Judaism Books
Lerner Publishing Group Purim is Coming!
Book Synopsis
£8.00
Lerner Publishing Group Paulie's Passover Predicament
Book Synopsis
£7.59
Lerner Publishing Group A Heart Just Like My Mother's
Book Synopsis
£7.59
Lerner Publishing Group Search for the Shamir: Scarlett & Sam
Book Synopsis
£6.99
Lerner Publishing Group A Queen in Jerusalem
Book Synopsis
£7.59
Lerner Publishing Group Can You Hear a Coo, Coo?
Book Synopsis
£5.99
Lerner Publishing Group Light the Menorah!
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Dartmouth College Press Sabbatian Heresy
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£21.00
University of Pennsylvania Press England's Jews: Finance, Violence, and the Crown
Book SynopsisIn 1290, Jews were expelled from England and subsequently largely expunged from English historical memory. Yet for two centuries they occupied important roles in medieval English society. England’s Jews revisits this neglected chapter of English history—one whose remembrance is more important than ever today, as antisemitism and other forms of racism are on the rise. Historian John Tolan tells the story of the thousands of Jews who lived in medieval England. Protected by the Crown and granted the exclusive right to loan money with interest, Jews financed building projects, provided loans to students, and bought and rented out housing. Historical texts show that they shared meals and beer, celebrated at weddings, and sometimes even ended up in bed with Christians. Yet Church authorities feared the consequences of Jewish contact with Christians and tried to limit it, though to little avail. Royal protection also proved to be a double-edged sword: when revolts broke out against the unpopular king Henry III, some of the rebels, in debt to Jewish creditors, killed Jews and destroyed loan records. Vicious rumors circulated that Jews secretly plotted against Christians and crucified Christian children. All of these factors led Edward I to expel the Jews from England in 1290. Paradoxically, Tolan shows, thirteenth-century England was both the theatre of fruitful interreligious exchange and a crucible of European antisemitism.Trade Review"This splendid book offers an engrossing and profoundly learned account of the place of Jews in English society. Its cogent and subtle exploration of the interplay between creative social dynamics and the destructiveness of predatory government have relevance far beyond its thirteenth-century setting." * R. I. Moore, author of The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western Europe, 950–1250 *"There is no comparable book to this one. England’s Jews is a compelling and impressive account of Jews’ changing relationship to the Crown in thirteenth-century England, and John Tolan is a well-respected historian and an excellent storyteller." * Robert Stacey, University of Washington *"England’s Jews is a welcome contribution to the study of the history of England’s Jews. By examining documentation generated by church and crown, John Tolan shows how a small group of subjects occupied the bureaucratic efforts and the religious imagination of the country's leaders in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries." * Miri Rubin, Queen Mary University of London *"John Tolan, in an account as scholarly as it is accessible, casts entirely new light on the predicament of England’s Jews in the century before their expulsion in 1290. His book is essential reading for all those interested in the history of medieval Jewry." * David Carpenter, King’s College London *
£34.00
University of Pennsylvania Press Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspectives on
Book SynopsisCircumventing the Law probes the rabbinic logic behind the use of loopholes, the legal phenomenon of finding and using gaps within law to achieve otherwise illegal outcomes. The logic of ha’aramah, a subset of rabbinic legal circumventions mostly defined as a tool for private life, underpins both well-known circumventions, such as selling leaven before Passover, and lesser-known mechanisms, such as designating an animal intended for sacrifice “blemished” before birth to allow it to be slaughtered for food instead. Elana Stein Hain traces the development of these loopholes over time, revealing that rabbinic literature does not consistently accept or reject loopholes. Instead, rabbinic Judaism applies categories of evasion (prohibited), avoidance (permitted), and avoision (contested) to loopholes on a case-by-case basis. The intended outcome of a given loophole determines its classification, as does the legal integrity of the circumventive process in question. Yet these understandings of loopholes are not static—instead, rabbinic attitudes toward loopholing change over time. Early works display an objective, performative understanding of the self and of intention, but evolve over time to reflect more subjective and intimate understanding of the self and intention. This evolution redefines what legal integrity means in Jewish legal