History 283/JWST235
Review Questions (2007)

Your exam consists of two parts, each of which is marked separate. The first is a “mid-term” based on the course material covered since the first mid-term. The second is a cumulative exam based on the entire semester’s work.

The questions below are typical of the sort of questions we will ask, but we do not guarantee that any of these will appear exactly in this format. Moreover, we reserve the right to put questions on both parts of the final exam that are not included in the samples below. In each part of the exam, you will be given some degree of choice.

Your answers should draw not just upon the lectures but also the readings, including the memoirs. Students who signed up for History 299c are encouraged to refer to the films we saw in order to illustrate their points. However, be careful not to confuse fiction with fact.

Please remember: the exam is being given Wednesday May 16 at 1 in Taliaferro 2108 and Thursday May 17 in BPS 1250 at 1:30.

Part A “Mid-Term” Exam.

A.I. Broad Question. (50%) Answer one.

1. In his study of New York Jewry from 1950, E. Lederhendler sees a community characterized by instability and decline. Cite two examples of his approach, outline his analysis of these phenomena, and explain whether (and why) you are convinced by his arguments.

2. Literature has emerged as an important form of Jewish creative activity in the modern period. It can be studied by historians as an index to ideological positions and internal Jewish polemics, or as a reflection of broader historical shifts and trends in the Jewish experience. Discuss the relation between modern Jewish history and modern Jewish literature in at least two different geographically, linguistically, and/or chronologically defined areas. Cite specific authors and works as much as you can.

3. Nationalism has been a defining feature of modern Jewish identity and political organization in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Using concrete examples drawn from the lectures, readings and discussions, describe different forms of Jewish nationalism and explain the appeal of each form to its respective adherents.

4. The late 19th century witnessed the rise of new forms of anti-Semitic ideology. The period also saw an escalation of anti-Jewish violence in many areas. How did modern Jewish nationalisms respond to these developments? Cite specific examples from the lectures, readings and discussions.

5. What are the major changes and challenges that modernization brought specifically to eastern European Jews? Cite specific examples from the lectures, discussion and readings as much as possible.

6. Most people would argue that the Holocaust was a watershed, dividing absolutely between what came before and what followed in the Jewish historical experience. Present a case for or against this position, stressing specific historical continuities and/or discontinuities to support your argument.

7. The story of Israel is often told as a David-and-Goliath myth, a story of miraculous triumph achieved at the lowest point of Jewish history. This way of telling the story is increasingly challenged by new appreciations of the Israeli past and more open confrontation with the problematics of the Israeli present. Give examples of both developments. Feel free to use both Amos Oz' book as well as your other readings for the course.

8. David Engel presented his book "The Holocaust. The Third Reich and the Jews" as intentionally adopting an approach that studied the Holocaust "historically" (5). What did he mean by this and give examples both of his approach and of the one that he rejected.

A.II. Texts. Pick 3. (10 pts. each) You will have a choice of texts drawn from our readings over the second half of the semester. The following documents drawn from your document reader are especially significant: III 1–6, 10–14; 21; IV: 1, 4, 6–8, 12, 13; V: 4, 13; VII: 8–10, 14, 23, 26; VIII: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 23–27, 31–38; X:1–2, 9, 12, 14, 23, 28, 31–32; XI: 1–10, 22, 30–31.

You will be asked to comment on the significance of these texts in the context of modern Jewish history.

A.III. IDs. Pick 4. (5 pts. each)

Part B. Cumulative Question. Answer one.
1. Modern Jewish history can be constructed as an optimistic tale of suceess or as a pessimistic tale of disaster. Developments like the achievement of legal and political emancipation, the rise of American Jewry to world prominence, and the establishment and flourishing of the State of Israel can be balanced against the loss of Jewish autonomy, the rise of modern anti-Semitism, the Holcoaust, the constant wars in Israel, and the declining birth rate. In religious and cultural terms, the pattern is equally unclear: linguistic and literary creativity, religious reform, and explosive traditionalist growth can be balanced against the decline of Yiddish, the effects of assimilation, and the divisive affects of contemporary politics.

Imagine that you are a writer who has accepted a commission to write a 100,000-word book on the future course of the Jewish people. Prepare an introductory essay for this book that sets out either an optimistic or pessimistic approach and justify it with historical arguments focusing on at least three patterns, trends or developments. Be sure to include at least one phenomenon that could be used to argue against your position. Cite as many specifics as you can; remember you are arguing as a historian and you must prove what you propose.

2. Modern Jewish religious identity has been formed against a background argument over the need for authenticity vs the need for adjustment and reform. Discuss using specific examples from your readings.

3. Modern Jews have been called upon radically to reform and redefine their community and its structure. Discuss using specific examples from different periods and geographic areas.

4. Jewish nationalism is a rejection of the 18th and 19th-century Jewish dream for emancipation. The popularity of specifically Zionist territorial nationalsim is a direct result of the failure of the emancipatory struggle. Argue either for or against this proposition citing specific proofs for your position.