Deviant Yeshiva: Part 1-Judeo-Christianity

What does it mean to de-colonize Jewishness? Talk among yourselves during the Deviant Yeshiva.

Being Jewish, Being Weird

Overview

Are you feeling weird? Are having trouble explaining your Jewish identity, and why it is important to you? Welcome to the club! We are here to help…make you even more confused! We will read texts by weird Jews (and some non-Jews) about how weird it is to be Jewish. The idea is to create a safe space for conversations that never seem to have a place.

Reclaiming Jewishness from Judeo-Christianity

Diasporic Jewishness can be understood as an identity that has been and remains subject to colonial pressures. It has been impacted by the cultural orthodoxies and political institutions that exist in the places where Jews have traversed and settled. One such example of this can be traced in the influence of Christian institutions. These institutions historically saw Jewishness framed as Judaism: an exclusively religious identity, limited to religious elements. This prompts us to ask whether Jewishness can be ‘de-colonized’, and if so, how?

What we’ll be reading:

Nathan, E., & Topolski, A. (2016). The myth of a Judeo-Christian tradition: Introducing a European perspective. Is there a Judeo-Christian Tradition?

Anidjar, G. (2013). On the European question. Belgrade Journal of Media and Communications, 2(03), 37-50.