|
| Pennies for Heaven : The History of American Synagogues and Money
ISBN: 9781512602760
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / Brandeis University Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: Religion;
Judson, associate dean at the Hebrew College Rabbinical School, traces the evolution of American Jewish congregational finances in this sweeping, painstaking book meant for scholars. Drawing on research from the late colonial period to the present day, Judson begins by documenting how Jewish communities adapted their existing European practices in their new North American context. Congregations abandoned pew purchase and rental in favor of voluntary giving or structured dues, practices borrowed from neighboring Christian congregations. Judson considers how different congregations across the nation paid their clergy, raised money for new construction, and became increasingly professionalized as venues for events such as for-profit High Holidays services and campaigns for the free synagogue movement. The book becomes a vast survey of the variety of sectors where financial practice within synagogues was influenced by American fund-raising models (viewed as Protestant, from a Jewish perspective) such as philanthropic giving, capital campaigns, school fees, and bingo. This is a thoughtful contribution to American economic and religious history that draws on original archival research to shed light on a little-studied aspect of American Jewish history. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
NAOMI PRAWER KADAR (1949-2010), an inspiring educational innovator, had an enduring impact on the teaching of Yiddish language and literature through her active leadership in the field. She served as national director of the Workmen's Circle schools and coordinated popular programs on Yiddish culture. She earned her PhD in Yiddish literature at Columbia University and taught at numerous institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the YIVO Institute. She was also the creator of BrainPOP ESL, an animated online program for teaching children English as a second language. The Naomi Foundation, established after her death, supports the teaching of Yiddish in academic programs. |
