Modernity Within Tradition: The Social History of Orthodox Jewry in Imperial Germany
("Orthodoxy's image of itself was that of bearer and guard...)
"Orthodoxy's image of itself was that of bearer and guardian of the ancient Jewish faith and of ancient Jewish tradition", explains Mordechai Breuer, in his study of Orthodox Jewish life in Imperial Germany. As secularization and reform pervaded German Jewry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Orthodox Jews became a minority, resulting in alienation and social rifts. Yet despite the decrease in numbers and social problems, Orthodoxy increased in spirit, perseverence, and inner strength. Breuer depicts the life of those German Jews who sought to remain fully loyal to the Jewish tradition while integrating German culture into their lives. He examines the religious, cultural, social, and economic factors that shaped Orthodox Jewish life in Germany, using the literary documentation of the period - periodicals, personal memoirs, and religious literature. The book covers a wide variety of topics, including the different types of German-Jewish Orthodoxy, Jewish and general education, cultural attitudes toward Orthodoxy, identity as Germans and Jews, the development of nationalist Judaism and its relationship to Zionism, and reactions to anti-Semitism.
Mordechai Marcus Breuer, history educator, musicologist. Recipient Shazar award Shazar Institute, 1992; Rabbi Berman research grantee, Rehovot, Israel, 1971, Wolf Foundation research grantee Israel Science Academy, 1985.
Background
Breuer was born in Frankfurt Am Main (Germany) to Isaac Breuer and his wife Jenny Breuer (née Eisenmann) in 1918. He had four siblings: Yaakov. Ulla, Tzipora, and Simeon.
The family originated in Frankfurt but left for Israel in 1936.
Education
Intermediate Bachelor, London University, 1943. Bachelor, Hebreww University, Jerusalem, 1958. Master of Arts, Hebreww University, Jerusalem, 1960.
Doctor of Philosophy, Hebreww University, Jerusalem, 1967.
Career
Teacher, elementary and high schools Horeb, Jerusalem, 1938-1948;
founder, principal, Kfar Eliyahu, Gedera, Israel, 1949-1957;
founder, principal, Even Ha'ezer District School (Children's Village Aliyat Hanoar), Naham, Israel, 1958-1960;
principal, Horeb Schools, Jerusalem, 1961-1970;
professor Jewish history, Bar-Ilan U., Ramat Gan, Israel, 1971-1986. Visiting professor Harvard University, Boston, 1979-1980. Member former chairman General Archives for History of Jews, Jerusalem, 1980-1996.
Founder, editor Isaac Breuer Memorial Foundation, Jerusalem, 1947-1995.
("Orthodoxy's image of itself was that of bearer and guard...)
Membership
Co-founder, principal Ezra Youth Movement, Jerusalem, 1937-1947. Member Jewish Agency for Palestine Relief unit to Bergen-Belsen Camp, Germany, 1946-1947. Member Israel Broadcasting Authority, Jerusalem, 1959-1972, Oz ve-Shalom, Jerusalem, since 1975.
With Haganah, Israel Defense Forces, 1936-1970. Member Israel History Society (past president), Leo Baeck Institute (board directors), Renaissance Society of America, Institute for Sacred Music.
Interests
Avocation: musicology.
Connections
Married Fanny Simcha Levy, August 1943. Children: Dinah, Shlomo, Miriam, Zipporah, Chava, Tamar, Yizchak.
Recipient Shazar award Shazar Institute, 1992. Rabbi Berman research grantee, Rehovot, Israel, 1971, Wolf Foundation research grantee Israel Science Academy, 1985.
Recipient Shazar award Shazar Institute, 1992. Rabbi Berman research grantee, Rehovot, Israel, 1971, Wolf Foundation research grantee Israel Science Academy, 1985.