Heidegger and His Jewish Reception
Heidegger and His Jewish Reception
In this book, Daniel Herskowitz examines the rich, intense, and persistent Jewish engagement with one of the most important and controversial modern philosophers, Martin Heidegger. Contextualizing this encounter within wider intellectual, cultural, and political contexts, he outlines the main patterns and the diverse Jewish responses to Heidegger. Herskowitz shows that through a dialectic of attraction and repulsion, Jewish thinkers developed a version of Jewishness that sought to offer the way out of the overall crisis plaguing their world, which was embodied, as they saw it, in Heidegger's life and thought. Neither turning a blind eye to Heidegger's anti-Semitism nor using it as an excuse for ignoring his philosophy, they wrestled with his existential analytic and what they took to be its religious, ethical, and political failings. Ironically, Heidegger's thought proved itself to be fertile ground for re-conceptualizing what it means to be Jewish in the modern world.
- Demonstrates the centrality of Heidegger's philosophy for twentieth century European Jewish thought
- Sets the Jewish encounter with Heidegger alongside other twentieth century philosophical and religious strands
- Brings together leading Jewish philosophers alongside many less-known figures, from a number of different geographical locations, over an extended period of time, and introduces new materials
Reviews & endorsements
‘… Through meticulous philological and textual control, and an acute theoretical sophistication, Daniel M. Herskowitz illumines the historical and conceptual frame of reference for the Jewish reception of Heidegger … Eschewing a simplistic political disavowal of Heidegger on account of his Nazi affiliation, the book demonstrates the complexity of thought and the need to look beyond platitudes to understand the depth of philosophical reflection. The book will most surely provoke discussion and stimulate further research into this important and timely topic.’ Elliot R. Wolfson, Marsha and Jay Glazer Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
‘Daniel M.Herskowitz does not avoid Heidegger’s infamous antisemitism in his brilliant new book … in Heidegger and His Jewish Reception, Herskowitz shows that the German philosopher influenced an astonishingly wide array of twentieth century Jewish philosophers, theologians, and scholars.’ Steven E. Aschheim, Jewish Review of Books
‘The book engages with an impressive range of immediate recipients of Heidegger … commendable work done in this text …’ Deborah Casewell, Political Theology
‘This is a major work in Jewish intellectual history that will be of interest to a variety of scholars of religion who deal with secularization in its various forms.’ Martin Kavka, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
'… undoubtedly sets the benchmark for all future discussions of Heidegger’s Jewish reception.' Yoav Schaefer, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies
Product details
May 2023Paperback
9781108749954
372 pages
229 × 153 × 23 mm
0.58kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Herkunft and Zukunft: Heidegger, Christianity, and secularization
- 2. Kant's legacy and new thinking: Heidegger, Cassirer, and Rosenzweig
- 3. A Christian anthropology? Early Jewish readings of Sein und Zeit
- 4. Dwelling prophetically: Martin Buber's response to Heidegger
- 5. The destruktion of Jerusalem: Leo Strauss on Heidegger
- 6. God, being, pathos: Abraham Joshua Heschel's theological rejoinder to Heidegger
- 7. Uprooting paganism: Emmanuel Levinas faces Heidegger
- Conclusion. Which God will save us? Heidegger and Judaism.
