Makers of Jewish Modernity

This superb collection presents more than forty incisive portraits of leading Jewish thinkers, artists, scientists, and other public figures of the last hundred years who, in their own unique ways, engaged with and helped shape the modern world. Makers of Jewish Modernity features entries on political figures such as Walther Rathenau, Rosa Luxemburg, and David Ben-Gurion; philosophers and critics such as Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, Jacques Derrida, and Judith Butler; and artists such as Mark Rothko. The book provides fresh insights into the lives and careers of novelists like Franz Kafka, Saul Bellow, and Philip Roth; the filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen; social scientists such as Sigmund Freud; religious leaders and thinkers such as Avraham Kook and Martin Buber; and many others. Written by a diverse group of leading contemporary scholars from around the world, these vibrant and frequently surprising portraits offer a global perspective that highlights the multiplicity of Jewish experience and thought. A reference book like no other, Makers of Jewish Modernity includes an informative general introduction that situates its subjects within the broader context of Jewish modernity as well as a rich selection of photos. Jacques Picard is professor of modern and Jewish history and cultures at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Jacques Revel is a cultural historian and former president of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in France. Michael P. Steinberg is vice provost for the arts, the Barnaby Conrad and Mary Critchfield Keeney Professor of History, and professor of music and German studies at Brown University. Idith Zertal is an Israeli historian and essayist who has taught at the University of Basel, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor Zertal´s books and essays have been published in many languages.