Modern Jewish Mythologies 0878202161, 9780878202164

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Modern Jewish Mythologies

edited by Glenda Abranlson

Hebrew Union College Press Cincinnati

ModLTI1 jewi,h Illythologil" / edited by (;lcnda AbLllllsol1 p.

lltl.

It ldudes bih! i{ 19raphicd rl'ti:rences.

ISBN

I

O-~7X20-2I6-1

Je\\s-ln(,'lkctuJllil~'-2uth

century.

Jews-Identity.

I lS" J ,MSX

9()-2()(!7S

I:r-; and r"petitin' ,llt1lllb societll" I'lTtorm ill cllllllecrion \\ith them. Th"'l' rl'latlOlbhips ,Irl' llOt direct ,Illc! Inechallll',li ,I' preyiOlhh t1l\)u~ht. but Illure complex ;ll1d multi-dillll'llsional. NeVl'rtheless they arl' undeniable. Lven that L,mous salute of the black French soldier to the Frl'l1ch flag, which ttJr 13arthn s\lllbolized th,' m\"th of Frelll·h imperi,I1isl11. U IS an UIICOI1"ealed ritu,Ii ,ld. insepaLlhk ti'OJl1 th,' "ll1ythical text."

J\I1ytli, Ritual, cllld l?cligiol1 ill Modem JCII'isli Culturc I \\'ould lIke ((l illustratl' this compkx rdationship of l1l\"th and ritlLlI in modern Jl'\\lsh culture \\!th t\\"o exall1pl,'s, one il1\'okil1g only [sradis. the other, Jews throughout the world. The story of Masad;1 is (llle of the lwst known alld discussed Illyths in Israeli culture. Although th,' story itself \\,1' told for the tirst time hy F1.IYius Josepillh. ttH' almost I')()() years it dId 110t arouse the interest of trallitional Jewish culture. ll ()l1ly in thl' early 1930S, when the rock and [(xtress il1 the Judean desert were redisco\'l'red by youth Illovemellts, paramilitary ullits. ,md politi",Ii groups ill prl·-,tate [sLle!. did it begil1 t() ocCUP\' a celItLIi place ill puhlic discourse. From that tillll' on. the'l' groups made regul.lr pilgrimages to Masada, Aftn a long and tiring journey ill the desert they climbed the steep rock Lce, g;lve patriotic sermons, ;lIld presented pert()1'JllanCeS that WLTe ritualistic in charactlT. Since 1945. ;IrIny units haH' 11I,lde regul.Ir. [(ll'Illal jourlll'\S to the fortreS\. \\"here the\ ('01Iecti\'ely cOlltirmed th,'ir national \"()\\', and re("'i\,'d tht'ir pnsonal weapons-sYlllbols of the independcnce of the state. I~ These cerelllonies were of saliellt ritualistic character. They included a tl''>:tual vow that l11entIoned th,' \\,Iniors of 1\;1,ls,ld,l of t\YO thousand years ,I~O: military p,lr.ldes. ,md the distrihution of \\l'.lpons-a t\plc,Ii mixturl' of mythical tl''>:t ,md ritual action. It seems illlpossible to explain one of the most important modern myths withollt this inevitable rdationship between the text-the !'v1asada ,(()n-and thl' riw,Ii. \\hich l'lldll\YS the text \\ith forl1l,Ii structures th,H l'llsUre its eXI,tl'llCl' in the slll·il,t\··s collec"tin' IllemOry. I r, HmH'\LT,

\\·hile the ll1\th and ritu,Ii ()f l\ lasada developed almmt ,Pl'd thl' harder "frighll'lln{ hy

fire

and gUll;"." Inter-

vie\\',january 22, !()8o. Tape 53, i ,(llldol1 Museulll o(.Jl'wish Life. 31. IntlT\·ll'\\ \\ith \lorri, ~lTlt)l. h.

l02.2

in

Ll):h\{)I1.Tapt" -1.

LOJld(1I1 \lLlseU111 o(k\\"i\!J l.ltl'.

",·/t. PI'· 9-11

,_. l3lull,i. II nh Turner. .HlJb '.'11 )/.'IIII((i,'". P 'I: \1L'lr. .\Iellll'il.' ,'1/'),1, I 33. Cyril ,\Pl'l·tl)r, 34.

NOrlll.111

r ~111d r ~l!1d .kll'

lit')' :Jondon:

(.l'l1trl'J)ri~(', I~~~),

}), 3,

Stolle, The Etis/cnJ ':rOI/f (Londoll: Pl'llgllin, 199H), c11.1ps.

I

2.

3S.Johll Bodll:lr, The "hal1.'p/dll/cc/ (Blooll1ingtoll: Illdi,lIla Uni\"t"rsily Pre"", 1985), pp. 13 23. )(1. 13enuI\! 1\\rtt:'T. "Bure:lll ,IIIl!

r/,m Srudif.'

,2(1. [

I,

Ihrrack: Earl" Vidllrian Attitudes

II)\\',II\!~ the Contilll'Ilt."

Il'i,'fO-

1();-i2): '+O~-33

3-. Dall,1 (',",Il,lI1i, "~\n EIIII'.tltk,1 \1inorit\':IIt" .Inl' in I3ritain I lurl11" the First \\"rld \\.Ir." lI1 Tony Kushlll'1' .Illd Kenneth LlillII (e(k), 77/(, POlillc( 3~. Chilrll"

/ ,HlIxi/lalil)'

(L,,"don: (:ass, 1990),1'1" (')

(,(l.

I'milson, Scenes . .. /i·OIlI a Slep"e), );'"11, (I olldon:THAI' Ilook;, 1988), p. II,.

30. Capl.lll, ,\h'l/wries. p. 89, .+0. Isr.l\'] "ll'Ii" Inc-ntions tlLlt Ill" t~Hhl..T CndU1"l'll "\'\'lTal l1a~ty

honle'. but ,tlll \\ rites dut

En~Lllld

Iud. "s:i\'en hI III

tl"""lnIll

,llJti'l'!1l11IC

incidenh 111 hI" ne\\"

and selt:"rl"!)l'd:' j/dill.,ir.' . .

t·. PI)· ':'."1-2'+

2~.

,md

41. En""1lll'l I itvinoff,}ollntc), 'Ihrongh

i1

Small 1'1'"11'( (London: Mlchil"l.loseph, 1972), p.

2~. See

also Olga I Til 11 k Ii 11 , Steppes to I'Icct Slrcct (London: (;"I"'lll'Z, 1~()R), p. I() . . p. D:l\'il{ ('Illrrerbuck an,! .r-..1.lri(ll} l)l'vine. ~icol"(ll1. 11),\-'1. p .

and

.+3. G.lrIIll': 111