philosophy. Circumventing the Law brings readers through the Second Temple period to the modern era to see how loopholing has evolved over millennia. With a focus on late antiquity, Stein Hain explores tannaitic literature, the Palestinian Talmud, and contemporaneous Greco-Roman and Persian thought to show that when warranted, Jewish rhetoric and philosophy around understandings of loopholes was a unique phenomenon that relied on changes in understanding the definition of integrity itself, a key finding for scholars of Jewish Studies and of religious and of secular law writ large.Trade Review"More than a historical and comparative phenomenology of rabbinic legal ‘loopholes,’ this conceptually sophisticated and beautifully written volume offers a fascinating exploration of the role of values, intention, and subjectivity in classical rabbinic jurisprudence and exposes the paradoxical faithfulness behind the circumvention of divine law." * Christine Hayes, author of What's Divine About Divine Law: Early Perspectives *"Elana Stein Hain offers a provocative and persuasive reading of early rabbinic techniques for circumventing the law that immeasurably enriches our understanding of the early rabbinic worldview and invites readers to reconsider how our varying understandings of human nature shape legal rules from within." * Suzanne Last Stone, Yeshiva University *
£45.90
University of Pennsylvania Press And the Sages Did Not Know: Early Rabbinic
Book SynopsisThis book explores the question: How did the rabbis of the first two centuries CE approach bodies that are born with variant genitals—bodies that they could not identify as definitely male or female? The rabbis had constructed a system in which every behavior was governed by one’s sex/gender, posing a conundrum both for people who did not fit into that model and for the rabbinic enterprise itself. Despite this, their texts contain dozens of references to intersex. And the Sages Did Not Know examines the rabbis’ legal texts and concludes that they had multiple approaches to intersex people. Sarra Lev analyzes seven different rabbinic responses to this conflict of their own making. Through their rulings on how intersex people should conduct themselves in multiple circumstances, the early rabbis treat intersex people as unidentifiable males or females, as indeterminate, as male, as non-gendered, as sui generis, as part-male/part-female, as a sustainable paradox, and, finally, as a way for them to think about gender, having nothing to do with intersex people themselves. This is the first such work that concentrates primarily on the potential effects of these rabbinic texts on intersex persons themselves rather than focusing on what the texts offer readers whose interest is rabbinic approaches to sex and gender or gender diversity. Although the rabbinic texts do not include the voices of known intersex people, these materials do offer us a window into how one small group of people approached intersex bodies, and how those approaches were both similar to and different from those we recognize today.Trade Review"With this meticulous and erudite study of the early rabbinic texts about the figure of the nonbinary body, the androginos, Sarra Lev offers a compelling case for using the late ancient material in the contemporary conversation about intersex embodiment. Lev beautifully weaves together the rabbinic legal discourse with contemporary intersex voices, thereby crafting a space of possibility for a different future for these late ancient Jewish texts. A critical contribution toward contending with the Jewish and—by implication—with the U.S. binary sex/gender system of law." * Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert, Stanford University *
£50.40
Graphic Arts Books The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for
Book SynopsisThe Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a collection of short fiction and plays by nine prominent Jewish figures of the early twentieth-century meant to capture and celebrate the spirit of the holiday. In, “By the Light of Hanukkah: A Play in Three Acts,” by Solomon Fineberg, a young man named David awaits to hear about his admittance to the American Rabbinical College while his blind sister Esther quietly wishes to regain her sight. Elma Levinger’s “The Unlighted Menorah: A Hanukkah Fantasy,” tells the story of Abraham Mendelssohn, an old man at the end of his life grappling with his decision to assimilate his son into American culture; and “Hanukkah Evening” is a charming story of a family waiting for their father to return home to light the first candle on the Menorah. With these and eight additional stories, The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a collection that features tales of families, tradition and culture pride for readers young and old. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of The Big Festival of Lights: Stories and Plays for Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish culture reimagined for a modern audience.
