Overview

From Hungarian Orthodoxy Separatism to Fervent Zionism tells the story of the eldest greatgrandson of Hatam Sofer and leading Orthodox rabbi in Klausenburg (Cluj) M.S. Glasner. Glasner (18561924), the head of a major yeshiva and a respected halakhic authority, challenged the Hungarian Orthodox establishment after World War I by championing Zionism and rejecting the longheld principle of communal separation. His activism helped spark a national Jewish awakening in Transylvania and ultimately led to fierce opposition, his resignation, and his immigration to Jerusalem. This book blends biography and intellectual history, and commemorates the journey of a sharp, independent thinker who viewed rationalism, humanism, and Jewish nationalism as authentic elements of tradition. It also opens a door to the oftenforgotten modernist wing of Hungarian Orthodoxy and depicts how World War I reframed Jewish identity. What is more, it uncovers overlooked chapters in the history of Hungarian Jewry that continue to influence Orthodox life today.

Full Product Details

Author:   Yoav Sorek
Publisher:   Academic Studies Press
Imprint:   Academic Studies Press
ISBN:  

9798897831258

Publication Date:   05 March 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Preface A. The Structure of This Work B. Conclusions C. The State of the Research D. Glasner: Sources E. Klausenburg: Studies and Sources F. Acknowledgments Part One: Pressburg Chapter 1: Rabbi Avraham Glasner in Context A. Hungary and Its Jews in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century 1. Hungary: Regime, Ethnicity, and Modernization a. Regime b. Ethnicity and Language c. Modernization B. The Cultural Character of the Hungarian Oberland C. Pressburg and Hatam Sofer’s Circle 1. Hatam Sofer (1762–1839) 2. The Yeshiva 3. The Ehrenfeld Family D. Rabbi Avraham Glasner E. Klausenburg: Studies and Sources 1. The History of the City 2. The History of the Klausenburg Jewish Community F. Avraham Glasner’s Tenure and the Schism in Hungarian Jewry 1. The Hungarian Community of Klausenburg 2. Friedman, Fisher, and Green 3. The Congress 4. A Unified Community Part Two: Klausenburg Chapter 2: Moshe Glasner’s Life Until the Turn of the Century A. Background 1. Hungarian Orthodoxy at the End of the Nineteenth Century a. The ""Golden Age"" of Hungarian Orthodoxy b. Hungarian Orthodoxy: Establishment c. Hungarian Orthodoxy: Entrenchment B. Childhood, Adolescence, and Intellectual Development C. The Appointment to the Rabbinate, the Fracture of the Community, and the Connection with Hasidim 1. Discomfort and Secession of the Status Quo Community 2. German, Yiddish, and Hungarian D. The First Decades in the Rabbinate 1. The Inner Circle: A Transylvanian Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva 2. On Truth and Intellect 3. Family Ties and Economic Status E. In the Orthodox Arena 1. In Service of Orthodoxy, Ideology, and Practice 2. The Law of Reception and the Issue of Civil Marriages 3. Interim Summary: Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebrations Chapter 3: From the Mizrachi Conference to the World War I A. Zionism and Hungarian Orthodoxy Before the Mizrachi Conference 1. Starting Point: The Zionist Idea in Hungarian Orthodoxy a. Jewish Nationalism b. Settlement of the Land of Israel c. A Jewish State 2. The Reception of Zionism in Hungary a. A Cold Shoulder b. Peripheral—and Orthodox—Zionism B. The Polemic Leading up to the Mizrachi Conference, 1904 1. Background: The Organization of the Mizrachi and the Choice of Pressburg 2. Background: The Roth-Breuer Dispute, from Pápa to Mainz 3. The Argument in Tel Talpiot and the Ban on the Mizrachi Council C. Glasner’s Position D. From 1904 to the End of World War I 1. The Mikveh Dispute 2. The Dispute of the Shochet of Sângeorz-Băi 3. No to a World Orthodox Organization 4. World War I E. Summary Part Three: Jerusalem  Introduction to Part Three Chapter 4: From Hungarians to Jews. Transylvanian Jewry After World War I A. The Loss of the Motherland: The Crossroads of Transylvanian Jewry 1. Transylvania 1918–1920: Demographics and Nationalist Tendencies 2. The Practical Transfer of Power 3. Romanian Antisemitism and Hungarian Alienation 4. The Question of Identity: Essence 5. The Question of Identity: Organization B. The National Jewish Movement in Transylvania, 1918–1924 1. The Inaugural Event of the National Union 2. Új Kelet and Tarbut 3. National, Zionist Jewish Identity Chapter 5: From Orthodoxy to Zionism: Glasner After World War I A. Glasner’s Zionist Activity  1. Rebirth 2. Foundational Speeches 3.The End of the Age of Orthodox Separatism 4. The Dispute with Agudat Yisrael 5. Partnership in the Establishment of Tarbut 6. The Twelfth Zionist Congress and the Speaking Tour Across Germany B. Struggle: Glasner Against Orthodoxy and His Community  1. Orthodoxy in the Successor States: The Mizrachi and Its Rejection 2. With Us or Against Us: The Transylvanian Situation 3. The Struggle in Klausenburg: The Secession of the Hasidim 4. The End of His Tenure: From the Publication of Dor Revi'i Until Emigration to Jerusalem C. From Orthodoxy to Renewal of the Torah and the Nation 1. Zionism in the Light of Faith a. Orthodoxy as Denial of Judaism b. A People, Not a Religious Community c. Religious Judaism as an Exilic Mutation d. The Drive for Improvement and Divine Providence e. Central European Religious Zionism f. The Justification of Orthodox Separatism 2. Dor Revi'i a. The Preface: About Critical Thought b. The Introduction c. The Body of the Work Chapter 6: Living the Dream A. Jerusalem  B. Glasner and Jerusalem Rabbis  C. Sentimental Old Age  D. Legacy: Religious Zionism in Transylvania  E. Rounding Out the Story: Rabbi Akiva Glasner  F. A Note on Glasner’s Philosophical Legacy Chapter 7: Conclusions A. Secondary Conclusions B. Glasner as the Preserver of the Oberland Approach C. From an Oberland Worldview to Zionism  D. Orthodox Emancipation: Between Enthusiastic and Reluctant Adopters Appendix A: Glasner Family Tree Appendix B: Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Glasner’s Sermon in Herzl’s Memory Appendix C: Zionism in the Light of Faith Illustrations Maps Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Yoav Sorek (b. 1970) is a prominent Israeli public intellectual and author of The Israeli Covenant (2015). After an extensive career editing Israel's leading journals and conducting PhD research on Hungarian Jewish Orthodoxy, he now leads curated historical tours. He is the founder and leader of the Lechatchila Israeli Jewish renewal enterprise.

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