Jody - # 13 Rose

Rose, Alison. Jewish Women in Fin de Siècle Vienna (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008)

Summary of Argument:

Rose states that Jewish women are absent from most works concerning turn-of-the-century Vienna or works on Viennese Jews and that the negative perception of judaization and feminization of Vienna added to hostility stemming from the non-Jewish majority. She examines both Jewish women who understood the outside pressure appointing their Jewishness and those that held closely to Judaism. Her study then examines (oddly enough) the view of various rabbis pointing to how identity issues dominated Jewish woman's consciousness of the era. Backing (and citing) Freidenreich's work, Rose proves that more Viennese Jewish women were enrolled in university than in Germany, especially in the medical field. She then turns to Zionism - reiterating the stereotype placed upon women. The strength of this work lies in her examination of most all sub-groups of Viennese Jewish women - from poor to elite, etc. In the end, Rose proves that these women struggled with identity in a majority/minority climate that led to early struggles to promote a positive Jewish feminine image. And more important: "Jewish women played a key role in fin de siècle Vienna, both in terms of their participation in the various spheres of activity, which they pursued with enthusiasm and which served them in their sometimes challenging position as Jewish women in a less than welcoming climate, and in terms of the imagined Jewish woman found in a wide array of works by Jewish [and non-Jewish] men. (pp.219).

Comment:

Well, this is an easier read than Friedenreich, unless you like dry socio-historical studies. The work should be read alongside Schorske. Overall, a good work, but there are a few problems - Rose discusses rabbi's views but mainly ignores non-Jewish perception. I still believe that a study such as this should be compared against the Jewish male experience of the time. And one major issue that continues to nag me: Separation due to religious school -> How is this social separation????? (17). This is the same case for Poland at this time - Jews attended secular school and then separated due to religious teachings. When this is stated it comes off negative (which in turn places blame). This goes back to classic majority/minority issues: how to hold onto individual ethnic/cultural roots and not separate or be seen as separate. Was this separation, or more important was it imposed? And does this difference (which should be celebrated) equal imposed separation/oppression? Could the majority say the same? Overall, while this is not my focus it was very interesting reading in tandem with Freidenreich.

Argument (Chapter Outlines) with Notes:

Introduction

• Women missing from scholarly work (1)
• Myths: 1)unity of cultural leaders, 2)women not active in politics (2)
• Women seen through: 1)gender, 2)Jewish Questions, 3)Vienna culture=hostility (3)
• ***Women's experience represents early struggle to promote positive Jewish women's image among a non-Jewish male society (4)
• Identity: 1)Austrian loyalty, 2)German culture, 3)Jewish ethnicity, 4)Female gender (4)

I. Childhood and Youth of Jewish Girls

• Experience of Isolation and difference (9)
• More of German cultural elite and less minority against Catholic majority (10)
• boys favored over girls (12)
• Separation due to religious school -> How is this social separation????? (17)
• Quote on pg.19 ?!?!??-was not societal!
• No middle school for girls and some boys (21)
• Confirmation as indicator for betterment and including women was still problematic (29)
• Conflicting images: traditional grandparents/assimilated parents/catholic domestic servants (36)

II. Community, Spirituality, and Philanthropy

• Viennese women retained Jewishness due to educ/soc/pol. patters and A/S (43)
• Emphasis on family (45)
• Private to public through organizations (47)
• Organizations focused on charity/religion, schooling, and female education
• Rabbi's idealized Jewish women of past not present (58)
• Rabbi Jellinek: Preacher who had ambivalent attitude and was patronizing (67)
• Rabbi Güdemann: Orthodox emphasized complimentary view of women to men (72)
• Rabbi Bloch: Fought A/S Rohlings' writings -> defender of Jews against A/S (79)
• Many writings about women -> sharing problems of identity in the face of modernity and conflicts with Viennese culture in general (85)

III. University and Political Involvement

• Overview of Friedenreich's study (93-94)
• Political activity - due to: 1)emerging woman's movement, 2)Jewish females in woman's movement, 3)only on female politics (95)
• Aligned with social democrats, zionists, communists (95)
• Austrian women's movements: radical bourgeois feminists, moderates, socialists, and christian socialists (96)
• Forged female Jewish identity in a male-dominated non-Jewish host culture (107)

IV. Women and the Zionist Movement

• Herzel's comment on woman's use for Zionism (109)
• Quest for national and ethnic identity in this conflicting situation led to Zionism (110)
• Internal (non-J Assimilation) vs. External (sees them as Jewish) views of society (115)
• Femininity, Feminism, and Jewish identity shaped women of Vienna (120)
• Zionism was masculine (122)
• ideal Zionist woman takes care of citizens/modest - "home"maker (127)

V. Medicine and Psychoanalysis

• stereotype - women as social workers and art/culture over political/ideas -> Zionism/Viennese culture (139)
• long history of A/S and sexuality used against other (145)
• Viennese medical text -> race over gender consideration (147)
• Freud however looked at gender over race (154) due to universalization(155)
• Sexuality and gender became central to Jewish understanding and Jewish psychoanalysis/medicine as well as leaders obsessed with women -> was Viennese (180)

VI. Literature and Culture

• Women played a central role to Jewish and non-J literature and culture (181)
• 1850-80=Ghetto tales of issues between traditional vs. modernity (186)
• Young Viennese artists put masculinity as superior (204)
• Jewish women prominent on theatre stage (214)

Conclusion

• Thesis (219)
• Tripartite -> Jewishness, Gender, Nationalism (loyalty to culture) (220)
• Jewish and femininity - major role in popular imagination (220)
• Conflation of Jews and women in Viennese culture (221)