£7.59
Cognella, Inc Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction to
Book SynopsisElementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction to the Language and its History gives students a general overview of the language and focuses on its main characteristics. The text avoids a heavy-handed academic approach and instead emphasizes the basics of general understanding.Students are exposed to commentaries and word studies that provide a strong linguistic foundation while introducing Biblical Hebrew's primary components. Chapters include strategies and hints for learning the language, as well as activities and exercises that allow for application.The second edition features a new preface, fresh translation keys for Chapters 7 and 8, and new vocabulary words in Chapters 3 through 8.Elementary Biblical Hebrew takes an ancient language and places it in an engaging, relevant context to make it come alive for students. The text is enriched with charts, illustrations, and full-colour photography. It is an excellent choice for courses in the language, as well as introductory or survey courses on the Old Testament.
£55.20
Manchester University Press Leeds and its Jewish Community: A History
Book SynopsisThe book provides a comprehensive history of the third-largest Jewish community in Britain and fills an acknowledged gap in both Jewish and urban historiography. Bringing together the latest research and building on earlier local studies, the book provides an analysis of the special features which shaped the community in Leeds. Organised in three sections, Context, Chronology and Contours, the book demonstrates how Jews have influenced the city and how the city has influenced the community. A small community was transformed by the late Victorian influx of poor migrants from the Russian Empire and within two generations had become successfully integrated into the city’s social and economic structure. More than a dozen authors contribute to this definitive history and the editor provides both an introductory and concluding overview which brings the story up to the present day. The book will be of interest to both historians and general readers. Table of ContentsList of figuresList of tablesNotes on contributorsPrefaceList of abbreviationsIntroductionPart I: The context1 National: Jews in Britain: an historical overview – Geoffrey Alderman2 Local: Leeds in the age of great cities – Derek Fraser3 Demographic: The Jewish population of Leeds: how many Jews? – Nigel Grizzard Part II: The chronology4 Jews as Yorkshiremen: Jewish identity in late-Victorian Leeds – James Appell5 Britishness and Jewishness: integration and separation – Aaron Kent6 Pragmatism or politics: Leeds Jewish tailors and Leeds Jewish tailoring trade unions, 1876–1915 – Anne J. Kershen7 The Edwardian Jewish community and the First World War – Nigel Grizzard8 Zionism in Leeds 1892–1939 – Janet Douglas9 The unwalled ghetto: mobility and anti-semitism in the interwar period – Amanda Bergen 10 The Second World War – Ian VellinsPart III: The contours of the Leeds Jewish community11 Jewish heritage in Leeds – Sharman Kadish12 Fellowship and philanthropy – Derek Fraser 13 At rest and play: leisure and sporting activities – Phil Goldstone14 The influence of personalities – Michael Meadowcroft15 Spaces of Jewish belonging – Irina Kudenko16 The community today and its recent history – Derek Fraser Index
£72.25
Manchester University Press Leeds and its Jewish Community: A History
Book SynopsisThe book provides a comprehensive history of the third-largest Jewish community in Britain and fills an acknowledged gap in both Jewish and urban historiography. Bringing together the latest research and building on earlier local studies, the book provides an analysis of the special features which shaped the community in Leeds. Organised in three sections, Context, Chronology and Contours, the book demonstrates how Jews have influenced the city and how the city has influenced the community. A small community was transformed by the late Victorian influx of poor migrants from the Russian Empire and within two generations had become successfully integrated into the city’s social and economic structure. More than a dozen authors contribute to this definitive history and the editor provides both an introductory and concluding overview which brings the story up to the present day. The book will be of interest to both historians and general readers. Table of ContentsList of figuresList