Religious Commitment and Alienation as Expression of Identity A Family Case Study

Absztrakt

The aim of the study was to show how families respond to religious challenges and express Jewish identity. Similar patterns emerged in two families, the Munk and Goldzieher, which were studied in case studies, showing different reactions to modernization. There were those who clung to tradition, those who supported religious reform, and those who distanced themselves from religion. The case study of both families highlighted that the reactions to modernization are similarly heterogeneous. Responses to these challenges show that, while the environment and religious communities do influence choices, it is ultimately up to individual choices. This contrasted sharply with the situation in the early nineteenth-century, when religious communities largely controlled individual decision-making.