Ofakim: The Study of Judaism as Culture, at Tel Aviv University

Ofakim selects the top students who apply to Tel Aviv University in the humanities and social sciences. The students study for their bachelors degree in two departments: Jewish Thought (the main topic) and choose one other Jewish topic (Bible Studies, Jewish History, Hebrew Literature). From their second year, the students start their preparation as teachers in the School of Education at TAU and in three years, they complete their first academic degree and teaching certificate.

In addition, the Ofakim students study in a special program designed for them, of 24 academic hours that include special topics of Judaism as Culture (the history of secular Judaism, the Jewish year and life cycle, the culture of Modern Israel, the Hebrew language and its contribution to Jewish culture, and an integrative seminar for advanced students).

Extra-curricular activities are a key part of the program: lectures and discussions with leading Israeli thinkers and cultural activists, visits to museums, theater, cinema, festivals, and tours to major sites with significant Jewish or Zionist importance.

The Posen Foundation, the initiator of this program, provides these honor students with full tuition and support during their studies. During their studies, the students are involved in social activity, and on completion, they work as teachers for a minimum three years.

Curriculum:

The core courses will be What is Judaism and Who are the Jews - From Spinoza and Mendelsohn to Kaplan and Levinas: History and Thought and The Origins of Secular Judaism and Its Essence Today. Other courses offered are The Culture of Israel, The Jewish Library and Life Cycle and Holiday Cycle.

What is Judaism and Who are the Jews - From Spinoza and Mendelsohn to Kaplan and Levinas: History and Thought

The course will focus on a comprehensive review of central thinkers, concentrating on two significant questions: What is Judaism? and Who are the Jews?


Course Schedule – Semester A

First and second weeks:
Introduction- The main characteristics of understanding Jewish thought of the modern era.
Why does Baruch Spinoza of the seventeenth century strongly represent the harbinger of Jewish thought in the modern era, although he negated the expediency of Jewish existence? Can we perceive Spinoza as the first secular Jew, and in which way? Spinoza’s importance to the development of Jewish thought in the modern era in light of his book Theologico-Political Treatise.

Third and fourth weeks:
The fundamentals of Moshe Mendelssohn’s teaching and his role in molding the Modern Jewish Thought. Mendelssohn as the founder of religious pluralism’s existence and distinction between historical truth and scientific truth. Reference to The Bible and its German translation.

Fifth week:
Kant’s foundations of growing secularity in the nineteenth century and the effect of his books Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals and Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone, on perception of the New Judaism in the nineteenth century.

Sixth week:
Shlomo Maimon, from Lithuanian orthodoxy to Berlin’s philosophical society, and his perception of Judaism as reflected in his book My Life.

Seventh and eighth weeks:
Ethics as the essence of Judaism, Kant’s various effects on Jewish thought in the nineteenth century. Beginning with Shmuel David Lutzato (Shadal) and S. R Hirsch, founders of modern Jewish religious thought, to Herman Cohn and his book Religion of Reason.

Ninth and tenth weeks:
The effect of Hegel's philosophy, romantics and patriotism on the perception of Jewish existence and Jewish historical questions - a discussion of different views on the meaning of Jewish existence in the nineteenth century, and the beginning of nationalist thought. The doctrines of Rabbi Nachman Krochhmal, Zvi Graetz and Moses Hess.

Eleventh and twelfth weeks:
The idea of Jewish history and the idea of Jewish nationalism as a foundation for nationalist Zionism. The thinking of Theodor Hertzl, Max Nordau, Ya’akov Klachkin, Yehezkel Kauffman and Gershom Scholem, and the critical approach of George Steiner.


Schedule - Semester B:

First and second weeks:
The opposition within the Zionist movement - Spiritual and cultural approach: Ahad Ha’Am and the perception of Judaism as a moral culture. Martin Buber- Dialogical thought and the new Jewish existentialist thought.

Third week:
Aaron David Gordon and his creation of the new attitude towards work and the idea of "Nation and Human-being." The community as a new way of life and as a social utopia.

