Rabbi Jason Miller - Selected Essays and Articles

Presenting the Jews and Judaism to America:
Finkelstein as Historian and Bridge-Builder
By Rabbi Jason Miller

If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly be heard of, but he is heard of, and has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and obtuse learning are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers.

Mark Twain, Harper’s, Sept. 1899

Mark Twain is indeed correct in stating that the contributions of the Jewish people are out of proportion to their demographic numbers. This point rang even truer by the middle of the Twentieth Century, as the influence of the Jewish people on all of the social, cultural, and academic fields increased. In 1943, Judge Joseph M. Proskauer [1] of New York engaged in a conversation with other notable lay-leaders of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Lewis L. Strauss, Irving Lehman, and Sol M. Stroock, concerning the need for a comprehensive, scholarly description of Judaism and the Jews for not merely a Jewish audience, but for the greater American community. These men agreed that the scholar who could adequately assemble a cadre of talented scholars and prominent heads of field was Professor Louis Finkelstein, the head of the Seminary. It had been Finkelstein’s long held belief that spreading the value of Judaism and the Jews to the non-Jewish audience in America was the surest attempt to win Jews back to the fold and to influence morality in American society. Finkelstein saw this book as the necessary vehicle to carry out such a mission. [2]

It is certainly noteworthy that Finkelstein, who delved into other areas of exploration and scholarship, wrote a biography of Akiba, who similarly “ventured to explore areas of thought that were not exclusively or specifically rabbinic and who nevertheless preserved the integrity of his own spiritual personality.” [3] It was Finkelstein’s mission as head of the Seminary to “foster an environment in which Jews and Judaism could thrive,” and to fulfill this mission, he understood that the “Seminary had to expand outward to include programs that would promote group understanding and an understanding of Judaism so that Jews and Judaism would be accepted in the non-Jewish world.” [4] While Finkelstein would make use of several vehicles to carry out this lofty mission, one of the most successful tools of conveying Judaism to the non-Jewish world was the published work The Jews: Their History, Culture, and Religion. [5]

While Finkelstein authored but one of the forty-one essays in The Jews, he was nevertheless adept in the many subjects concerning Judaism and the Jews that the book includes, namely the philosophy of religion, theology, sociology, and ethics. Part of what attracted other scholars to the Seminary’s mission and to collaborate with Finkelstein on this project was his reputation as a scholar, which was essential to his role and ability as leader of the institution and of the movement. Finkelstein made a name for himself in academic circles for both his endeavors as head of the Seminary, and for his academic pursuits as historian; namely his work on the Pharisees.

In completing the first edition of this work [6] on July 4, 1949 , Finkelstein demonstrated his acumen as one of the century’s most brilliant historians. It was indeed through his scholarly skill that he ascended to a high level of public leadership, [7] and earned the reputation necessary to create such a monumental collection of essays that would be accessible to an extensive audience. He saw the need to create not merely a work of Jewish history in an encyclopedic style, but rather a “readable and unified sketch of a singular human phenomenon.” [8] With The Jews, Finkelstein, the historian, successfully presented the Jewish contribution to civilization to the American people. Specifically directing its message to academicians regardless of religious persuasion, Finkelstein sought to work backwards and eventually propel American Conservative Jews toward a more meaningful Jewish existence with an increased devotion to Jewish literacy. It was Finkelstein’s perception that if American Jews were not receptive to religion in general, it would then first be necessary to sell Judaism to academics and other theologians; and, only then to American Jews in general and eventually to Conservative Jews in particular. The other notable aim of The Jews was to promote Judaism’s strengths to the American population in general; a population that was at the very least ambivalent about the Jewish faith, causing antisemitism to manifest itself throughout the country in the 1940s as World War II and the Nazi machine continued in Europe . [9]

With its roots in the Breslau Seminary and its scholarly feet firmly planted in the positive-historical approach to textual study, the Jewish Theological Seminary has, since its inception, placed much emphasis on history as an academic discipline. As such, most of the institution’s heads have been history scholars, and Louis Finkelstein was no exception. [10] With the support and interest of Judge Proskauer and prominent members of the Seminary board, Finkelstein was able to accomplish one of his most important agenda items through the publication of The Jews – to present Judaism to the world, highlighting its contributions to civilization. Finkelstein characterized the emergence of his completed work as “a milestone in the development of American Jewish scholarship and literature,” [11] and the public response to the first edition was overwhelming. [12]

