Fashioning Jews ― Clothing, Culture and Commerce

This volume presents papers delivered at the 24th Annual Klutznick Harris Symposium, held at Creighton University in October 2011. The contributors look at all aspects of the intimate relationship between Jews and clothing, through case studies from ancient, medieval, recent, and contemporary history. Papers explore topics ranging from Jewish leadership in the textile industry, through the art of fashion in 19th century Vienna, to the use of clothing as a badge of ethnic identity, in both secular and religious contexts.

Leonard J. Greenspoon is Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies and of Theology. He holds the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University. The annual Klutznick Harris Symposium, which he organizes and heads each fall, is among the oldest forums of its sort, which aims to make the results of scholarly research accessible and relevant to the general public. Greenspoon, who has authored or edited almost two dozen volumes, is an acknowledged expert on translations of the Bible and on religion (especially the Bible and Judaism) in popular culture. His latest monograph, Jewish Translations of the Bible (American Bible Society and Jewish Publication Society), is the first book-length treatment of this topic. Twelve years of his humor volume, “The Bible in the News,” have now been compiled as an e-book by the Biblical Archaeology Society.