Fourth week:
The development of religious existentialism in the realms of the new Jewish thought in the twentieth century: From Franz Rosenzweig to Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveichik.

Fifth week:
Mordecai Kaplan and the development of the perception of Judaism as a culture, in light of Jewish life in the United States. Keeping a positive affinity to Zionism and the centrality of modern Jewish life in the State of Israel.

Sixth to eighth week:
Post-Holocaust Jewish thought – Beginning with Richard Rubinstein’s God’s Death to Emil Fackenheim, The Voice of Auschwitz. The thinking of Emmanuel Levinas and Hans Jonas as a Jewish reaction to the Holocaust.

Ninth week:
Victor Frankel, Jean Ameri, and Primo Levy – Three secular Jewish-intellectual reactions who survived the Auschwitz labor camps.

Tenth week:
The development of Jewish feminism and its effect on modern Jewish thought.

Eleventh and twelfth weeks:
Modern Jewish fundamentalism and nationalist religion, from Rabbi Cook’s school of thought and alternatives for our times. Eliezer Schweid’s doctrine in his The Lonely Jew and Judaism and the role of Jewish humanism in our days.


Schedule - Semester C:

1) Introduction: The development of Secularism in the west: The idea of separation between state and religion; Secularization of Europe in the 19th century; the overcoming of skepticism and the raising of materialistic ideologies. The secularization thesis of Emil Dùrkheim.

2) The impact of Rationalism: The historical thinking and the definition of Judaism in the 19th century. The beginning of Reform Movement in Germany. Unorthodox Judaism from 19th century until today.

3) The formation of secular-Zionist thought. The thought, literary work and social outlook of Micha Yosef Berdichevskie' and Yosef Haim Brener.

4) Jewish Secular identity in our time, its basics and various manifestations in contemporary Israeli society.

5) The Integration of Jews and Judaism in Western Culture and Society. The tension between maintaining the connection to the Jewish people and active participation in modern universal culture and ways to resolve that tension

6) The idea of "Civil Religion," its origin and manifestation in contemporary Israel.
7) Secular-Socialist Judaism, past and present (The "Bund" and the socialist parties in Israel)

8) Zabotinsky and the “revisionist” approach to Jewish history and culture.

9) The Hebrew Bible and its role in building the idea of secular Judaism – past and present.

10) H. N. Bialik – the National Poet and his “Kinnus” (ingathering) Project. The role of Midrash and the Haggadah in the creation of the concept of secular Judaism.

11) The "Canaanite" movement and its struggle for secularism in contemporary Israeli society.

12) Summary meeting – The possibility and shaping of “Judaism as culture” idea today, in the perspective of Jewish history and thought.

Bibliography

Mandatory reading:

"What is Judaism and Who are the Jews: an Introduction to the Thought of Israel in the Modern Era"- a collection of resources for Dr. Ron Margolin’s Course (Hebrew Edition), 2004.

Fundamentals:

Isaac J. Guttman, "The Philosophy of Judaism, Part C: The Jewish Religious Philosophy in the Modern Era" (Hebrew Edition), Mossad Bialik, Jerusalem, 1953.

Moshe H. Graupa, "Modern Judaism in its Essence - 300 Years of Jewish Thought in Germany" (Hebrew Edition), Schocken Publication, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 1990.

Nathan Rotenshtreich, "Jewish Thought in the Modern Era" (Hebrew Edition), Am Oved Publication, Tel Aviv, 2002-2004.

Eliezer Schweid, "History of Jewish Thought in the Modern Era: the Nineteenth Century" (Hebrew Edition), Keter Publication, Jerusalem, 1978.

Eliezer Schweid, "History of Jewish Religion Philosophy in the Modern Era (Hebrew Edition), volumes a-d," Am Oved Publication, Tel Aviv 2002-2004.

Shlomo Avineri, "The Full Range of Jewish Ideas" (Hebrew Edition), Am Oved Publication, Tel Aviv, 1980.

