Jesus the Jew

In the decades leading up to the Second World
War, American Jews claimed the historical Jesus as
a fellow Jew. By invoking Jesus the
Jew, liberal rabbis such as Kaufmann Kohler and
Stephen S. Wise used Jesus as a weapon against
Christian anti-Judaism, even as they sought Christian
allies against racist Anti-Semitism.

This book explores the figure of Jesus the Jew in the
goodwill (interfaith) movement of the 1920s, when
liberal Jews, Protestants, and Catholics joined to
repudiate the exclusive Protestant nationalism of the
Ku Klux Klan. These goodwill exchanges attempted to
create an inclusive national religious identity,
laying the foundation for a new
interpretation of America as a "Judeo-Christian"
country during WWII. The book follows Jesus the Jew
from the polemics of liberal rabbis to the rhetoric
of liberal Protestants, who invoked the Jewish
identity of the historical Jesus in their own
struggle against fundamentalism. When Hitler rose to
power in Germany, liberal
Protestants and Catholics, appropriating this Jewish
rhetoric, interpreted Nazism as an attack on Christ
and his church.

Autorentext

Sonja Spear holds a doctorate in American Religion from IndianaUniversity, Bloomington. She now teaches Judaism and WorldReligions, at Indiana University inIndianapolis.

Klappentext

In the decades leading up to the Second WorldWar, American Jews claimed the historical Jesus asa fellow Jew. By invoking Jesus theJew, liberal rabbis such as Kaufmann Kohler andStephen S. Wise used Jesus as a weapon againstChristian anti-Judaism, even as they sought Christianallies against racist Anti-Semitism.This book explores the figure of Jesus the Jew in thegoodwill (interfaith) movement of the 1920s, whenliberal Jews, Protestants, and Catholics joined torepudiate the exclusive Protestant nationalism of theKu Klux Klan. These goodwill exchanges attempted tocreate an inclusive national religious identity,laying the foundation for a newinterpretation of America as a "Judeo-Christian"country during WWII. The book follows Jesus the Jewfrom the polemics of liberal rabbis to the rhetoricof liberal Protestants, who invoked the Jewishidentity of the historical Jesus in their ownstruggle against fundamentalism. When Hitler rose topower in Germany, liberalProtestants and Catholics, appropriating this Jewishrhetoric, interpreted Nazism as an attack on Christand his church.