Lecture by Rabbi Israel J. Kazis of Temple Mishkan Tefila at the Brookline, Brighton, and Newton Zionist District Meeting: “Toynbee and Zionism,” January 25, 1955. Wyner Archives of Temple Israel of Boston.

TI-AV_90034-002

Item Information

Title:
Lecture by Rabbi Israel J. Kazis of Temple Mishkan Tefila at the Brookline, Brighton, and Newton Zionist District Meeting: “Toynbee and Zionism,” January 25, 1955. Wyner Archives of Temple Israel of Boston.
Description:
This lecture, delivered by Rabbi Israel J. Kazis of Temple Mishkan Tefila, at a Brookline, Brighton, and Newton Zionist District Meeting, argues forcefully for the need of modern Jews to follow in the path of ancient Jewish scholars and support the creation of an institution where scholars can create an intellectual synthesis with modern secular culture. He is particularly concerned about men like Arnold Toynbee, whose A Study of History, Vol. 8 is the primary focus of this talk. Kazis decries Toynbee’s pronouncement that anti-Semitism is due to the bigotry and fanaticism of the Jews and his description of Jews in the new state of Israel as Arab oppressors whose crimes are worse than those of the Nazis. Kazis observes that nowhere in his multi-volume history does Toynbee even call Jews a civilization, and he fears what might happen when non-Jews read Toynbee’s works and believe his allegations. He sees serious and accurate scholarly work as he best way to build appreciation in America for Jewish thinking and learning and serve as an antidote to the “scurrilous propaganda” of men like Toynbee.
Speaker:
Kazis, Israel J., 1911-2001
Creator:
Congregation Adath Israel (Boston, Mass.)
Date:
January 25, 1955
Format:
Audio recordings (nonmusical)
Location:
Temple Israel of Boston
Wyner Archives
Collection (local):
Past Voices, Audio Recordings, 1934-1979
Subjects:
Antisemitism
Zionism
Toynbee, Arnold, 1889-1975
Places:
Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston
Extent:
1/4" audio tape (41 min., 36 sec.)
Permalink:
https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/n5841h603
Terms of Use:
No known copyright restrictions.
This work is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives License (CC BY-ND).
CC BY-ND icon
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
Lecture by Rabbi Israel J. Kazis of Temple Mishkan Tefila at the Brookline, Brighton, and Newton Zionist District Meeting: “Toynbee and Zionism,” January 25, 1955. Audiovisual Collection, Audiovisual Collection, Wyner Archives of Temple Israel of Boston.
Notes (funding):
This project was supported by a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Notes (historical):
Rabbi Israel J. Kazis (1911-2001) was the rabbi of Temple Mishkan Tefila in Boston and Chestnut Hill, MA for more than thirty years and a founder of the Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, MA.
Identifier:
TI-AV-90034.002