Books:
S.H. Bergman, "Dialogical Philosophy from Kierkegaard to Buber" (Hebrew Edition), Mossad Bialik, Jerusalem, 1972.

S.H. Bergman, "Generation’s Thinkers" (Hebrew Edition), Magnes Publication, Jerusalem, 1984 (Buber, Cohen and Rozentzveig)

Isaac Heinmann, "Teamei Ha Mitzvot in Jewish Literature" (Hebrew Edition), Part C.

Yirmyahu Yovel, "Spinoza and other Unbelievers" (Hebrew Edition), Poalim Library, Tel Aviv, 1988.

Zvi Yaron, "Rabbi Cook’s Doctrine" (Hebrew Edition).

Zeev Levi, "Spinoza and the Concept of Judaism" (Hebrew Edition), Poalim Library, Tel Aviv, 1972.

Eliezer Schweid, "The Lonely Jew and Judaism" (Hebrew Edition), Am Oved Publication, Tel Aviv, 1974.

Eliezer Schweid, "Judaism and Secular Culture" (Hebrew Edition), Ha’Kibbutz Ha’Meuhad, Tel-Aviv, 1980.

Avi Sagi (Ed.), "Faith in Changing Times - of Rabbi Y.D. Soloveichik’s Doctrine" (Hebrew Edition), Eliner Library, Jerusalem, 1997.

Moshe Schwartz, "Language, Myth, Art: Consideration of the Jewish Thought in the Modern Era" (Hebrew Edition), Schocken Publication, Tel Aviv, 1967.

Efraim Shmueli, "Judaism between Authority and Inspiration" (Hebrew Edition), Poalim Library, Tel Aviv, 1988.


The Origins of Secular Judaism and Its Essence Today

Main Lecturer and Coordinator:
Dr. Ron Margolin
(Department of Jewish Thought, Tel-Aviv University)


1-2) Introduction: The beginnings of Secularism in Europe: The idea of separation between state and religion; the ideas of the French revolution. The decline of religious faith in the 19th century, and the rise of skepticism and materialistic ideologies. The secularization thesis of Emil Durkheim and his school.

3) Prof. Yirmeyahu Yovel - Secularization of Jewish memory and the study of Jewish History: The importance of modern Jewish Historiography in creating modern Jewish culture. From the beginnings of Spinoza's study of the bible to the founding of the study of Jewish history by Gratez. The artificial invention of the term Judaism and the real existence of various types of Judaism.

4) Dr. Shalom Ratzabi - The establishing of non-Orthodox Jewish movements in central Europe and their continuity in North America in the framework of the Reform and Conservative movements and the Reconstruction movement. The meaning of Modern Orthodoxy and its roots in Samson R. Hirsh doctrine.

5) Prof. Yaira Amit - The new place of the bible in modern Jewish education and culture since the Jewish enlightenment until our time.

6) Dr. Iris Milner - the Hebrew enlightenment writers and their struggle against rabbinic leadership and its inflexiblity and fanaticism: from Y. L. Gordon to J. H. Brenner.

7) Dr. Ron Margolin - Ahad Haam and his idea of national and cultural Judaism. Reading in some of his famous articles: Moses, The Renaissance of the Spirit, The National Ethics, The Hebrew High School in Jaffa and others.

8) Prof. Yosef Gorni - The secularism of the socialist parties, from the Bund to Zionist socialism. Their attitudes toward Jewish culture and religious tradition.

9) Mr. Ari Eon - H. N. Bialik and his book of Agada. His secular approach toward the midrash and the Jewish legends of the Sages. The renewal of Bialik's approach today.

10) Mr. Yair Tzaban - Secular Jewish identity today, its ideological basis, and its various manifestations in Israeli culture and society.

11) Dr. Michal Govrin - The integrating of Jewish sources in modern Hebrew literature and theater. Reading examples from Govrin's works.

12) Mrs Shulamit Aloni or Prof. Yael Tamir: The meaning of educating toward Judaism as culture today.

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