Popular Science Writing for Jewish Children in the 18th and 19th Centuries

A New Arena of Modernity in Jewish European Realm
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-90-04-73441-8
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 85, 210 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Studies in Jewish History and Culture

This book explores the role of science and technology literature on Jewish education and identity in the 18th and 19th centuries, focusing on Hebrew texts for children and youth. It examines how Jewish science popularizers, primarily from the Haskalah movement, incorporated scientific knowledge within a Hebrew cultural context, bridging tradition and modernity across fields such as optics, cosmology, geography, and zoology. Through an analysis of key figures and texts, the book reveals how the popularization of science and technology served as a tool for cultural renewal, national transformation, and the modernization of Jewish society.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kogman, Tal

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Freizeitsoziologie, Konsumsoziologie, Alltagssoziologie, Populärkultur
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik
• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien: Leben & Praxis, Soziale Aspekte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Figures

1 Sciences for Jewish Children and Youth in the Modern Era 1 The Popularization of the Sciences in Modern Culture 2 Popular Science Literature and Science Textbooks in the Modern Era 3 Acquisition of Scientific and Technological Knowledge among Ashkenazic Jewish Children and Youth 4 Popular Science Texts in Hebrew: A Core Means for Teaching Science to Jewish Children and Youth 5 The Emergence of Science Literature in Hebrew Aimed at Children and Youth

2 The Sciences in Jewish Culture: From Ancient Traditions to Modern Science Education and Popular Science Literature in Hebrew 1 The Sciences in the Jewish World from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era 2 The Linguistic Medium for Writing about Science

3 Scientific Knowledge “Dressed” as Judaism 1 Bridges between Old and New—Science, Morality and Religion in Texts for the Young Audience 2 Nature as a Religious Textbook: Physico-Theology for Jewish Children 3 “The Jewish Point”: Making Science Relevant to the Identity of Jewish Youth

4 From Zoology to Animal Stories: Exoticism, Morality, and Human-Animal Relations in Texts for Jewish Children 1 Study and Entertainment Together: Animals in Texts for Jewish Children 2 Combining Scientific Knowledge with Literary Models 3 Anthropocentrism, Utilitarianism, and the Appearance of Empathetic Messages towards Animals in Children’s Texts 4 Educational Messages in the Field of Human-Animal Relations—The Dog as a Test Case

5 Science and Technology in Texts for Jewish Children in the Second Half of the 19th Century 1 “Reveal this sublime and wonderful wisdom to the ears of the children of Israel”—Children as the Target Audience for Education about Technology 2 Science, Technology, and Literary Discussion 3 Science, Technology, and Literary Discussion in Hebrew Children’s Literature 4 Admiration of Science and Technology and Longing for the Old World

6 Hayyim Selig Slonimski: A Prototype of a Promoter of Science and Technology among Jewish Youth 1 From Traditional Scholar to Modern Researcher: Changes in Slonimski’s Discourse 2 Science and Technology as Media of Modernization 3 “Torah Will Come Forth from Edison’s Factory in America, and the Word of God from the College de France”—Slonimski’s Pedagogic Approach 4 Slonimski’s Connections with Jewish Youth

Epilogue

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Tal Kogman, Ph.D., is affiliated with the Unit of Culture Research at the School of Cultural Studies, Tel Aviv University. Her research centers on Jewish children and youth, as well as the modernization and secularization of Jewish education within Ashkenazi culture during the 18th and 19th centuries, with a particular focus on the Haskalah movement. She has published extensively on these topics, including her book The Maskilim’ in the Sciences: Jewish Scientific Education in the German-Speaking Sphere in Modern Times (Magnes Press, 2013 [Hebrew]).