{"product_id":"suffering-as-identity-the-jewish-paradigm-9781844674046","title":"Suffering as Identity: The Jewish Paradigm","description":"Reaching from biblical times to the present day, Esther Benbassa's prize-winning exploration of Jewish identity is both epic and comprehensive. She shows how in the Jewish world, the representation and ritualization of suffering have shaped the history of both the people and the religion. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBenbassa argues that the nineteenth century gave rise to a Jewish 'lachrymose' historiography, and that Jewish history was increasingly seen to be a 'vale of tears'--a development that has become even more pronounced since the Holocaust. The treatment of the Holocaust in the State of Israel now has the form of a civil religion. In principle within reach of everyone, the 'duty of memory' and the uniqueness of the genocide have mitigated for many Jews the loss of other traditions. The Israeli government invokes the memory of the Holocaust to neutralize threats to its interests--ensuring that suffering continues to be a central part of Jewish identity and positioning the State of Israeli as a redemptive force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEsther Benbassa\u003c\/b\u003e is Chair in the History of Modern Judaism at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. She is the author of many books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Jews of the Balkans\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Judeo-Spanish Community, 15th to 20th Centuries\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHistory of Sephardic Jewry, XIVth-XXth Centuries\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Jews of France\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA History from Antiquity to the Present\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Jew and the Other\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSuffering as Identity\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50363331739922,"sku":"9781844674046","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c1d1947e-3204-47a8-9a24-0ce4c3a57517.jpg?v=1728411438","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/suffering-as-identity-the-jewish-paradigm-9781844674046","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}