of tablesNotes on contributorsPrefaceList of abbreviationsIntroductionPart I: The context1 National: Jews in Britain: an historical overview – Geoffrey Alderman2 Local: Leeds in the age of great cities – Derek Fraser3 Demographic: The Jewish population of Leeds: how many Jews? – Nigel Grizzard Part II: The chronology4 Jews as Yorkshiremen: Jewish identity in late-Victorian Leeds – James Appell5 Britishness and Jewishness: integration and separation – Aaron Kent6 Pragmatism or politics: Leeds Jewish tailors and Leeds Jewish tailoring trade unions, 1876–1915 – Anne J. Kershen7 The Edwardian Jewish community and the First World War – Nigel Grizzard8 Zionism in Leeds 1892–1939 – Janet Douglas9 The unwalled ghetto: mobility and anti-semitism in the interwar period – Amanda Bergen 10 The Second World War – Ian VellinsPart III: The contours of the Leeds Jewish community11 Jewish heritage in Leeds – Sharman Kadish12 Fellowship and philanthropy – Derek Fraser 13 At rest and play: leisure and sporting activities – Phil Goldstone14 The influence of personalities – Michael Meadowcroft15 Spaces of Jewish belonging – Irina Kudenko16 The community today and its recent history – Derek Fraser Index
£19.99
Manchester University Press No Masters but God: Portraits of Anarcho-Judaism
Book SynopsisThe forgotten legacy of religious Jewish anarchism, and the adventures and ideas of its key figures, finally comes to light in this book. Set in the decades surrounding both world wars, No masters but God identifies a loosely connected group of rabbis and traditionalist thinkers who explicitly appealed to anarchist ideas in articulating the meaning of the Torah, traditional practice, Jewish life and the mission of modern Jewry. Full of archival discoveries and first translations from Yiddish and Hebrew, it explores anarcho-Judaism in its variety through the works of Yaakov Meir Zalkind, Yitshak Nahman Steinberg, Yehudah Leyb Don-Yahiya, Avraham Yehudah Heyn, Natan Hofshi, Shmuel Alexandrov, Yehudah Ashlag and Aaron Shmuel Tamaret. With this ground-breaking account, Hayyim Rothman traces a complicated story about the modern entanglement of religion and anarchism, pacifism and Zionism, prophetic anti-authoritarianism and mystical antinomianism.Trade Review'The panoramic view of these thinkers over the course of the book’s ten chapters is an especially important contribution for the English reader since it fills a noticeable gap in scholarship by offering first-ever English translations of Hebrew and Yiddish texts and lays the foundation for future research.'Lehrhaus'A pioneering, thoroughly researched, and comprehensive portrait of [...] 8 advocates of religious Jewish anarchism.'Lilian Türk, Religion, State and Society, Volume 50 (2022) -- .Table of Contents1 An anarchist minyan2 Historical and theological context Part I: The activists3 Yaakov Meir Zalkind (1875–1938)4 Yitshak Nahman Steinberg (1888–1957) Part II: The mystics5 Shmuel Alexandrov (1865–1941)6 Yehuda Ashlag (1885–1954) Part III: The pacifists7 Yehuda-Leyb Don-Yahiya (1869–1941)8 Avraham Yehudah Heyn (1880–1957)9 Natan Hofshi (1890–1980)10 Aaron-Shmuel Tamaret (1869–1931)Conclusion: Contemporary relevanceIndex
£76.50
Manchester University Press No Masters but God: Portraits of Anarcho-Judaism
Book SynopsisThe forgotten legacy of religious Jewish anarchism, and the adventures and ideas of its key figures, finally comes to light in this book. Set in the decades surrounding both world wars, No masters but God identifies a loosely connected group of rabbis and traditionalist thinkers who explicitly appealed to anarchist ideas in articulating the meaning of the Torah, traditional practice, Jewish life and the mission of modern Jewry. Full of archival discoveries and first translations from Yiddish and Hebrew, it explores anarcho-Judaism in its variety through the works of Yaakov Meir Zalkind, Yitshak Nahman Steinberg, Yehudah Leyb Don-Yahiya, Avraham Yehudah Heyn, Natan Hofshi, Shmuel Alexandrov, Yehudah Ashlag and Aaron Shmuel Tamaret. With this ground-breaking account, Hayyim Rothman traces a complicated story about the modern entanglement of religion and anarchism, pacifism and Zionism, prophetic anti-authoritarianism and mystical antinomianism.Trade Review'The panoramic view of these thinkers over the course of the book’s ten chapters is an especially important contribution for the English reader since it fills a noticeable gap in scholarship by offering first-ever English translations of Hebrew and Yiddish texts and lays the foundation for future research.'Lehrhaus'A pioneering, thoroughly researched, and comprehensive portrait of [...] 