Language:
English
Year of publication:
2023
Titel der Quelle:
Zutot; Perspectives on Jewish Culture
Angaben zur Quelle:
20 (2023) 1-18
Keywords:
Ashkenazi, David,
;
Kook, Abraham Isaac,
;
Rabbis Correspondence
;
Rabbis Biography
;
Jews Social life and customs
;
Jews History 20th century
;
Synagogues
Abstract:
In 1934, David Askénazi, the chief rabbi of Oran, Algeria, responded to a decision by Abraham Kook, at the time chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, condemning the use of the organ in synagogue services in Oran. Transcending the typical European dichotomies between Orthodox and Reform, Askénazi’s letter is above all a testimony to the religious and cultural hybridity of Algerian Jews during the colonial era. In a mere few pages, the rabbi developed a religious argument mixing elements of language and arguments typical of Maghrebian rabbis with positions common to liberal European Jews. Aware of the structure of power between the East and the West, Askénazi also criticized Kook’s interventionism in the affairs of his community. In light of what he denounced as a form of Jewish imperialism, Askénazi emphasized the agency of Sephardic rabbis and called for full recognition of their religious tradition.
Note:
Includes transcription from ms. Jerusalem, Benayahu, Ms. TEU 43.1
DOI:
10.1163/18750214-bja10035
URL:
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