Jews and Shoes

Description

Shoes are an integral part of Jewish material culture. Although they appear in some of the most foundational biblical stories, they are generally regarded as no more than lowly, albeit essential, accessories. Jews and Shoes takes a fresh look at the makings and meanings of shoes, cobblers, and barefootedness in Jewish experience. The book shows how shoes convey theological, social, and economic concepts, and as such are intriguing subjects for inquiry within a wide range of cultural, artistic, and historic contexts. The book's multidisciplinary approach encompasses a wide range of contributions from disciplines as diverse as fashion, visual culture, history, anthropology, Bible and Talmud, and performance studies. Jews and Shoes will appeal to students, scholars and general readers alike who are interested to find out more about the practical and symbolic significance of shoes in Jewish culture since antiquity.

Edna Nahshon is Associate Professor of Hebrew at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Senior Associate, Centre of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford University.

"After reading Jews and Shoes, one will no longer view that essential part of the wardrobe as a mere item of necessity." Jewish Book World 'This highly original volume makes itself indispensable as much through the extraordinary range of perspectives as through the lucidity and insights of the individual papers. It highlights how an appreciation of biblical roots and later religious commentary gives us an understanding of later folklore, theatrical and literary creativity, and ultimately contemporary politics.' Rickie Burman, Director, The Jewish Museum, London 'Moving with ease from the sacred to the profane, from canonical works to the realm of public culture, from social to cultural history, Jews and Shoes invests great significance to what might seem at first blush to be utterly ordinary. No one, after reading this book, will however think of shoes as just "being there." Nahshon's Jewish shoes shows how everything has a history worth analyzing and reading about.' Hasia R. Diner, Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History, New York University 'Jews and Shoes is a remarkable and wonderful offbeat collection of pieces on shoes (or the lack of them) from Moses' refusal to wear them to Ernst Lubitsch's evocation of WWI Berlin's Jewish world of shoe selling. A wild mix of cultural history (Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimlett and her father Mayer's images of shoe making), anthropology (Rivka Parciack on Jewish tombstones in the shape of shoes), and literary study (Andrew Ingall on Bruno Schulz), this is a great book of everyone who wears shoes, is Jewish or is Jewish and wears shoes.' Sander L. Gilman, author of The Jew's Body "From ancient biblical references, to contemporary Jewish law, the book takes the reader on a journey that highlights the religious, social and political significance of footwear in Jewish life." Footwear News 'I, too, was amazed at how this "footnote" of a topic yielded so much as a survey for the Semites.' Rhonda Lieberman, Bookforum 'After reading Jews and Shoes, one will no longer view that essential part of the wardrobe as a mere item of necessity.' Jewish Book World