Jews and the Sporting Life: Studies in Contemporary Jewry XXIII

by Ezra Mendelsohn

Overview

Volume XXIII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the role of sports in modern Jewish history. The centrality of sports in modern life—in popular and even in high culture, in economic life, in the media, in international and national politics, and in forging ethnic identities—can hardly be exaggerated, but in the field of Jewish studies this subject has been somewhat neglected, at least until recently. Students of American Jewish history, for example, often emphasize the role of sports in the Americanization of the immigrants, while students of Jewish nationalism pay closer attention to its appeal for the regeneration of the Jewish nation, as well as the creation of a new, healthy, Jewish body.

The essays brought together in Jews and the Sporting Life expand the body of knowledge about the place sports occupied, and continue to occupy, in Jewish life. They examine the connection between sports and Jewish nationalism, particularly Zionism, and how organized Jewish sports have been an agent of nation-building. They consider the role of Jews as owners of sports teams, as amateur and professional athletes, and as fans and bettors. Other themes include sports and Jewish literature, and boxing as a sport that enabled Jewish men to prove their masculinity in a world that often stereotyped them as weak and "feminine." This volume concentrates on twentieth century developments in Israel, Europe, and the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195382914
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/31/2009
Series:	Studies in Contemporary Jewry
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 3.10(d)

About the Author

The Studies in Contemporary Jewry series is edited by Jonathan Frankel, Eli Lederhendler, Peter Y. Medding, and Ezra Mendelsohn, who teach Jewish history, society, and politics at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Ezra Mendelsohn, the editor of Volume XXIII, is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University. He is author of On Modern Jewish Politics, among other titles.

Table of Contents

Symposium: Jews and the Sporting LifeThoughts on the Jewish Body, Baseball, and the Problem of Integration, Sander L. Gilman (Emory University)Jews and Sports in Poland before the Second World War, Diethelm Blecking (Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat)"Boxing for Everyone": Jewish DPs, Sports, and Boxing, Gabriel N. Finder (University of Virginia)The Jewish Bookmaker: Gambling, Legitimacy, and the American Political Economy, Michael Alexander (University of California, Riverside)Pride and Priorities: American Jewry's Response to Hakoah Vienna's U.S. Tour of 1926, Jeffrey S. Gurock, (Yeshiva University)From Participant to Owner: The Role of Jews in Contemporary American Sports, Edward S. Shapiro (Seton Hall University)Sports in the Young State of Israel, Anat Helman (The Hebrew University)Why Did Beit Shean Let Betar Win?: Latent Ethnic Solidarity and the Sports Ethic in Israel, Tamir Sorek, (University of Florida)Dream and Disenchantment: Massimo Della Pergola and the Invention of the Italian Totocalcio, Sergio DellaPergola (The Hebrew University)EssaysReflections from "Hutz La'aretz": Responses of Reform Rabbis to Israeli Statehood, Matthew Silver (Max Stern College of Emek Yezreel)1953/1954: A Year in Yiddish Literature, Jan Schwarz (University of Chicago)Review EssaysDenigrating Israel, Israeli Style, Aharon KliemanPolish Antisemitism: A National Psychosis?, Daniel BlatmanBook Reviews

Editorial Reviews

"[Studies in Contemporary Jewry] has quickly established itself as one of the most important yearly publications in the world of Jewish scholarship."—American Jewish Archives

"A welcome addition to the literature on contemporary Jewry. The series serves the needs of the intelligent layman as well as the scholar and The Hebrew University's Institute of Contemporary Jewry, which sponsors the project, can be proud of its achievement."—The Jerusalem Post

From the Publisher