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Louis Ginzberg 's Legends of the Jews: Ancient Jewish Folk Literature Reconsidered, edited by Galit Hasan-Rokem & Ithamar Gruenwald. (Wayne State University Press, 2014. 224 pages, $44.99 hardcover)
The edited volume grew out of two plenary sessions at the 15th Congress of the World Association of Jewish Studies (2009), which celebrated a hundred years since the publication of the first volume of Ginzberg's influential Legends of the Jews. Editors Galit Hasan-Rokem and Ithamar Gruenwald bring together a foreword, introduction, and seven articles (five of which were originally presented at the Congress) on Ginzberg's monumental achievement. Ginzberg trained and self-identified as a folklorist, and many of the articles in the present volume are firmly engaged with folkloristic aspects of the work.
The Introduction by Rebecca Schorsch situates Ginzberg's endeavor, which draws on both nationalist and anthologizing impulses with the aim of revitalizing the religious and spiritual life of Jewish Americans. Ginzberg's work is hybrid in nature, presenting both narratives and scholarly annotations which trace the sources used in the storytelling parts. The duality of Ginzberg's work mirrors his personal history: a descendant of the Vilna Ga'on. Ginzberg was considered a child prodigy and received traditional Jewish education before choosing to pursue Western-style education. Various articles in the volume remark upon the hybrid nature of Ginzberg's work, and on his position between these two worlds.
David Golinkin's "The Legends of the Jews in the eyes of Louis Ginzberg and in the Eyes of Others" contextualizes Legends by exploring the history...