The subsequent editions of The Jews printed a decade after the original, allowed Finkelstein the opportunity to fill gaps that existed in the first edition and to include entirely new sections to provide a more extensive collection of essays. [13] By the early 1970s, three paperback volumes were published, [14] both separately and as a set, with selections from the two-volume original, providing the most needed material to a mass audience. The paperback editions further allowed Finkelstein to expand some of the original material and add new material. One of the paperback volumes, indeed considered to be of utmost importance to secular society, was titled The Jews: Their Role in Civilization. In the other two paperback volumes, Finkelstein divided the essays from the original publication between the history of the Jews in the first volume, and the culture and religion of Judaism in the second. The practical reason for the publication of these smaller, more manageable paperback editions was for the sake of the non-academic audience, to whom the bulky 1800-page original appeared intimidating.

In editing this monumental work, Finkelstein faced several difficulties. Perhaps the greatest of these was the sheer complexity of Jewish history, which opens with the story of Abraham and spans several millennia, in which time, the Jewish religion has influenced nearly all other civilized peoples. Thus, to create a work of this magnitude, Finkelstein had to cover the long, full history of this people in a format accessible to the public, while avoiding the anatomical structure and typical organization of an encyclopedia. In over 1800 pages, he successfully accomplished this mission, scarcely omitting a significant event of the Jewish people. In fact, Finkelstein notes in his prefatory letter to Judge Proskauer that “within certain limitations, the work is an effective summary of virtually all that is known about Judaism and the Jews.” [15]

The second notable difficulty of this objective was that it was beyond the capability of one individual. Other such histories of the Jewish people, which were written by one scholar, do not often contain the level of scholarship or dedication to the minutiae of each field of Jewish contribution as The Jews, for they serve as surveys of Judaism. [16] In The Jews, the leading scholar of each specific field skillfully presents each topic, assessing the Jewish contribution to that field and the influence of the Jewish faith on that subject throughout Jewish history. For this reason, Finkelstein understood from the outset that he would need to assemble the most erudite thinkers who could master both the assemblage of a living record of the Jewish people from ancient times, and discern the pattern of modern Jewish life. This group of thinkers and scholars was beneficial to the scope of Finkelstein’s wishes, namely to present the Jewish faith to a national audience and at the same time assert the Seminary’s clout in being able to attract the preeminent scholars of the day to contribute to this undertaking. These scholars helped Finkelstein present the vast number and wide variety of data concerning Judaism and the Jews so that they could be seen in relation to one another and to the general phenomena of human culture. Some of the essays in The Jews were written in a very scholarly prose, while others, like Finkelstein’s essay “The Jewish Religion: Its Beliefs and Practices” were on a level of understanding for the unversed reader. [17] Overall, Finkelstein was most pleased that the contributors to The Jews were able to set forth densely complicated material for the uninitiated student and he felt certain that, while the material in The Jews was directed toward the scholar, the general reader would study some chapters with care as well. [18]

Louis Finkelstein is listed in the World Almanac as an historian, however, his activities as head of the Seminary went far beyond his role as an historian in particular or as an academician in general. To use a common term made popular today, Finkelstein excelled at being a “bridge builder.” He sought to make the public comfortable with the Jews, and to overcome stereotypes by opening the Seminary and Judaism to a mass audience. Finkelstein used his influence in academic circles as an entrée to interfaith dialogue and programs, and he was a master at convincing his fellow academicians to join his cause, understanding that if he presented Judaism as a scholarly religion, and the Seminary as a fountainhead of serious scholarship, the nation’s scholars would want to be involved in his efforts. It had always been the goal of the German Jewish founders of the Seminary to make America a more comfortable place for the Jewish people, and Finkelstein continued in this tradition, albeit through new inroads. Finkelstein took seriously the notion that the Jews are “a light unto the nations,” [19] but he firmly believed that the non-Jews would only be welcoming to the Jewish people once they were comfortable with the Jewish faith and understanding of its fundamental doctrine.

