Introduction: Thinking Jewish Modernity

Makers of Jewish Modernity features entries on political figures such as Walther Rathenau, Rosa Luxemburg, and David Ben-Gurion; philosophers and critics such as Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, Jacques Derrida, and Judith Butler; and artists such as Mark Rothko and Arnold Schönberg. The book provides fresh insights into the lives and careers of novelists like Franz Kafka, Saul Bellow, and Philip Roth; the filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen; social scientists such as Sigmund Freud and anthropologist Emil Durkheim; scientists like Albert Einstein; religious leaders and thinkers such as Avraham Kook and Martin Buber; Law theorist René Cassin; and many others. Written by a diverse group of leading contemporary scholars from around the world,  these vibrant and frequently  portraits offer a global perspective that highlights the multiplicity of Jewish experience and  thought. A reference book like no other, Makers of Jewish Modernity includes an informative general introduction that situates its subjects within the broader context of Jewish modernity as well as a rich selection of photos. The project with its 43 contributors worldwide had been coordinated by Jacques Picard and Idith Zertal at the University of Basel, Switzerland, as a safe haven  for its administration.