For some, on Yom Kippur the fast pace of life stops and the needs of the body seem to fade away, while the person stands before God. On this day, during the time of El'azar Berabbi Qillir the people of the Land of Israel used to stand at the synagogue throughout the entirety of the holy day, listening to the public representatives who prayed and prayed. The material for these long prayers was supplied by the poets, with El'azar Berabbi Qillir at the forefront. He renewed his piyyutim time and time again, presenting to his listeners new and spectacular Kedushtaot meant to replace the former poems. In these works he gave a voice to the audience standing at the doorstep and anticipating redemption. Other than descriptions of prayers and asking for forgiveness, the piyyutim include a variety of themes like the work of the High Priest at the Temple on Yom Kippur; the praise of God and His greatness, often in comparison to the futility of man; and the story of Elijah the Prophet on Mount Carmel and his prayer. The patriarchs are also present in almost all the works, with the angels joining the prayers of humans. This is only a taste of the astounding wealth found in the piyyutim in the book.

The two decades since the last authoritative general history of Dutch Jews was published have seen such substantial developments in historical understanding that new assessment has become an imperative. This volume offers an indispensable survey from a contemporary viewpoint that reflects the new preoccupations of European historiography and allows the history of Dutch Jewry to be more integrated with that of other European Jewish histories. Historians from both older and newer generations shed significant light on all eras, providing fresh detail that reflects changed emphases and perspectives. In addition to such traditional subjects as the Jewish community’s relationship with the wider society and its internal structure, its leaders, and its international affiliations, new topics explored include the socio-economic aspects of Dutch Jewish life seen in the context of the integration of minorities more widely; a reassessment of the Holocaust years and consideration of the place of Holocaust memorialization in community life; and the impact of multiculturalist currents on Jews and Jewish politics. Memory studies, diaspora studies, postcolonial studies, and digital humanities all play their part in providing the fullest possible picture. This wide-ranging scholarship is complemented by a generous plate section with eighty fully captioned colour illustrations.

The essay that forms the core of this book is an attempt to understand the developments that have occurred in Orthodox Jewry in America in the last seventy years, and to analyse their implications. The prime change is what is often described as ‘the swing to the right’, a marked increase in ritual stringency, a rupture in patterns of behaviour that has had major consequences not only for Jewish society but also for the nature of Jewish spirituality. For Haym Soloveitchik, the key feature at the root of this change is that, as a result of migration to the ‘New Worlds’ of England, the US, and Israel and acculturation to its new surroundings, American Jewry—indeed, much of the Jewish world— had to reconstruct religious practice from normative texts: observance could no longer be transmitted mimetically, on the basis of practices observed in home and street. In consequence, behaviour once governed by habit is now governed by rule. This new edition allows the author to deal with criticisms raised since the essay, long established as a classic in the field, was originally published, and enables readers to gain a fuller perspective on a topic central to today’s Jewish world and its development.

Korot is devoted to the study of the philosophical, sociological and ethical aspects of the history of medicine and Judaism. The topics covered by the Journal include: medicine in Jewish and Hebrew sources, the history of Jewish physicians, medicine in Palestine and Israel and medicine during the Nazi period. Each volume contains mostly English-language articles, together with some Hebrew contributions (abstracted in English). The "Historical Notes" and "Notes and Events" sections cover recent important developments and events in the above mentioned topics around the world. Each issue also includes several reviews of noteworthy books and contributions to the field. In this issue - Ethics and the Health Professions: Education of the Holocaust and Healthcare.

Kobez Al Yad , an annual of the Mekize Nirdamim Society, is a forum for the publication from manuscript sources of ancient texts in Jewish studies that are shorter than book-length. Among the articles in this issue: Dan Greenberger | An Essay on the Ten Commandments attributed to R. Saadia Gaon Haggai Mazuz | Ma'aśeh Mehmeṭ: Re-examination and Critical Edition Gad Freudenthal and Hannah Kasher | Kalonymus ben Kalonymus rebukes Joseph Ibn Kaspi Pinchas Roth | A Collection of Rulings from Medieval Montpellier Eliezer Schlossberg | The Commentary of R. Avraham ben Shelomo the Yemenite on the Book of Zephaniah: A Critical Edition

Articles in this issue : Hallel Baitner | Sprinkling at the Temple Entrance: A Forgotten Temple Ritual Gideon Libson | Maimonides and the Muslim Theologian Muhammad Al-Ghazali on the Generality of Law and the Doctrine of Distinction Yosseph Schwartz | Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed in Jewish and Christian Mysticism: A Chapter in Comparative Historiography Adam Afterman and Ido Pinto | On Apotheosis in the Kabbalah of Rabbi Bahya ben Asher