8 advocates of religious Jewish anarchism.'Lilian Türk, Religion, State and Society, Volume 50 (2022) -- .Table of Contents1 An anarchist minyan2 Historical and theological context Part I: The activists3 Yaakov Meir Zalkind (1875–1938)4 Yitshak Nahman Steinberg (1888–1957) Part II: The mystics5 Shmuel Alexandrov (1865–1941)6 Yehuda Ashlag (1885–1954) Part III: The pacifists7 Yehuda-Leyb Don-Yahiya (1869–1941)8 Avraham Yehudah Heyn (1880–1957)9 Natan Hofshi (1890–1980)10 Aaron-Shmuel Tamaret (1869–1931)Conclusion: Contemporary relevanceIndex
£19.00
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Conspiracy Theory: When God is Seemingly Against
Book SynopsisIf you have ever struggled with deep disappointments, unanswered prayers, or found your life crumbling around you, Conspiracy Theory was written just for you! The world of social media shows us with real clarity the desire that people have to be connected to each other, but with the safety of an off switch. Real world intimacy can be very different – much better, but without the off switch. The greatest intimacy however is with God, whether we realise it or not. It can be difficult to take in the fact that God knows us better than we know ourselves, and that his love is bigger than anything we have ever experienced, yet not out of reach. Just as at the airport when we see through our luggage on the x–ray, nothing is hidden from Him nor do we have to hide anything. Not only that, but He reveals himself as so much bigger than us and also everything we need, which can free us from the bondage of being obsessed with ourselves – true liberation! The roadmap for this book travels through one of the most loved and popular portions in the Bible – Psalm 139. It takes you on a journey from the heights of intimacy to the inevitable lows that life brings us, especially the ones that leave us saying ‘WOW – I never saw that coming.’ But that is when the need for intimacy with God can hit us like a brick. What if God is behind the WOW? What if we need to forgive and just cannot, or just do not understand what is going on, or feel that change is overwhelming? Whether these situations are personal, physical, relational, or even bigger, when they arrive, it seems we realise then that we alone are not enough. Real intimacy with God is incredible but will require honesty, wrestling with difficult issues and asking challenging questions. Come along on this possibly life–transforming journey – it’s well worth the trip. Incudes Personal Questions. Suitable for Study Groups. Looks at Issues Such as War & Abortion. Interesting Facts & Figures Other Bible Stories Interwoven Engaging and Funny Everyday Stories.Trade ReviewThis book winsomely reveals that God is not against us but for us and ever working to shape us into his beloved children. I sincerely wish I had had this book to give to the countless number of people who came needing to hear its message of God’s loving presence and constant care. -- Mark R. Patterson (Director, Flourish Institute: School of Ministry)… warm devotion and faithful doctrine take us deeper and deeper into each verse of this transformational Psalm, growing our confidence that God is good even when life is hard. -- Tim McConnell (Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs, Colrado and author of ‘Happy Church: Pursuing Radical Joy as the People of God’)… winsome … full of wise exposition and application of Psalm 139. Richard not only takes us through the text a few verses at a time but also draws on the whole of Scripture, like all good Christian writers and teachers ought to. -- Alistair Purss (Lead Pastor, Dumfries Baptist Church, Scotland)This is a warm, practical, encouraging Bible–soaked book for any believer about what used to be regarded as elements of a ‘normal’ Christian life – in other words, one with perplexity, challenge, heartache and darkness, but nonetheless a trust that God is somehow at work even when we don’t understand what is happening to us. -- David Baker (Editor, Evangelicals Now)With warm and wise reflections on one of the greatest songs ever written, coupled with engaging examples from across scripture, Dr Gibbons applies key truths about God’s character and purposes in ways which are profound yet personal, and challenging yet life–changing, showing us how much God knows, cares, acts and loves. -- Jonathan Lamb (Minister–at–large for Keswick Ministries, IFES Vice President, and former Director, Langham Preaching)
