Review of: Ismar Schorsch, Leopold Zunz

According to common opinion, nineteenth-century Dutch Jewry never developed a followup to the german Wissenschaft des Judentums. this paper makes a case for the opposite: Dutch Jewish intellectuals not only were avid readers of Wissenschaft publications, they also used them extensively as sources of inspiration and information. the result, however, lacked the academic dimension of the german tradition. Instead, Dutch Jewish scholars consistently merged the results of critical scholarship with the edifying content of the traditional treatises they were translating and annotating. time-bound historical truth thus served to affirm the timeless truth of Jewish ethics. It is further argued that this indeed somewhat derivative strategy was more than a mere sign of conservatism or scholarly mediocrity. the Dutch Wissenschaft soon became one of the key instruments in formulating a new Jewish civic identity in the decades following the Emancipation Decree of 1796. Working from rather than towards political equality, the Dutch Jewish scholars could afford to ignore the radical content of Jewish national philology as developed by Leopold Zunz and his german colleagues.

Journal of Jewish Studies, 2021

eginning in 1961, when he was still a student, and continu ing down to the present, Ismar Schorsch has published about fifty scholarly books, articles, and reviews, in addi tion to many popular writings, lectures, and addresses. During the early years of his career, scholarship and teaching dominated his professional activity, gradually giving way to the ever more press ing tasks of administrative office at the Jewish Theological Semi nary as well as intellectual and spiritual leadership of the Conservative movement. A full appreciation of his career and sig nificance would require a discussion of both realms of his activity. That, however, is not my intention here. Instead, I will concen trate on the scholarly publications that have flowed from Ismar Schorsch's pen, seeking to probe their scope and significance, not in chronological order, but rather according to dominant themes. 1 have entitled this essay a "critical appreciation" as I believe an uncritical treatment would pay less homage to his accomplish ments as a scholar. Taking his work truly seriously requires evalu ation as well as praise. It is, after all, Ismar Schorsch, whose seventieth birthday this volume celebrates, who has impressed upon all of us that what sets modem Jewish scholarship apart from its traditional antecedents is its critical temper. In this spirit, and admittedly from my own perspective, I shall seek to discern the contours of Ismar Schorsch's scholarly work and to assess his achievements.