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Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies

Modern Orthodoxy in American Judaism: The Era of Rabbi Leo Jung

cover of book: modern-orthodoxy-in-american-judaism by Maxine Jacobson

This book, authored by Maxine Jacobson, presents the issues and challenges of Modern Orthodox Judaism in America from the 1920s to the 1960s and discusses the economic, social, and political influences that impacted on its development. This is the story of the renaissance of American Modern Orthodoxy, from the disorganization of the older Orthodoxy to the new spirit of confidence that emerged after World War Two. Modern Orthodoxy adjusted to the challenges of modernity and a new environment. Modern Orthodoxy will be examined in the context of Orthodox invigoration and change. By 1960, a foundation had been laid for a movement to the “right,” which was marked by the tightening of religious standards. Rabbi Leo Jung is a fulcrum around which many such issues can be explored.

Maxine Jacobson received her PhD in the Department of Religion at  Concordia University, though she did much of her research at Yeshiva University. She has since authored chapters in books on Cyrus Adler and Jews in Canada, and has also conducted research on the history of anti-semitism in Canada. She co-wrote “When Orthodoxy Was Not As Chic as it is Now”, which appeared in Modern Judaism (October 2011). She has delivered papers on Cyrus Adler and Modern Orthodoxy in America at the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS) Conference. She is married to Stephen Jacobson, a urologist in Montreal and has four married children and fourteen grandchildren.

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