Zachary Braiterman is an American

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, best known for writing on the topics of

Holocaust theology Holocaust theology is a body of theological and philosophical debate concerning the role of God in the universe in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and early 1940s. It is primarily found in Judaism. Jews were killed in higher proportions ...

Jewish thought Jewish thought ( he, מחשבת ישראל, ''Machshevet Yisrael'', or ''machshavah''), also known as Judaic thought or Hebraic thought, is a field of Jewish studies that deals with the products of Jewish thought and culture throughout the ages, an ...

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

, and

Jewish art Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practic ...

. He is also a professor of religion at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Education

Braiterman received his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies (1988), and his Ph.D. from Stanford University, Department of Religious Studies (1995).

Scholarship

Braiterman's scholarship on the role of

theodicy Theodicy () means vindication of God. It is to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Some theodicies also address the problem of evil "to make the existence of ...

has drawn responses from other theologians. In his 1998 book ''(God) After Auschwitz: Tradition and Change in Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought'', he coined the term ''antitheodicy'' for a refusal to connect God with evil or a refusal to justify God. Dan Garner believed this philosophy "significantly advanced" the scholarship of Holocaust theology. Theologian and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

scholar Melissa Raphael suggested that it could form the basis of a theology more focused on culture and community than concerns about the existence of evil, and

literary theorist Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, mora ...

Brendan Cooper concluded that the concept could be applied in wider contexts, employing it for analysis of

John Berryman John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in th ...

's ''

The Dream Songs ''The Dream Songs'' is a compilation of two books of poetry, '' 77 Dream Songs'' (1964) and ''His Toy, His Dream, His Rest'' (1968), by the American poet John Berryman. According to Berryman's "Note" to ''The Dream Songs'', "This volume combines ...

''. Other scholars were more critical. Peter Admirand of the

Mater Dei Institute of Education Mater Dei Institute of Education ( ga, Institiúid Oideachais Mater Dei) was a linked college of Dublin City University from 1999 until its closure in 2016, located in Drumcondra, Dublin City, Ireland, near Croke Park, on the site of what was ...

agreed with Braiterman's assessment of

postmodernist Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

influences on Jewish theology, but rejected the idea that theodic arguments concerning the Holocaust are required to "defend[] the indefensible." Sarah Pinnock criticized his definition of antitheodicy as unhelpful because it is overbroad, encompassing "any and all attempts to give religious meaning to evil and suffering". Braiterman has also written extensively on the topic of

within the Jewish aniconic tradition. According to Martina Urban's review of his 2007 book ''The Shape of Revelation: Aesthetics and Modern Jewish Thought'', he argues that religious revelation and visual art "do not constitute two radicually divergent discourses" because religion can inspire images indirectly in the same manner as

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

painting. Raphael described him as connecting Jewish "aural" culture with visual media derived from

Hellenic art Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the subsequent Geometric, Archaic and Classical periods (with further developments during the Hellenistic Period). It absorbed influences of E ...

traditions. Braiterman has also described the "deadening" of feeling in some Jewish art in the post-Holocaust era, such as in the works of

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan hav ...

Employment

As of 2016, Braiterman is a professor of religion at

. His paper in the journal ''Religious Education'', discussing methods of teaching Jewish topics to a largely non-Jewish audience, received a critical response that argued he was taking too postmodernist and secular an approach to religious studies. In addition to his career in academia, Braiterman has written articles about religion and culture for ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' and ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

''.

Selected publications

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Notes

References

External links

Syracuse Faculty Page

Jewish Philosophy Place

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Braiterman, Zachary Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Syracuse University faculty American Jewish theologians Jewish American writers Historians of Jews and Judaism American historians of religion University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Stanford University alumni 21st-century American Jews