Vier jüdische Philosophinnen: Rosa Luxemburg, Simone Weil, Edith Stein, Hannah Arendt, and: Denken und Handeln als Jüdin: Hannah Arendts politische Theorie vor 1950 (review)

164 SHOFAR Spring 1998 Vol. 16, No.3 • Eliezer Ashkenazi (1513-1586), who will be of special note to all readers interested in interfaith dialogue. Sherwin claims that Ashkenazi is an early pluralist who held the incredible view that, in Sherwin's words, "religious absolutism is a sin, while religious pluralism is the will of God" (p. 40). • Israel Salanter (1810-1933), the brilliant Lithuanian Talmudic scholar, who founded the Musar [ethical self-perfection] Movement that became very influential among the Yeshivot in Poland. Salanter, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the nineteenth century in Poland-Lithuania, stressed that the primary goal of human beings is the attainment of spiritual perfection. • Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), who perhaps more than anyone has revealed to us the spirit of East European Jewry. In the [mal chapter of the book, "The Land We Shared," Sherwin deals with the complex issue of Polish-Jewish relations. He does not accept the Polish stereotype that there has never been antisemitism in Poland nor the Jewish stereotype that all Poles are notorious antisemites. Until the German-Austrian Nazi occupation, Poland served as a great haven for Jews. For the preceding thousand years it had been the America of Europe. Sherwin's years ofparticipation in Polish-Jewish and Catholic-Jewish dialogue give him good insight into the many inaccurate generalizations about Jews and Poles. In 1992, he was given the first Man of Reconciliation award from the Polish Council ofChristians and Jews and in 1995 the Officer's Medal of Merit, a presidential medal from the Republic of Poland, for his contribution to Polish-Jewish relations. Many readers no doubt will [md Sherwin's evaluation of contemporary American Judaism problematic. But all readers will be enriched by his in-depth exploration of the dazzling spirituality ofEast European Jewry. Sherwin's book reminds me ofthe writing ofAbraham Joshua Heschel, for whom each word was very precious. In a few sentences Sherwin is able to capture a critical idea ofthe Jewish tradition with great precision and force. Rabbi Sherwin combines excellent scholarship with an eloquent style. Harold Kasimow Religious Studies Department Grinnell College Vier judische Philosophinnen: Rosa Luxemburg, Simone Weil, Edith Stein, Hannah Arendt, by Reiner Wimmer. Tiibingen: Attempto Press, 1990 [third edition, 1995]. 308 pp. DM 39.· Denken und Handeln als Judin: Hannah Arendts politische Theorie vor 1950, by Iris Pilling. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1996. 307 pp. $57.95. Book Reviews 165 The book by Reiner Wimmer dealing with Rosa Luxemburg, Simone WeiI, Edith Stein, and Hannah Arendt was compiled from a series of lectures designed to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Reichspbgromnacht. It has been an obvious success I because this is a third printing. The original lectures were intended to introduce and highlight the contributions ofthese women; thus, it contains no scholarly apparatus and I a minimum of notes. These facts do not detract from its appeal. I Wimmer begins by justifying his designation of each woman as a Jewish I philosopher, since both Weil and Stein llad intimate ties with Catholicism. Each enjoys I a contemporary popular reputation as a 'isaintly" figure, particularly in Christian circles. Wimmer's arguments are convincing, :except for the tendency to excerpt from other critics so extensively as to fill entire pages with quoted sources. He sometimes leans I heavily on one standard title. This feature is most pronounced only in the introduction, I although excerpts from official biograpHers figure prominently at the beginning ofmost I chapters. ; I Fascinatingly celebrated and still very popular, these four women were born at roughly the same time, and Wimmer treats them chronologically. He does not attempt I to make striking comparisons betweenlthem, but instead presents each one as unique. The Luxemburg chapter clarifies or coh-ects many popular assumptions about her life and role in the Communist initiatives auring the early part of this century. A lively, balanced view of a great idealist, writer! friend, and theorist emerges from the excellent context provided here. Wimmer's treatment of Simone Weil is even more helpful than the discussion of Luxemburg. Wimmer recreates in an demplary fashion the family milieu, the physical I limitation, and the French bureaucratic situation which...