Caryl Churchill’s Seven Jewish Children by Gilad Atzmon

From Victimhood to Aggression: Jewish Identity in the light of Caryl Churchill’s Seven Jewish Children by Gilad Atzmon

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 01:47PM Gilad Atzmon

May 4th, 2009

Identity is a very tricky concept. It can very mean many opposing things and at the same time it can mean nothing. One may start to wonder about one’s identity only when one feels he is under the threat of losing it. The case of Jewish identity is a very good example. Judging by the literature and history textbooks, Jews started to explore the notion of their identity following the emancipation, assimilation and the collapse of the rabbinical authority. In short, Jews started to wonder who they were once their collective self-notion was already melting down. Seemingly, the notion of ‘Jewish identity’ was there to replace the tribal, rabbinical and racially orientated notion of the ‘Jew’ with a tolerant acceptable ‘liberal’ discourse that aims at a universal awareness.

http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/from-victimhood-to-aggression-jewish-identity-in-the-light-o.html