Mark Gunnery
M.A. Candidate, Historical Studies
Mark’s masters thesis, “Leonard Cohen, Neo-Sabbatianism, and Heterodox North American Jewish Identities,” examines North American Jewish identities at the turn of the 21st century through a look at singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s (1934-2016) engagement with Sabbatianism. Sabbatianism, a religious movement founded in the 17th century by the Turkish Jewish mystic Sabbatai Tsevi (1626-1676), blends aspects of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity and has long been considered heretical due to its radical rejection of traditional religious law. In his later years, Cohen studied and supported Lawrence G. Corey, leader of a neo-Sabbatian group in Southern California. For many North American Jews, particularly veterans of 1960s and 1970s countercultures, Cohen’s unorthodox approach to Judaism and other religions resonated deeply. This study explores the impact of Sabbatianism on Jews like Cohen and Corey and its appeal to countercultural Jews.
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