MJH Quiz #1

Kehillah

The autonomous semi-independent communal structure of Jewish Communities in Pre-Modern Europe that regulated legal, social, religious and tax matters.

Charter of the Jews of the Duchy of Austria, 1244

Issued by Duke Frederick II, Established Legal Protections, Economic privileges (I.e. Money Lending), and security rules for Jews. This served as a model for Jewish Status across Central and Eastern Europe.

Oshpitizin

The Yiddish Name for the Polish town of Oświęcim (Which would later become Auschwitz). Before WWII, it was a thriving center of Jewish communal and religious life.

Chminelnicki Massacres

Violent Cossack uprising against the Polish and Jewish population centers in modern day Ukraine. Resulted in the death of ½ of ukrainian jews, very quick recovery after all of these killings.

Barukh Spinoza

Dutch-Jewish philosopher, 1670, publishes modern biblical criticism and ends up being ostracized by the jews in Amsterdam. Does not go to another religion. First example of a Secular Jew.

Shulchan Arukh

Authoritative code of Jewish Law in the 16th century.

Glikl bas Judah Leib (Glückel of Hameln)

A German Jewish woman whose Yiddish memoirs show insight into early modern Jewish family life, commerce, and religious devotion.

Hasidism

1750’s, Has mystical layers, Born in a very small town with no intent to start a movement.

• Divine Presence,

• Corpal methods (Movement as prayer)

• All things humans do build relationship with God

Ba'al Shem Tov (Besht / Israel ben Eliezer)

The founder of Hasidism, who taught that sincere devotion and emotional connection to God were equal to or greater than elite textual studying.

Tzaddik

Righteous Person and emissaries of God, central authority of Hasidic communities.

Mitnagdism

The traditionalist opposition movement to Hasidism, stressed the absolute primacy of Talmudic intellect, textual study, and strict adherence to Jewish law.

Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman)

Intellectual leader of Mitnagdim who issued excommunications against Hasidism.

Chaim Nahman Bialik's HaMatmid ("The Talmud Student")

A Hebrew poem describing the intense devotion, sacrifice, and isolation of the traditional yeshiva student while reflecting tensions between traditionalism and modernity.

Volozhin Yeshiva

Founded in 1803 by Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, it served as the elite modern jewish academies.

Musar

1 hour room during Shabbat that allows you to reflect on moral feelings; God is all around you in Nature.

Rabbi Israel Salanter

The founder of the Musar movement, who advocated incorporating structured ethical study alongside classical Talmudic learning

Naphtali Wessely, Words of Peace and Truth (1782)

A manifesto calling for Jewish educational reform, dividing knowledge into two categories:

• Torat ha-adam: Humanist/secular knowledge (languages, sciences, history) needed for modern social integration.

• Torat ha-elohim: Divine knowledge (Torah and Jewish law).

Maskilim

Advocated integrating Jews into modern secular culture, European languages, and civil society while reforming Jewish education

Moses Mendelssohn (Jewish Soccrates)

The primary figure of the German Haskalah; translated the Torah into German written in Hebrew script (and argued that Judaism is compatible with modern citizenship.

Joseph II’s Edict of Tolerance

Decrees issued in Habsburg Austria aimed at integrating Jews into civil society by expanding access to secular education and commerce while encouraging German language use.

S. Ansky, "The Sins of Youth"

An autobiographical account depicting the internal generational conflicts experienced by youth transitioning from traditional religious life to Haskalah rationalism.

Yosef Perl

Comes from a very jewish family, distributed calendars (Jewish Calendars), Asked the government to band hasidism

Debate on the Eligibility for Citizenship

Late 18th-century European political discussions over whether Jews could become loyal citizens without surrendering communal autonomy or religious laws. Excecutors and actors allowed to be citizens but not jews.

Abbé Grégoire, “Essay on the Physical, Moral, & Political Reformation of the Jews” (1789)

An influential French essay arguing that Jewish perceived flaws stemmed from centuries of persecution, advocating full civil rights in exchange for civic integration

Assembly of Jewish Notables: Answers to Napoleon (1806–1807)

A council convened by Napoleon to confirm that Jewish law did not conflict with French civic duties, establishing that civil laws defer to state law

Sugenheim Charte

A regional legal agreement defining the legal status, taxation, and residency rights of local Jewish populations prior to full emancipation.

Abraham Mendelssohn

Son of Moses Mendelssohn, represents the generation that converted to Christianity to gain full civic and social acceptance in Europe (Protestant)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Reflected conservative German cultural anxieties regarding rapid Jewish social integration and legal equality

Christian Wilhelm Dohm, “On the Civic Improvement of the Jews” (1781)

A German treatise arguing that granting civil rights to Jews would eliminate societal friction and transform them into productive citizens.

Johann David Michaelis

A German theologian who opposed Dohm, arguing that Jewish national identity and religious obligations made true civic integration impossible

Edict of Tolerance, Joseph II of Prussia, 1782

Refers to the Habsburg imperial reform policies under Joseph II designed to improve the economic utility and civic integration of Jewish subjects

Israel Jacobson

A pioneer of Reform Judaism in Germany who introduced modern temple services with German sermons, vernacular prayers, and organ music.

Dedication Address for the Hamburg Temple (1818)

Marked the establishment of the first permanent Reform synagogue, introducing liturgical changes that emphasized national loyalty to Germany over prayers for return to Zion

Moses Sofer’s Last Will and Testament

Known as the Chatam Sofer, he led Orthodox resistance to Reform, coining the slogan "Hadash asur min ha-Torah" ("Anything new is forbidden by the Torah") and founding Ultra-Orthodoxy.

Abraham Geiger

The primary ideological figure of Reform Judaism, who conceptualized Judaism as an evolving, historically developing faith rather than a static body of law.

Samson Raphael Hirsch, “Religion Allied to Progress”

Founder of Neo-Orthodoxy, who argued that strict adherence to Jewish law was fully compatible with modern secular culture

Mensch Jissroeil

Hirsch’s ideal concept of the "Israel-Man"—an individual fully committed to Orthodox Judaism while actively participating in broader human civilization.

Dohany Synagogue in Budapest

symbolizing 19th-century Jewish integration, prestige, and aesthetic harmonization with European architecture.

First Yiddish Language Conference (Czernowitz, 1908)

historic meeting that declared Yiddish to be a national language of the Jewish people, raising its status from a vernacular dialect to a recognized literary language.

Sholem Aleichem

The master Yiddish author and humorist whose works captured the struggles, humor, and modern transformations of Eastern European Jewish life.

Tevye

Sholem Aleichem's iconic character (Tevye the Dairyman), representing traditional Jewish life navigating generational change, modernization, and anti-Jewish hostility.

Peppercorn

Yiddish idiom symbolizing wit, sharpness, and intellectual vitality.

Shtetl

Small market towns across the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe with concentrated Jewish populations, known for vibrant Yiddish culture and traditional communal life