Without Bounds illuminates the life of the mysterious Rabbi Ya'aqov Wazana; a Jewish healer who worked in the Western High Atlas region in southern Morocco and died there in the early 1950s. Impressed by his healing powers and shamanic virtuosity; Moroccan Jews are intrigued by his lifestyle and contacts with the Muslim and the demonic worlds that dangerously blurred his Jewish identity. Based on interviews with Moroccan Jews conducted in the late 1980s; Without Bounds proposes multiple readings of Wazana's life. Yoram Bilu recreates the influences and important moments in Wazana's life and evaluates his character from psychological and anthropological perspectives. Human and demon-bound; holy and impure; Jew and Muslim; old and young; Rabbi Ya'aqov Wazana dissolved the boundaries of the major social categories in Morocco and integrated them into his identity.
#239804 in Books University of Virginia Press 2006-09-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .58 x 5.98l; .84 #File Name: 0813926165256 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A watershead moment..............By Robert C. Hufford.....in Virginia history. In Colonial times; the name Randolph meant something in Virginia. In fact; the Randolph family; in its various branches; were pretty much a law unto themselves; able to do anything; including murder; with impunity. Fortunately; most of them; like Speaker Peyton Randolph; were decent people; who provided sound leadership. The family has produced some of THE names in American history; Thomas Jefferson; John Marshall; Robert E. Lee.....Alas; much of the glory slowly departed after Independence....tobacco depleted the soil...wealth disappeared...power waned....the name was all some of them had left....On the morning of October 1; 1792; Richard Randolph travelled from his estate; "Bizarre" to "Glentivar"; the estate of his cousins the Harrisons. He was accompanied by his wife Judith; and his wife's sister; Ann Cary "Nancy" Randolph. The girls were the sisters of Jefferson's son-in-law; Thomas Mann Randolph; jr. [Jefferson's only connection...I'll return to that]. That night; something [or; I should say; SOMETHING] happened; and Virginia was never the same. Sometime during the night; Nancy screamed with abdominal pain; footsteps were heard on the stairs; and; the next morning; the Harrison slaves started telling of finding a dead white baby in the woodpile; though no body was ever produced. Rumors had already circulated that Richard was overly affectionate towards Nancy; though Nancy was also said to be attached to Richard's brother; by then deceased.....In the aftermath; Richard was accused of impregnating Nancy; helping her abort; and killing the baby. Worse; in the culture of the time; he was accused of not providing proper family leadership and protection. Nancy was accused of bring a "loose woman" [...]; and forfeiting her right to protection. Richard was arrested; and; in April 1793; tried for murder. Somehow; he managed to hire a "dream team" defense of Patrick Henry; John Marshall; and Alexander Campbell; and got off. Richard was free; but with a ruined reputation; he was already broke. In 1796; he died. Years later; Nancy stated that she had been pregnant by Theo; and miscarried.Nancy stayed on at Bizarre until 1805; in what atmosphere we can only imagine. Richard's surviving brother; John Randolph of Roanoke; did all he could to make her life hell. She tried to live in Richmond; but was shunned by her own extended family....she moved to New York; and found redemption in the person of Gouverneur Morris; whom she married in 1809; and bore one son. When Morris died in 1816; Nancy was left rich; but under attack from the Morris family who wanted to dispute paternity of the child and get at the money. They were aided by John Randolph; who made sure Nancy's reputation followed her. But Nancy fended off all challenges; was as fine a mother as she had been wife; and even helped out some of the financially poor Randolphs who tried to ruin her.This book is a parable of family ruin; wrapped around a still-debated legal case; with a counterpoint of personal fall and rise. The reasons for the Randolph decline are many. Dr. Kierner has written a fine story; a look at one family in a larger society. I give five stars; though the subtitle perplexes me. I get the impression; very wrong though it may be; that Dr. Kierner doesn't like Mr. Jefferson [I always use present tense in speaking of Mr. Jefferson]; and is trying to impute guilt by association. Jefferson has NOTHING to do with this story; except an indirect one thru his blockhead son-in-law. Still; a good yarn; well organized; well told...that's five stars.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy george spainWell written. A story that holds your attention.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Virginia history at its best!By Richard S. Dixon Jr.This is a great history of a small event; which has reverberations into the greater world of American history. It reminds me much of the Peggy O'Neill scandal of the 1830s; which destroyed John C. Calhoun's chances for the presidency and elevated the Old Magician; Martin van Buren. Much like that scandal almost forty years later; the scandal at Bizarre is a delight of human failure; success and perseverance. Anyone interested in Virginia history of the Federal period will delight in the details of this book.Kierner has put together a fascinating tale; the pacing is right and the focus is also right on the money. The misadventures of Nancy Randolph read like some Bronte novel; all the more interesting is this tale because it is true! The families involved are some of the most prominent in Virginia (even still!); the events easily imaginable. One ends up sympathizing with almost everyone connected with this story (except perhaps Patrick Henry; who takes his five hundred Pound fee and creeps back to Red Hill in pretty miserable fashion). I even felt sorry for poor Richard: dead at 26 of mysterious causes. And poor Judith; eeking out a miserable existence in rented rooms in Farmville and Richmond: truly; the paths of Glory lead but to the Grave! Read it and weep.