Elijah the Prophet is a remarkably impressive figure whose life is full of dramatic moments: the decree to stop the rain, the fierce tension with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, the war on idolatry which had its climax on Mount Carmel with the killing of the prophets of Baal, God’s revelation at Horeb, the ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire, etc. These episodes sparked the imagination of readers and commentators, thinkers and artists, who continued to study the figure of Elijah throughout the generations. The book Until Elijah Comes: The Portrayal of Elijah the Prophet in Tannaitic Literature is an examination of Elijah’s multi-faceted character as reflected in Tannaitic sources, the earliest stratum of rabbinic literature. Adiel Kadari presents an in-depth analysis of the major issues related to Elijah the Prophet in the intellectual world of the sages, such as the principles and limits of halakhic discourse, messianism and eschatology, religious and political zealotry, the phenomenon of prophecy and the question of its persistence in the post-biblical era, and the relationship to history, religious piety and asceticism. The analysis of Elijah in this volume is rooted in philological studies concerning the origin and transmission of the text, and branches out to an examination of ideological aspects and worldviews. The synthesis of various approaches employed in the study of rabbinic literature yields a rich and variegated discourse. The book’s various chapters reveal the tremendous importance of Elijah in the eyes of the sages, as well as the exegetical and ideological struggles over the shaping of his image.

This book offers a cultural biography of Maimonides as a product of his multi-cultural and multi-religious background. It studies “the great eagle” in his multi-faceted historical and cultural context, and highlights the deep impact on him of Islamic culture as a whole: not only his philosophy, but also his legal and scientific writings as well as his correspondences. The aim of the book is twofold. On the one hand, it highlights universal patterns in Maimonides’ thought. On the other hand, it shows Maimonides’ relevance to the study of Medieval Islam. The presentation of Maimonides as a Mediterranean thinker elucidates his consistent interpretation of his own Jewish tradition in contemporary terms, as they were shaped by his Mediterranean legacy.

Jewish Studies is published annually by the World Union of Jewish Studies (WUJS) and provides an outlet for the publication of articles, studies, documents and various other contents in Jewish studies. The journal publishes articles in Hebrew and in English, which undergo a review process. It focuses on studies of a methodological-programmatic nature and reviews various areas of Jewish studies. The journal was first published in 1971 under the title 'Newsletter of the World Union of Jewish Studies'. Since 1996 it is published in its current form as Jewish Studies - Journal of the World Union of Jewish Studies . In addition to articles, the journal features a section for recent WUJS news and publications, as well as reviews of new books published in the various fields of Jewish studies. Few articles in this issue: Michael Schneider | The Liturgical Roots of the Kabbalistic Concept of "Unification" Eliyahu Rosenfeld | "One Must Speak with Silence": The Function of Silence in Virginity Claim Stories from the Babylonian Talmud Richard Hidary | The Talmud as Rhetorical Exercise: Progymnasmata and Controversiae in Rabbinic Literature Eli Gurfinkel | The Order and Structure of the List of the Maimonidean Principles: Between Form and Meaning Hagay Shtamler | "The Course of Ideas in Israel" as a Response to Wissenschaft des Judentums"

Jewish Studies is published annually by the World Union of Jewish Studies (WUJS) and provides an outlet for the publication of articles, studies, documents and various other contents in Jewish studies. The journal publishes articles in Hebrew and in English, which undergo a review process. It focuses on studies of a methodological-programmatic nature and reviews various areas of Jewish studies. The journal was first published in 1971 under the title 'Newsletter of the World Union of Jewish Studies'. Since 1996 it is published in its current form as Jewish Studies - Journal of the World Union of Jewish Studies . In addition to articles, the journal features a section for recent WUJS news and publications, as well as reviews of new books published in the various fields of Jewish studies. Few articles in this volume: David (Dimitry) Kopeliovich | From Absence to Presence: Jeremiah's "wandering" between the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles Itzhak Amar | Marriage and Birth in the Davidide Narrative of Chronicles (1Chr. 11-2 Chr.36): A Mere Component of Retribution? Brachi Elitzur | Messianic and Anti-Messianic Elements Reflected in Traditions about Hezekiah from the Second Temple, Mishnaic, and Talmudic Periods Naama Weiss | The Basic Structure of Kinship in the Book of Genesis and Rabbinic Midrash Adiel Kadari | The Halakha of Elijah: Heavenly Knowledge, Piety and Danger New Books and Periodicals in Jewish Studies: Manuscripts and annotated Critical Editions Journals Anthologies, Jubilee and Memorial Book Monographs