 | Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence Subjects: Violence -- Religious aspects -- Judaism -- History; Purim; Bible. O.T. Esther -- Criticism interpretation etc.; Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity; Christianity and other religions -- Judaism; Horowitz sets out to dispel distortions of Jewish violence and passivity in this combative tome, considering both the ?feminized Jew incapable of violence? as well as the opposing description of the perverse, bloodthirsty Jew associated (by Christian scholars) with the book of Esther and the Jewish festival of Purim. Horowitz also takes issue with the manner in which instances of Jewish violence and celebrations of violence have been either ignored or distorted for anti-Semitic and political purposes. ?One image that achieved considerable (and understandable) popularity among the Jews of late medieval Europe,? he writes, ?was that of Haman [the villain of the book of Esther who was hanged for his murderous plot against Jews] hanging from a tree with five of his sons.? There is also the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in which it has been suggested as many as 90,000 Christians were killed by Persians invaders and their Jewish allies, an event alternately ignored or distorted depending on the political climate. Horowitz has marshaled an impressive body of material and keeps several subtle lines of argument at play throughout, but he fails to make ordered sense of the evidence or build toward a satisfying conclusion. Students of Jewish history and Jewish-Christian relations may have less trouble navigating this remarkably sourced volume, but casual readers should expect a demanding experience. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Elliott Horowitz , a native of New York City, is Associate Professor of Jewish History at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. He is coeditor of the Jewish Quarterly Review . |