In 1943, when Judge Proskauer first approached Finkelstein about the idea for The Jews, the world was still in the darkest depths of the Second World War and the number of Eastern European Jews was quickly diminishing by astonishing proportions. In America , there still existed great misinformation about the Jewish people, their religious beliefs, and their culture. This misinformation led to antisemitism and negative feelings toward the activities of those fighting for the Zionist cause in Palestine . Finkelstein notes in his foreword that this “work seemed necessary to dispel widespread misinformation, and to provide authentic information about its central theme.” [20] He did not miss noting the apparent paradox in that civilization’s basic ideas and the fundamentals of other religions derive from Judaism, and yet, as Finkelstein saw it; secular society had little appreciation for the history of Judaism and the gifts of the Jews to civilization. [21] It is telling that at the end of the recent decade a non-Jewish scholar penned a best-selling work about the many contributions of ancient Israel to general civilization. [22]

Finkelstein saw fit to call Judaism the “unknown religion of our time.” [23] He wrote, “Despite the general knowledge of so much of Jewish literature, the fact remains that Judaism is today probably the least understood of all major religions.” [24] In this light, from early on in his administration, Finkelstein actively set the course of the Seminary to attract the non-Jewish world and to bring the spirit of Judaism to a larger audience. This was a new objective of the Seminary, not attempted during Cyrus Adler’s time in office. “Under Schechter and Adler, [the Seminary] also had to concern itself with nothing less than the quality of American life and the impact religion could have on it. [Finkelstein] was convinced that in the long run ‘nothing [the Seminary] can do either for Judaism or religion can be more important.’” [25]

Two comments made to Finkelstein revealed the ignorance of even the intelligent and religious gentile in society regarding Judaism as a religion. One such conversation occurred with the author of a book on modern religion who consulted Finkelstein about the author’s chapter on the Islamic faith. When Finkelstein mentioned his surprise at the omission of a section on Judaism in his book, the scholar explained that he viewed Judaism as an obsolete, tribal religion in the modern world “preserved by a few queer devotees, with no real value for modern man and no bearing on the problems of human brotherhood.” [26] Another encounter occurred with the dean of a well-known college, with whom Finkelstein pleaded on behalf of a young friend who needed to be excused from taking an examination on the Sabbath. The dean’s response to Finkelstein’s pleadings was that, “My dear friend, you really cannot expect us to run this college in accordance with your ancient wilderness customs [emphasis is mine].” [27] These were not antisemitic comments, but they nevertheless revealed the immense naïveté that existed vis-à-vis Judaism and Jewish practice.

The misinformation of Judaism led to the prevalent belief in America that Judaism is a “race,” and as such brought legitimacy to the racist doctrine, of utmost concern to Finkelstein in light of the racist doctrine used in Nazi Germany at the time to rationalize the systematic killing of non-Aryans. Indeed, the inclusion of an entire chapter on the sociology and demography of the Jews is proof of Finkelstein’s objective to explain Judaism not as a “race,” but as a religion, a culture with a rich history, and a way of life.

The value of democracy was of great import to Finkelstein, both as a religious leader and as a Jew living in America ; and he felt strongly that his people had much to offer the American people in this area. He believed it was important for the Jewish community to assist the country in gaining a better understanding of its role on the world stage, especially with the global situation being what it was at the time. Finkelstein felt that Judaism could survive in this country “only if the environment was characterized by peace, brotherhood, and a deep belief in what was then referred to as the ‘democratic way.’” [28]

Finkelstein recognized that for his vision to come to fruition, the Seminary would “need to become a vehicle for the creation of an intellectual environment in American that would recognize the importance of, and be sympathetic to, religious thought.” [29] To carry out this objective, in addition to the publication of The Jews, Finkelstein used three other activities to educate the public about the Jewish faith and the significance of Jewish imprints on society.

