Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

Volume 12: Continuity and Change in the Jewish Communities of the Early Eighteenth Century, Ohio State University, Columbus, August 17-19, 2015

The 2015 Early Modern Workshop on “Continuity and Change in the Jewish Communities in the Early Eighteenth Century” was held at Ohio State University.

Between the late seventeenth century and the middle of the eighteenth century, much of European Jewry (and elements within Ottoman Jewry as well) appear to have shifted from a generally traditional and religious way of life to a way of life that embraced non-traditional and/or non-halakhic practices and fashions. There were no great intellectual or political upheavals within the Jewish community during this period. It was the era of the early Enlightenment and a moment of great religious and political shift in Western Europe, yet few Jews were great stakeholders in the intellectual or religious upheavals of the day. Nevertheless, the religious commitments and cultural mores of the Jewish community apparently went through profound changes in this short period. By the middle of the eighteenth century many Western European Jews conducted themselves in the manner of their Christian neighbors. Eastern European saw the beginnings of the Hasidic movement with its innovative and often counter-cultural practices. A significant number of Polish Jews became Frankists. Ottoman Jews showed the impact of Enlightenment influences and sometimes acculturated in their linguistic, economic, cultural and political habits.

Some scholars suggest a widespread model of change in this period according to which Jewish communities or movements sought to preserve the forms and terminology of tradition while introducing significant—even radical—innovations. This appears to be the case among the earliest Hasidim as well as some circles of kabbalists and Sabbateans. This mechanism for quietly oiling the engines of change promises to be a particularly rich area for investigation.