£13.70
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Bible Delight
Book Synopsis
£13.52
Quercus Publishing Anti-Semitism Revisited: How the Rabbis Made
Book Synopsis"Anti-Semitism revisited in a wholly original way" Philippe Sands"Rippling with ideas on every page" Jewish Chronicle"Tackles the issue [of anti-semitism] from the perspective of a country where its manifestations have been more vicious and deadly" Financial TimesRabbi Delphine Horvilleur analyses the phenomenon of anti-semitism as it is viewed by those who endure it and who, through narration and literature, succeed in overcoming it. Jewish texts are replete with treatments of anti-semitism, of this endlessly paradoxical hatred, and of the ways in which Jews are perceived by others. But here, the focus is inverted: Anti-Semitism Revisited explores the hatred of Jews as seen through the lens of the sacred texts, rabbinical tradition and Jewish lore. Delphine Horvilleur gives a voice to those who are too often deprived of one, examining resilience in the face of adversity and the legacy of an ancient hatred that is often misunderstood. An engaging, hopeful and very original examination of anti-semitism: what it means, where it comes from, what are the ancient myths and tropes that are weaponised against Jewish people, and how do we take them apart.Translated from the French by David BellosTrade ReviewTackles the issue [of anti-Semitism] from the perspective of a country where its manifestations have been more vicious and deadly * Financial Times *Rippling with ideas on every page -- Simon Rocker * Jewish Chronicle *Highly recommended -- Andrea Heiz * Der Standard *Horvilleur's elegantly and ironically written text provides plenty of food for thought -- Martina Läubli * NZZ am Sonntag *Provides illuminating insights into exegetical discussions of the rabbinical tradition -- Lea de Gregorio * Zeit *
£8.99
Quercus Publishing In Eve's Attire: Modesty, Judaism and the Female
Book SynopsisDoes modernity trample on tradition, or can it in fact be a vehicle for the sacred?How can one determine whether an interpretation is legitimate, anachronistic or corrupted?Does sexual obsession have a textual origin, and is it woman's destiny to be veiled?In Eve's Attire confronts these questions and more to suggest another interpretation of religious traditions surrounding the female body and the erotic.As current fundamentalist religious discourse expresses a growing fixation on modesty, women are increasingly reduced to those parts of their bodies that arouse desire, effectively "genitalised" until the totality of their bodies becomes taboo. In resistance to such interpretations of religious text, which see even a woman's voice as an erotic organ to be silenced, Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur looks not only at religious texts themselves, but also at their interpreters, as she unpicks readings that make the woman a temptress, and modesty the instrument of her oppression. She shows us how nakedness, as expressed by Adam, Eve or Noah, refers to a culture of desire and not a wish to suppress it and explores how the veil was originally intended: not to reject, but to approach the other.Through her analysis of the meaning of modesty and nudity in Judaism, Delphine Horvilleur explores the societal and religious obsession with the female body and its representation and asks questions about how we can engage more critically with interpretations of sacred texts.Translated from the French by Ruth DiverTrade ReviewA luminous essay -- Marie Lemonnier * Le Nouvel Observateur *Courageous, subtle and often funny -- Marc Riglet * L'Express *A richly detailed reflection on the situation of women in the Jewish tradition * Psychologies *A brilliant deconstruction of fundamentalist religious discourse -- Vincent Remy * Télérama *Brilliant ... A deep dive to the heart of the great monotheistic religions -- Dorothée Werner * Elle *
£11.99
Fordham University Press Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian
