 |
|
|
NEXTBOOK FEATURE
|
|
|
|
Money in Jewish Eyes: Object of Desire or Derision?
Derek Penslar, professor of Jewish history, University of Toronto
“Over the long term of European history, a very small number of extremely talented and ambitious Jews have been able to exert economic power. But in the end, economic power didn't do much good because political power will always trump economic power,” says Derek Penslar in discussing the fall of Russian oligarchs like Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, both of whom come from partly Jewish backgrounds. For Penslar, understanding Jewish history requires examining the relationship between Jews and money. For example, Jewish contributions to charity, always high, have expanded profoundly in the past century as levels of affluence have risen but also as the targets of giving have expanded to include non-Jewish causes—perhaps as donors sought to gain prestige in the eyes of non-Jews. Even before the 20th century, Jewish giving changed in form as Jews began to target specific institutions, signaling “the transformation from charity to philanthropy: You want it to go to a specific purpose and you want to see the results of your giving. It means that the whole nature of Jewish philanthropy changes.” When Jews are economically distinct, says Penslar, they retain a strong identity. The challenge now, he adds, is to retain that strong identity when they no longer are the economic pioneers they once were.
More from the AJS Conference:
American Jews and Marriage Counseling, 1920-1945
"Based on a True Story": Popular Imaginings among American Jews of Gender
in Ultra-Orthodox Society
Bi'ur Hametz and the Ancient Semitic Magic
Confronting the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the Jewish Studies Classroom"
Gefilte Fish and Beautiful Shoes: Soviet Jews Describe the Ideal Jewish Woman
Jewish Identity at Work
Lekhu ve-nelekhah (Come Ye and Let Us Walk): The Jewish Students of
Kazimir Malevich
Mothers' Dreams, Daughters' Choices: Envisioning Mothers of Ba'alot Teshuvah
and their Daughters
The "Normal" Mysticism of Jewish Meal Rituals
Piracy, Politics, and Product Placement: Hasidic Book and Magazine
Publishing Today
The Rise of the Ladino Theater in the Ottoman Empire
About the Conference
|
|
|