The anthology is a ubiquitous presence in Jewish literature--arguably its oldest literary genre, going back to the Bible itself, and including nearly all the canonical texts of Judaism: the Mishnah, the Talmud, classical midrash, and the prayerbook. In the Middle Ages, the anthology became the primary medium in Jewish culture for recording stories, poems, and interpretations of classical texts. In modernity, the genre is transformed into a decisive instrument for cultural retrieval and re-creation, especially in works of the Zionist project and in modern Yiddish and Hebrew literature. No less importantly, the anthology has played an indispensable role in the creation of significant fields of research in Jewish studies, including Hebrew poetry, folklore, and popular culture. This volume is the first book to bring together scholarly and critical essays that investigate the anthological character of these works and what might be called the "anthological habit" in Jewish literary culture--the tendency and proclivity for gathering together discrete, sometimes conflicting traditions and stories, and preserving them side by side as though there were no difference, conflict, or ambiguity between them. Indeed, The Anthology in Jewish Literature is the first book to recognize this habit and genre as one of the formative categories in Jewish literature and to investigate its manifold roles. The seventeen essays, each of which focuses on a specific literary work, many of them the great classics of Jewish tradition, consider such questions as: What are the many types of anthologies? How have anthologists, editors, even printers of anthologies been creative shapers of Jewish tradition and culture? What can we learn from their editorial practices? How have politics, gender, and class figured into the making of anthologies? What determinative role has the anthology played in creating the Jewish canon? How has the anthology served, especially in the modern period, to create and recreate Jewish culture. This landmark volume will interest educated laypersons as well as scholars in all areas of Jewish literature and culture, as well as students of world literature and cultural studies.

A collection of Jewish-American literature written by various authors between 1656 and 1990.

The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry collects more than 200 poems by over 100 poets to celebrate contemporary writers, born after World War II, who write about Jewish themes. In bringing together poets whose writings explore cultural Jewish topics with those who directly address Jewish religious themes as well as those who only indirectly touch on their Jewishness, this anthology offers a fascinating insight into what it is to be a Jewish poet. Featuring established poets as well as representatives of the next generation of Jewish voices, included are poems by, among others, Ellen Bass, Jane Hirshfield, Ed Hirsch, David Lehman, Charles Bernstein, Carol V. Davis, Judith Skillman, Jacqueline Osherow, Alan Shapiro, Ira Sadoff, Melissa Stein, Matthew Zapruder, Philip Schultz, and Jane Shore.

A lively look at southern Jewish history and culture.

THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROREdited by Josh SchlossbergHorror is part of the human condition, but few peoples across the ages know it quite like the Jews.From slavery to pogroms to the Holocaust to antisemitism, the "Chosen People" have not only endured hell on Earth, they've risen above it to share their stories with the world.Whether it's pirate rabbis or demon-slaying Bible queens, concentration camp vampires or beloved, fearless bubbies, THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR offers you twenty-two dark tales about the culture, history, and folklore of the Jewish people.TABLE OF CONTENTSAn Orchard of Terror: Scary Stories and the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi John CarrierOrigins of The Jewish Book of Horror by Josh SchlossbergTorah-Fying Tales: An Introduction to Jewish Horror by Molly AdamsOn Seas of Blood and Salt by Richard DanskyThe Last Plague by KD CaseyThe 38th Funeral by Marc MorgensternSame as Yesterday by Alter S. ReissHow to Build a Sukkah at the End of the World by Lindsay King-MillerDemon Hunter Vashti by Henry HerzThe Horse Leech Has Two Maws by Michael PiccoThe Rabbi's Wife by Simon RosenbergBa'alat Ov by Brenda TolianEighth Night by John BaltisbergerBread and Salt by Elana GomelIn the Red by Mike MarcusA Purim Story by Emily Ruth VeronaCatch and Release by Vivian KasleyPhinehas the Zealot by Ethan K. LeeThe Wisdom of Solomon by Ken GoldmanWelcome, Death by J.D. BlackroseForty Days Before Birth by Colleen HalupaThe Hanukkult of Taco Wisdom by Margret TreiberThe Divorce From God by Rami UngarThe Hand of Fire by Daniel BraumBar Mitzvah Lessons by Stewart Gisser

For many queer Jews, Jewish tradition seems like a rich tapestry which at best ignores them and at worst rejects them entirely. In reality, queerness and queer Judaism have been a constant subplot of Jewish history, if only we care to look. Spanning almost two millennia and containing translations from more than a dozen languages, Noam Sienna's new book, A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts From the First Century to 1969, collects for the first time more than a hundred sources on the intersection of Jewish and queer identities. Covering poetry, drama, literature, law, midrash, and memoir, this anthology suggests that Jewish texts are not just obstacles to be overcome in the creation of queer Jewish life, but also potential resources waiting to be excavated. Through an unprecedented examination of the histories of gender and sexuality over two millennia of Jewish life around the world, this book inspires and challenges its readers to create a better future through a purposeful reflection on our past.