Book SynopsisWhat is between us and the Christians is a deep dark affair which will go for another hundred generations . . .” (Amos Oz, Judas) Among the great social shifts of the post–World War II era is the unlikely sea-change in Jewish Christian relations. We read each other’s scriptures and openly discuss differences as well as similarities. Yet many such encounters have become rote and predictable. Powerful emotions stirred up by these conversations are often dismissed or ignored. Demonstrating how such emotions as shame, envy, and desire can inform these encounters, Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone charts a new way of thinking about interreligious relations. Moreover, by focusing on modern and contemporary writers (novelists and poets) who traffic in the volatile space between Judaism and Christianity, the book calls attention to the creative implications of these intense encounters. While recognizing a long-overdue need to address a fundamentally Christian narrative underwriting twentieth century American verse, Holy Envy does more than represent Christianity as an aesthetically coercive force, or as an adversarial other. For the book also suggests how literature can excavate an alternative interreligious space, at once risky and generative. In bringing together recent accounts of Jewish Christian relations, affect theory, and poetics, Holy Envy offers new ways into difficult and urgent, conversations about interreligious encounters. Holy Envy is sure to engage readers who are interested in literature, religion, and, above all, interfaith dialogue.Table of ContentsPreface | vii Acknowledgments | xix 1 Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone | 1 2 Lives of the Saints: Mina Loy and Gertrude Stein | 27 3 Hiding in Plain Sight: Louis Zukofsky, Shame, and the Sorrows of Yiddish | 54 4 Unholy Envy: Karl Shapiro and the Problem of “Judeo-Christianity” | 80 5 The Certainty of Wings: Denise Levertov and the Legacy of Her Hebrew-Christian Father | 108 6 Coda: Holy Insecurity | 133 Notes | 143 Works Cited | 151 Index | 163
£89.30
Fordham University Press Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian
Book SynopsisWhat is between us and the Christians is a deep dark affair which will go for another hundred generations . . .” (Amos Oz, Judas) Among the great social shifts of the post–World War II era is the unlikely sea-change in Jewish Christian relations. We read each other’s scriptures and openly discuss differences as well as similarities. Yet many such encounters have become rote and predictable. Powerful emotions stirred up by these conversations are often dismissed or ignored. Demonstrating how such emotions as shame, envy, and desire can inform these encounters, Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone charts a new way of thinking about interreligious relations. Moreover, by focusing on modern and contemporary writers (novelists and poets) who traffic in the volatile space between Judaism and Christianity, the book calls attention to the creative implications of these intense encounters. While recognizing a long-overdue need to address a fundamentally Christian narrative underwriting twentieth century American verse, Holy Envy does more than represent Christianity as an aesthetically coercive force, or as an adversarial other. For the book also suggests how literature can excavate an alternative interreligious space, at once risky and generative. In bringing together recent accounts of Jewish Christian relations, affect theory, and poetics, Holy Envy offers new ways into difficult and urgent, conversations about interreligious encounters. Holy Envy is sure to engage readers who are interested in literature, religion, and, above all, interfaith dialogue.Table of ContentsPreface | vii Acknowledgments | xix 1 Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone | 1 2 Lives of the Saints: Mina Loy and Gertrude Stein | 27 3 Hiding in Plain Sight: Louis Zukofsky, Shame, and the Sorrows of Yiddish | 54 4 Unholy Envy: Karl Shapiro and the Problem of “Judeo-Christianity” | 80 5 The Certainty of Wings: Denise Levertov and the Legacy of Her Hebrew-Christian Father | 108 6 Coda: Holy Insecurity | 133 Notes | 143 Works Cited | 151 Index | 163
£23.39
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform Divulgando uma Porção: Os Mecânicos Internos Da
Book Synopsis
£13.39
Rowman & Littlefield The Archaeology of the Holocaust: Vilna, Rhodes,
