.  Critical reading and discussion of its narrative and legal components as well as an introduction to the prophetic corpus and selections from the wisdom literature.  {H/L}  4 credits

Joel Kaminsky

The rise of Jewish philosophy and mysticism (Kabbalah) in the Islamic world and in medieval Spain, and the development of these theological and intellectual trends as decisive influences upon all subsequent forms of Judaism.  Analysis of Jewish philosophy and mysticism as complementary yet often competing spiritual paths.  How did Jewish philosophers and mystics consider the roles of reason, emotion and symbols in religious faith and practice?  What interrelations did they see between the natural and divine realms, and between religious, philosophical and scientific explanations? Expressions of philosophy and mysticism in religious texts, individual piety, popular practice, and communal politics.  Readings drawn from the works of the great philosopher Maimonides, the mystical classic the Zohar, and other thinkers, as well as personal documents of religious experience and thought.  All readings in English. {H}  4 credits

Lois Dubin

An introduction to Yiddish language in its cultural context. Fundamentals of grammar and vocabulary designed to facilitate reading and independent work with Yiddish texts. The course is divided into three parts: intensive language study every morning; a colloquium on aspects of Yiddish cultural history; and an afternoon service internship with the collection of the National Yiddish Book Center, the largest depository of Yiddish books in the world. Smith enrollment limited to 9; admission by permission of the instructor. Taught on site at the National Yiddish Book Center. In order to receive foreign language Latin Honors credit, students must complete an additional semester of Yiddish through Special Studies, within the Five Colleges, or through approved coursework elsewhere. {H/F} 4 credits
Course Coodinators: Justin Cammy (Smith College), Rachel Rubinstein (Hampshire College), and staff of the National Yiddish Book Center.
M T W R F 9:30 am-4:00 pm

Application for JUD 110j - Yiddish (January 2012)

Admission to JUD 110j Elementary Yiddish is by permission of instructor only.

Students will not be able to register for the class via Bannerweb without prior permission and a signed admission form. All students interested in joining the class must submit the following application to Professor Justin Cammy via email to jcammy@smith.edu. Applications are due November 15. Late applications will be considered on a space available basis only. The course is limited to 9 Smith students on a competitive basis.

JUD 110j is an intensive language and culture course. Students meet daily throughout interterm from roughly 10am to 4 pm. The course begins on Monday January 3 and ends on Friday January 20. There will be no class on Martin Luther King day.

Mornings are dedicated to intensive language study. Afternoons are divided between an academic colloquium and a service internship at the Book Center.

The class is held at the National Yiddish Book Center on the campus of Hampshire College. Students from Smith may take PVTA buses back and forth to Hampshire. If your schedule does not permit you to attend class daily from 10am-4pm please do not apply for admission. We are only able to accept students who are prepared to attend the full program.

There are no prerequisites for the course. No prior knowledge of Yiddish, Hebrew, and/or Jewish Studies is necessary.

The course is worth 4 credits. It does NOT count towards the language requirement of Latin Honors. Latin Honors requires two semesters of language study, and JUD 110j is only worth a single semester of language study. Students seeking Yiddish language credit to qualify for Latin Honors distribution will need to complete an additional semester of Yiddish language through special studies or summer study abroad.

In a separate email, please provide the following information:

Name

Class Year

Major (if applicable)

Minor (if applicable)

Do you know any languages other than English? If yes, which one(s) and what level have you achieved in the language(s)?

Why are you interested in admission to JUD 110j?

How would admission to JUD 110j complement your scholarly progress to date?

List any relevant courses, if applicable.

Continued from fall semester. Completion of this course (or its equivalent) is REQUIRED by Smith College for any student planning to study abroad in Israel.
Itsik Pariente
M W F 9:00-10:20

An introduction to Jewish civilization from a variety of perspectives (religion, history, politics, philosophy, literature, and culture). Consideration of core ideas, texts, and practices that have animated Jews and Judaism from antiquity to the present, with attention both to classical and modern formulations. Focuses on dynamics of cultural transmission and re-invention among Jewish communities in diverse settings. {H/L} 4 credits
Joel Kaminsky

Explores relationships between language and identity, the homeless imagination and imagined homecomings, modernist experimentation and the crisis of the modern, the particularity of national experience and the universality of the Jew. Readings from modern masters of the novel and short story, including folktales by Hasidic mystics (Hebrew and Yiddish); Kafka's narratives of alienation (German); Isaac Babel's modernist stories of Revolution (Russian); Bashevis Singer's demons and sexual transgressors (Yiddish); and the magic realism of Bruno Schulz (Polish) and Nobel laureate S.Y. Agnon (Hebrew). Can we really speak of a modern Jewish canon, given that it lacks the central markers that have distinguished other national literatures? All readings in translation; open to students at all levels. {L} 4 credits
Justin Cammy

A historical survey of the Yiddish cinema from its origins in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to the creation of a major non-English language film industry in the United States during the 1930s. Topics include cinematic adaptations of Yiddish fiction and drama; performance of folklore and tradition; film as a medium for social criticism and radical politics; the immigrant experience; Hollywood's post-war portrayals of lost Yiddish worlds (Fiddler on the Roof; Yentl; Crossing Delancey); and recent attempts to resuscitate the tradition of Yiddish on film (Eleanor Antin's experimental art film The Man Without a World; the Coen brother's introduction to A Serious Man; Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish). How has Yiddish film figured as part of a broader effort to imagine secular Jewish culture? {A/L} 4 credits
Justin Cammy

A survey of the institution of prophecy and the individuals who functioned as prophets in the Hebrew Bible.  Emphasis on the following issues:   What types of people became prophets?  What did prophets speak about?  What role did prophets play in society?  Did prophets deliver different or even conflicting messages?  Can one tell a true from a false prophet?  {H/L}  4 credits

Joel Kaminsky

A thematic survey of Jewish history and thought from the 16th century to the present, examining Jews as a minority in modern Europe and in global diaspora.  We will examine changing dynamics of integration and exclusion of Jews in various societies as well as diverse forms of Jewish religion, culture, and identity among Sefardic, Ashkenazic, and Mizrahi Jews.  Readings include major philosophic, mystical, and political works in addition to primary sources on the lives of Jewish women and men, families and communities, and messianic and popular movements.  We will pay attention throughout to tensions between assimilation and cohesion; tradition and renewal; and history and memory.  {H} 4 credits

Lois Dubin

This course will study 20th-century poetry, short stories, essays, and novels by Jewish writers of Spanish America.  Beginning with early immigrant writers, we will explore how recent authors portray issues of identity and belonging.  Special attention will be given to the social context of works and to literary movements as ideological constructs.  Prerequisites:  SPN 220.  Enrollment limited to 19.  {L/F}  4 credits

Silvia Berger