“Intergroup relations” was Finkelstein’s “central vision, the fulfillment of which was one of his ‘highest aspirations,’ and, arguably, one of the more important works of his academic life.” [30] The Institute for Religious and Social Studies, [31] The Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion, and The Eternal Light radio broadcasts were geared to a non-Jewish audience, and their subject matter dealt with issues of which all of American society could relate (e.g. values, science, and politics). [32] The Institute designed to be a forum for the continuing education of area pastors, priests, and rabbis. It was vital to changing the troubling conditions of misinformation and ensuing antisemitism in America through transforming the opposition of the gentile community to Judaism into support through clarifying common myths and fallacies. The Institute published Finkelstein’s Religion and Civilization series Thirteen Americans: Their Spiritual Autobiographies, in which he presented the lives of men and women, [33] both Jewish and gentile who contributed to civilization. This was a venture to further present the role of Jews and religious leaders in America in an ecumenical fashion.

In early 1939, Finkelstein met with several major religious leaders and scientists to begin planning for a major conference, namely the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion. [34] The proximity of the first planning session of the Conference to the Nazi invasion of Poland added immediacy to Finkelstein’s desire to use the Conference to “integrate science, philosophy, and religion for the advancement of democracy.” [35]

Finkelstein utilized The Eternal Light [36] radio and television show for outreach to both Jews and non-Jews, through the broadcasting of “messages concerning Jewish history and culture and those eternal values that were of significance to the spiritual and moral development of Jew and gentile alike.” [37] Finkelstein’s grand vision, of the Seminary growing from a “school of Jewish history” to a “school of religion and ethics” not only for itself, but for the world at large, was a mission to which Finkelstein promised to devote all of his spare time. [38]

It is worth noting that Finkelstein recognized that these false notions about Judaism and the Jews were not limited to gentiles. The racist doctrine, he explained has “its adherents both within Judaism and outside the fold. Wherever it spreads among the Jews, it tends to destroy the Jewish faith; where it spreads outside the Jewish group, like all obscurantist divisions, it tends to weaken civilization itself.” [39] The Jews was as much about Finkelstein’s belief in the need for a period of self-exploration within the Jewish community as it was a way to educate the American people. Making the Jewish people more aware of the richness of their heritage and its symbolism, ritual, and language, Finkelstein proposed, would do away with the misconceptions about Judaism within the community and would annul the racist doctrine. [40]

He proposed that “[b]ecause the culture of the Western world tends to be predominantly Christian, [the] lack of faith in Judaism as a contemporary and permanent factor in civilization carries over into Judaism itself. Its own children sometimes doubt its meaning and its future.” [41] Thus, in directing this book to secular society, Finkelstein’s ultimate objective was to inform the Jewish community’s understanding of their own faith. Several negative encounters with fellow Jews augmented the scope of The Jews. He writes of one famous philanthropist who argued to him that Finkelstein’s “observance of the Jewish food laws was worse than nonsense.” [42] This individual viewed kashrut as wicked and against the very spirit of Judaism. A similar encounter with a distinguished Jewish scholar equally dismayed Finkelstein. The scholar pointed out that Jewish literature in the post-biblical period has offered nothing original or significant to human thought. [43]

Finkelstein felt he adequately silenced these views with The Jews, in which many chapters are devoted to the intentions of Jewish law, and to post-biblical law and thought. Finkelstein sought to use this collection of essays to elicit a feeling of deep pride in Jews for their people’s significant contribution to humankind. Further, with the ambivalent views of many American Jews to the Zionist cause in Palestine , which saw its height during the production of The Jews, Finkelstein believed that he could promote greater sympathetic feelings to the activities of those who were fighting for the existence of a recognized Jewish homeland, and stimulate more Zionist activism in the Diaspora. The American Jewish Committee, of which Finkelstein was an active leader, similarly saw the importance of this work to educate the Jewish laity in America and covered the cost of preparation for the original two-volume set. [44]

Prof. Michael Greenbaum, in recognizing the role that historical scholarship played in Finkelstein’s communal leadership and outreach to the secular community, writes that “[h]istory generally served as a kind of bridge for Finkelstein, since he used it to connect the two avenues of his scholarly work: the textual and the practical… Finkelstein’s scholarship informed his communal leadership so that even in the general American community, he believed that the Jew had a responsibility to bridge the chasms that exist between the disparate groups. And learning became that bridge.” [45] It was important for Finkelstein to inform the best minds in society that the Torah was a living document that had much to offer them, and of similar importance was that Jewish scholars came to understand that the “Torah is best served when it is exposed to the best minds of mankind.” [46]

