Judaism life and practice Books

Book SynopsisNamed one of Library Journal’s Best Religion & Spirituality Books of the YearAn Unorthodox Guide to Everything Jewish Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew-ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta,balagan, bashert, and bageling. Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld, listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see “Latkes”). Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It’s a lot.Trade Review“An illustrated, smart and comic guide, well-attuned to this moment.”—Jewish Week “Crams in just about everything you need to know about Jewish culture and history – from the Torah to Chinese food. . . . A weighty tome that just begs to be picked up, thumbed through, and quoted from. It is exhaustive but not exhausting, a thorough examination of Jewish themes presented as hors d’oeuvres to entice a larger meal.”—The Times of Israel “Deeply entertaining and highly educational. . . . Adding their thoroughly modern compendium to a long tradition of Jewish scholarship, the authors have served up a colorful array of all things Jewish for Jews and non-Jews alike.”—Broadway World “Alternately irreverent and profound—but always informative. . . . A great gift.”—BookPage “This delightfully irreverent romp through Jewish history and culture is the outgrowth of Tablet magazine’s podcast, Unorthodox, and considers itself the updated version of The Jewish Catalog (1973). As with Catalog, podcast hosts and coauthors Butnick, Liel ­Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer claim this chronicle is not a comprehensive or exhaustive survey of all things Jewish. To that end, the biblical hero Judah Maccabee is “one kickass priest,” Jewish Community Centers are places “where Gentiles play racquetball,” and Long Island is “the other Promised Land.” Culturally, the authors make a convincing argument for Jews as “mediators of black music” and even responsible for the beloved Christmas tunes “White Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Bernie Madoff finds reference only under the generic moniker, shonde, or one who brings shame to the community, where he keeps company with Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner. On a more serious note in a compilation filled with humor, brevity is the signature mark of that which requires mention, but not glory—Adolf Hitler, Nazis, and Auschwitz’s Arbeit Macht Frei (“work sets you free”) merit a single sentence each. ­VERDICT A welcome update on Jewish history and culture that is mostly just plain fun.—Library Journal, starred review “No dense, scholarly tome, this volume is pure fun, although serious topics are included. . . . . A reference work is rarely as readable as this one is. Informative and irreverent, welcoming and witty, it is enthusiastically recommended.”—Booklist

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Book SynopsisNeither in Dark Speeches nor in Similitudes is an interdisciplinary collaboration of Canadian and American Jewish studies scholars who compare and contrast the experience of Jews along the chronological spectrum (ca. 1763 to the present) in their respective countries. Of particular interest to them is determining the factors that shaped the Jewish communities on either side of our common border, and why they differed. This collection equips Canadian and American Jewish historians to broaden their examination and ask new questions, as well as answer old questions based on fresh comparative data.Table of Contents1. The Value of Canadian Jewish History to the American Jewish Historian and Vice Versa: Another Look | Jonathan D. Sarna 2. Traversing the 49th Parallel: The Jewish Experience Prior to 1881 | Susan Landau-Chark 3. Re-evaluating Jew or Juif? Jewish Community and Life in Franco Heritage North America | Barry L. Stiefel 4. Planting the Seed of Identity: The Contributions of the Early Jewish Farmers of North America | Howard Gontovnick 5. Bacon, Beans, and a Fine Dish of âDittoâ: Commonalities in Early Jewish Life and Religiosity along the Pacific West Coast | Lillooet Nordlinger 6. They Who Control the Time: The Orthodox Alliance of Abraham De Sola and Jacques Judah Lyons and the Nineteenth-Century Jewish Calendar | Zev Eleff Finding a Rabbi for Quebec City: The Interplay between an American Rabbinate and a Canadian Congregation | Ira Robinson 7. âChasing the Cureâ on Both Sides of the Border: Jewish Tuberculosis Sanatoriums in Denver and Montreal | Jeanne Abrams 8. Performing Jewish? Heinz Unger, Gustav Mahler, and the Musical Strains of German-Jewish Identity in Canada and the United States | Hernan Tesler-Mabé 9. East Meets West: Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in Canada and the United States | Kelly Train

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