Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2018 July 10

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July 10

Rabbi Shmuel ben Meshullam Gerondi

I have tried, but without success, to find biographical details of Rabbi Shmuel ben Meshullam Gerondi (sometimes his name appears as Yerondi instead of Gerondi), who was the author of an early book on Jewish law entitled "Ohel Moed". I believe that he lived in about the 14th century. I would be very grateful if a user could please help me find such biographical details. Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 08:37, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

According to the article on him here, "hardly any biographical details are known of him", which is presumably at the root of your problem. -Antiquary (talk) 09:52, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

There is a sizeable Call (Jewish quarter) In Gerona which is well preserved. I do not believe that the local Jewish community has survived, but I may be mistaken. A number of noted scholars were given the cognomen Gerondi (in variations, as you mention) as it has been a centre of learning until Jews were expelled in 1492. You may want to contact an Israelitic community in Barcelona (in spite of its chequered history, it does currently number a few thousand). One of those would be Comunidad Israelita de Barcelona.

I know where the (very) old synagogue is (it is a small museum today). If it is of any use, I may be in BCN late summer 2018 and could ask there about Rabbi Shmuel ben Meshullam Gerondi. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:37, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

I thank both of you for your answers. I would be very grateful if you could ask about this Rabbi when you are in Barcelona.Simonschaim (talk) 13:08, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

Here is the web address for the contact form of the Jewish Museum in Girona: https://www.girona.cat/call/eng/info_contacte.phphttps://www.girona.cat/call/eng/info_contacte.php

You may want to enquire directly on any biographical details they can access. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 05:59, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

PS: There is also a stack of associated data sheets (in Hebrew) which may be of use in your research. Being illiterate in Hebrew, I cannot check if "your" rabbi is mentioned. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 06:07, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 08:29, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

Hard Right vs. Far Right

Hi,

what is the difference between political 'hard right' and 'far right'? Are these two terms really interchangeable or is there rather a sophisticated distinction between them? The only reference I've found so far is on Collins English Dictionary, where it reads, they were actually interchangeable. I'm not entirely convinced though. (Despite the redirection of 'hard right' to 'far-right politics'-page on Wikipedia.) Could you please help me out on this question?

Thank You. Cabana (talk) 14:35, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

Why do you doubt the source? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:41, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

Edmund Fawcett wrote the book called Liberalism and in it sometimes he uses 'hard right' and sometimes 'far right'. I'm no native speaker in English, however 'far right' seems to me quite a radical term, meaning 'extreme right'. So I wonder if 'hard right' in everyday English means a bit less 'extreme right' than 'far right'? Cabana (talk) 20:42, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

I could see how the terms could evolve to such a point, though it doesn't appear to have done so at the present time. I could also see it as a matter of unwillingness to compromise no matter how close to the center one's politics are (so a "soft" far-rightist might be willing to meet in the middle with centrists and even center-leftists, while a "hard" center-rightist would refuse to meet anyone in the middle) -- but again, that doesn't appear to be current usage. Ian.thomson (talk) 22:34, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

• This Wall Street Journal editorial uses the terms "hard right" and "hard left" in such a manner to make it clear they are perfect synonyms of "far right" and "far left". Furthermore, I can't find a single counter source that uses them differently or claims different definitions.--Jayron32 22:29, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

  Well, that may be Dershowitz's usage. I'm not sure where to point as a reference, but I do think "hard right" tends to be used a bit differently from "far right", with "hard right" referring to movement conservatism, and "far right" being reserved for racist groups. Which of these is further "right" is not clear to me, but then I generally find the left/right distinction more obfuscatory than helpful. --Trovatore (talk) 22:43, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

  I made a good faith effort to find a clear usage distinction, and could find none. While the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, assertions without evidence are even more meaningless. If, as you say, '"hard right" tends to be used a bit differently from "far right"', then you should find no difficulty in producing evidence as such. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying you have not established that you are right. Those are different things. If you would like to be considered right, providing evidence would do that. --Jayron32 03:17, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

Here's one example of BrE usage, where hard right refers to various prominent Conservative party figures; these are not skinheads marching in the streets, which is what far right would connote in BrE. Henry^Flower 09:05, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

These are both slippery expressions, which in politics is just about what you'd expect. A "Glossary of Terms" published by the organization Political Research Associates defines both expressions, from which it appears that they "are leaning toward" using them synonymously while acknowledging that "The term 'Far Right' is used in different ways by different authors. Some use it to refer to the Hard Right, while others use it to refer to the Extreme Right." A writer in the International Socialist Review says "There is a problem with some left analyses of the hard right and its far right component in particular", so he seems to be using the two expressions with different meanings. I haven't read Edmund Fawcett's Liberalism, but on the Web he draws a clear distinction: "I talk about the hard right, not the far right, because 'far' suggests fringe and the hard right has left the fringe to become a normal part of the political contest." --Antiquary (talk) 10:14, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

Thanks! Those are some excellent references!--Jayron32 13:34, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

Thanks again! Cabana (talk) 17:39, 13 July 2018 (UTC)