Finkelstein, as editor of The Jews, organized the essays into four broad sections; namely, the History of Judaism and the Jews, the Role of Judaism in Civilization, the Sociology and Demography of the Jews, and the Jewish Religion. Certainly, the most extensive of these sections dealt with Judaism’s role in civilization, focusing on the contributions of the Jewish religion and peoplehood to a whole host of fields; such as, poetry and other literatures, world philosophy, social welfare, education, music, art, medicine, science, democracy, and ethics. Interestingly, the final section titled “The Jewish Religion,” contains but one essay. Finkelstein has the final word in The Jews, with his essay, “The Jewish Religion: Its Beliefs and Practices,” which was republished from the book The Religions of Democracy: Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Protestantism in Creed and Life. [47] In it, Finkelstein serves as historian and sociologist, summarizing the importance of Judaism to civilization. He begins his treatise with an introduction focusing on the ethics inherent in the Jewish faith, and he thoroughly explains the concept of the inheritance of religious traditions throughout time. He sets out a course of study covering all aspects of Jewish belief and practice, the foundation of Judaism, its adherents’ observance of the commandments, ritual, theology, and the Jewish life cycle. Finkelstein also devoted a page to his understanding of the history of the status of women in Jewish law and ritual. Overall, Finkelstein accomplished in this essay what he set forth as his mission for the project entire.

The Jews concludes with an appendix, aimed at the layperson, which presents the questions raised most frequently in the replies to a questionnaire originally sent out by Finkelstein in 1946-47 to scholars and educators throughout the United States . Beneath the listing of these basic questions, such as “What is a Jew?”, “What is the Jewish creed?”, “What is the Jewish attitude to marriage and family?”, are referenced essays from within The Jews, in which the student can locate the appropriate answers. Finkelstein repeated the questionnaire a decade after the printing of the first edition, sending it to some 2,800 leaders representing a cross-section of America . Detailed statistical analysis of replies, both to the 1947 and the 1957 questionnaires, covering comparisons between the replies separated by a decade, is in the files of the Jewish Theological Seminary. [48]

The third volume of the paperback set, The Jews: Their Role in Civilization, largely addressed the gentile audience to whom Finkelstein wished to provide a fuller picture of the distinct role of the Jews particularly in the areas of law, ethics, philosophy, music, art, medicine, science, literature, democracy, and certainly in world religion in general. In certain areas, Finkelstein had the scholars of the day expand previous sections. Thus, Dr. Harry A. Savitz redeveloped the description of the Jews’ contribution to medicine originally written by Arturo Castiglione who had died since the original publication. Similarly, Bernard R. Goldstein wrote a postscript to the late Charles Singer’s essay on science and Judaism, and several of the original authors updated their sections for the new volume.

Finkelstein writes, “The Rabbinical schools have always been academies of research and learning. Astronomy, mathematics, logic, medicine, philology, history, exegesis, anatomy, botany, and zoology were all considered ancillary to theology and law. Yet the Rabbis mastered these subsidiary sciences to an amazing extent.” [49] Finkelstein viewed Judaism as having something meaningful to say about the sciences, and not merely about Jewish research and learning. By the late fall of 1956 Finkelstein drafted a confidential memo to the Seminary community, arguing, “The World Academy was ‘the next major step in the development of the Seminary and of Judaism.’ It was ‘imperative for the Seminary to undertake broader social responsibilities’ by becoming a ‘world center of ethics.’” [50]

The success of the Seminary’s mission to engage Jews back into a meaningful Jewish life through outreach to the larger American community was due to Finkelstein’s dedication to achieving his goals, as well as his insight into how its mission could properly be achieved. Finkelstein was recognized as a charismatic leader in American Jewry, where his sphere of influence as an historian, scholar, and “bridge-builder” catapulted Judaism into a prominent place in American society in the middle of the Twentieth Century. The appearance of Finkelstein on the cover of Time Magazine on October 15, 1951 (Vol. LVIII, No. 16), in which he was referred to as the “leader of perhaps the most influential school of Jewish theology in the United States today,” [51] is testimony to his reputation not merely in scholarly circles, but in popular culture as well.

Finkelstein, in addition to his role as historian, served as a quasi-prophet to the Jewish people in America , encouraging them to come back to a life of serious Jewish learning and living, and to engage in a communal act of self-exploration and self-reflection. He saw the need for society to become more comfortable with religion in general before an atmosphere of acceptance for the Jewish people could take place, and he worked tirelessly toward that end. [52] Finkelstein understood that there was a need for “an imaginative linking of the Seminary’s scholarship and training mission to the issues of the day,” thereby demonstrating that the Seminary has something meaningful to contribute to helping society solve its problems and challenges. [53]

The Jews was the vehicle through which Finkelstein could make his vision a reality – making the scholarship of the Seminary and the offerings of Judaism felt by those on the outside, be they in academia or the laity of America . Louis Finkelstein flourished in his role and succeeded in his vision because of who he was, what he represented, and how the public perceived him. Finkelstein, in spreading the word of Torah and the influence of the Jewish people on civilization to the larger American audience, successfully made a significant difference in the way humanity thinks and acts in a moral society.

Bibliography

Adler, Cyrus. The Jewish Theological Seminary of America : Semi-Centennial Volume. New York : The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , 1939.

Agus, Jacob B. Guideposts in Modern Judaism: An Analysis of Current Trends in Jewish Thought. New York : Bloch Publishing Company, 1954.

Beuttler, Fred W. “For the World at Large: Intergroup Activities at the Jewish Theological Seminary” in Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Vol. II: Beyond the Academy, Wertheimer, Jack, Ed.). New York : The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , 1997.

Finkelstein, Louis, Ed. American Spiritual Autobiographies. New York : Harper and Brothers, 1948.

Finkelstein, Louis, Ed. The Jews: Their History, Culture, and Religion. New York : Harper and Row, 1960 (Third Edition).

Finkelstein, Louis. Akiba: Scholar, Saint and Martyr (a biography of one of the great sages of Israel ). Philadelphia : The Jewish Publication Society of America , 1962.

Finkelstein, Louis. Jewish Self-Government in the Middle Ages. New York : The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , 1924.

Finkelstein, Louis. The Beliefs and Practices of Judaism. New York : The Devin-Adair Company, 1941.

Finkelstein, Louis. The Jews: Their Role in Civilization. New York : The Schocken Books, 1970 (Fourth Edition).

Greenbaum, Michael B. Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement: Conflict and Growth. Binghamton University : Global Publications, 2001.

Greenbaum, Michael B. “The Finkelstein Era” in Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Vol. I: The Making of an Institution of Higher Jewish Learning, Wertheimer, Jack, Ed.). New York : The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , 1997.

Rosenblum, Herbert. Conservative Judaism: A Contemporary History. New York : United Synagogue of America , 1983.

[1] Judge Proskauer, like many Seminary supporters and board members, was also involved in the American Jewish Committee where he was elected president in 1943.

[2] The author is grateful to Prof. Michael B. Greenbaum, JTS vice-chancellor, for his beneficial explanation of Finkelstein’s mission as it pertained to the non-Jewish segment of the American population.

[3] Simon Greenberg in his eulogy of Finkelstein 1 December 1991, as cited in Greenbaum’s essay in Tradition Renewed, p. 164.

[4] Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement, p. 47.

[5] Harper and Row, New York . Third Edition, 1960.

[6] The published work was originally to be titled Judaism and the Jews, but the publishers were troubled by the title, and agreed on The Jews: Their History, Culture, and Religion for its precision as well as for its intelligibility (The Jews, p. xxiii).

[7] Prof. Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, suggests that Finkelstein’s “deep and prolific scholarship was crucial to the power of his public leadership” (Tradition Renewed, p. 164).

[8] The Jews, p. xiii.

[9] Finkelstein’s succession to the presidency of the Jewish Theological Seminary took place in 1940. Dr. Herbert Rosenblum writes about the condition of American Jewry during Finkelstein’s period of expansion at the Seminary. “In the United States , the memories of the Depression, with its poverty, social strife, and anti-Semitism, were very sharply etched into the collective mind of American Jewry. There was clearly a crying need for new spiritual affirmations for a generation that was being called upon to reassert the credibility of man and God” (Conservative Judaism, p. 35).

[10] Finkelstein was a member of the Talmud faculty, but much of his scholarship was devoted to historical pursuits.

[11] The Jews, p. xv.

[12] There have been three printings of the two-volume set The Jews: Their History, Culture, and Religion. There have been four printings of the subsequent three-volume set of paperback editions.

[13] In typical fashion, Finkelstein put the financial proceeds of the publication of The Jews toward future printings. He did this with many of his undertakings, especially those publications of the Institute for Religious and Social Studies.

[14] Schocken Books, New York . Fourth Edition, 1971.

[15] The Jews, p. xvi.

[16] Finkelstein acknowledges both Solomon Grayzel (Jewish Publication Society) and Salo W. Baron (Chairman of the Committee on Library Research) in The Jews. Both men themselves published histories of the Jewish people and were of assistance to Finkelstein in editing his endeavor.

[17] This is testament to Finkelstein’s ability to appropriately present his message to his intended audience. In Jewish Self-Government in the Middle Ages and his works on the Pharisees, he wrote in a precise, academic style, as his audience was purely academic, while in The Jews, Finkelstein recognized the necessity of communicating his message to a larger, lay audience.

[18] The Jews, p. xvi.

[19] In the foreword to his The Beliefs and Practices of Judaism (the compact volume of his essay first published in The Religions of Democracy: Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Protestantism in Creed and Life and then used as his contribution to The Jews), Finkelstein writes, “Yet its place in the world, in Jewish history, and in civilization requires fulfillment of the enthusiastic hopes of the great seers of the Jewish tradition – that restored to its normal condition, and populated by followers of the Jewish tradition, Israel can be a ‘light unto the nations.’”

[20] The Jews, p. xxii.

[21] Finkelstein noted, “Jews may be loved as individuals and respected for their gifts. Their prophets are also the prophets of Christendom and Islam… Only the rare American or European appreciates the character of the ancient Jewish tradition, is aware of its distinctive teachings and nature, and seeks to understand the relation of the modern Jew to his predecessor of biblical and talmudic times (The Jews, p. xxvi).

[22] I.e., Thomas Cahill. The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Dessert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Hinges of History Vol. II). Anchor Books: 1999.

[23] The Jews, p. xxvi.

[24] The Jews, p. xxii.

[25] Tradition Renewed (Greenbaum), pp. 167-8.

[26] The Jews, p. xxiii.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Tradition Renewed (Greenbaum), p. 166.

[29] Ibid., p. 167.

[30] Tradition Renewed (Beuttler), p. 669.

[31] The original name of the institute was the Institute for Interdenominational Studies, but it was changed to reflect the larger purposes Finkelstein was committed to achieving (Tradition Renewed, pp. 168-9).

[32] Michael Greenbaum, interview by author, 11 December 2002 .

[33] Finkelstein included his own father’s autobiography for one of the editions.

[34] Formally incorporated as “The Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion, in Their Relation to a Democratic Way of Life, Inc., the Conference was the most important part of the Seminary’s intergroup activities (Beuttler, p. 677).

[35] Tradition Renewed (Beuttler), p. 679.

[36] Begun with an inquiry by Finkelstein in early 1944 with the National Broadcasting Company.

[37] Tradition Renewed (Greenbaum), p. 212.

[38] Ibid., p. 168. In fact, he stated to Cyrus Adler, as quoted in Tradition Renewed, that he would devote his spare time to furthering his project rather than devoting it to his research as he normally would.

[39] xxvii

[40] Finkelstein’s own research on the subject of antisemitism indicated that its main source is individual and social pathology rather than ignorance (The Jews, p. xxx).

[41] The Jews, p. xxvi.

[42] Ibid., p. xxiv.

[43] xxv

[44] xvii

[45] 165

[46] Tradition Renewed (Greenbaum), p. 164.

[47] The Devin-Adair Company, New York : 1941, pp. 1-89.

[48] The Jews, p. 1803.

[49] The Jewish Theological Seminary of America : Semi-Centennial Volume, p. 163.

[50] Tradition Renewed (Beuttler), p. 713.

[51] Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement, pp. 71-2.

[52] Finkelstein maintained that once Judaism would become what Solomon Schechter called “fashionable” to the non-Jewish world, Jews would themselves embrace it and return to the fold (Tradition Renewed, p. 168).

[53] Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement, p. 271.