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 2016 acclaimed archaeologist Richard Freund and his team made news worldwide when they discovered an escape tunnel from the Ponar burial pits in Lithunia. This Holocaust site where more than 100,000 people perished is usually remembered for the terrible devastation that happened there. In the midst of this devastation, the discovery of an escape tunnel reminds us of the determination and tenacity of the people in the camp and the hope they continued to carry. The Archaeology of the Holocaust takes readers out to the field with Freund and his multi-disciplinary research group as they uncover the evidence of the Holocaust, focusing on sites in Lithuania, Poland, and Greece in the past decade. Using forensic detective work, Freund tells the micro- and macro-histories of sites from the Holocaust as his team covers excavations and geo-physical surveys done at four sites in Poland, four sites in Rhodes, and 15 different sites in Lithuania with comparisons of some of the work done at other sites in Eastern Europe. The book contains testimonies of survivors, photographs, information about a variety of complementary geo-science techniques, and information gleaned from pin-point excavations. It serves as an introduction to the Holocaust and explains aspects of the culture lost in the Holocaust through the lens of archaeology and geo-science.Trade ReviewOnce again, Richard Freund has demonstrated the enormous contribution that archaeology can make to understanding the Holocaust. By listening attentively to testimonies and exploring intricate details of what he uncovers, Freund is able to demonstrate how archaeology is about people. His depictions of the Great Synagogue in Vilna and in Rhodes reveal the centerpiece of both revered communities. Michael Berenbaum served as Deputy Director of the President's Commission on the Holocaust (1979–1980), Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) (1988–1993), and Director of the USHMM's Holocaust Research Institute (1993–1997). -- Michael Berenbaum, director, Sigi Ziering Institute, American Jewish UniversityRichard Freund’s contribution to the expanding field of Holocaust studies is immeasurable. The Archaeology of the Holocaust is a gripping account of major archaeological results bringing to light human stories that give the reader a sense of wonder mixed with sadness. I recommend it far and wide. -- James D. Tabor, University of North Carolina at CharlotteFreund’s book establishes a new paradigm in Shoah studies. Integrating Geoscience, Archaeology, and Holocaust history, he provides new insight from sites of horror in Rhodes, Poland, and Lithuania especially concerning the escape tunnel, and most importantly, his use of non-invasive technology preserves the sanctity of these sites. -- Alan Berger, Raddock Eminent Scholar, chair of holocaust studies and director of the Center for Values and Violence After Auschwitz, Florida Atlantic UniversityMost of us have heard of the Holocaust, but how much do we know about what actually took place? The Archaeology of the Holocaust demonstrates the value of using a multidisciplinary approach to reveal the complex and painful stories of the Holocaust. The union of archaeology with geophysics to retrace these terrible events is a natural one, as the clues are often hidden underground. -- Landon Woods, geoscientist, Advisian WorleyParsonsFreund is a “a steward of the evidence.” Interweaving testimony with the latest in archaeological science, his chronicle of his investigation of places of the Holocaust compellingly shows how good science can elucidate the lives crucial to preserving a past that society must not forget. -- Carl E. Savage, Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology, Drew UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1—Devastation and Hope through Archaeology Chapter 2—Other Jerusalems: Holy Cities around the World Chapter 3—The Jerusalem of Lithuania: Vilna Chapter 4—April 15, 1944: The Greatest Escape of the Holocaust Chapter 5—Searching for Jacob Gens Chapter 6—The Rediscovery of Jewish Vilna Chapter 7—The On-Going Legacy of the “Other” Jerusalems
£30.00
Rowman & Littlefield The Jewish God Question: What Jewish Thinkers
Book SynopsisThe Jewish God Question explores what a diverse array of Jewish thinkers have said about the interrelated questions of God, the Book, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel. Exploring topics such as the existence of God, God’s relationship to the world and to history, how to read the Bible, Jewish mysticism, the evolution of Judaism, and more, Andrew Pessin makes key insights from the Jewish philosophical tradition accessible and engaging. Short chapters share fascinating insights from ancient times to today, from Philo to Judith Plaskow. The book emphasizes the more unusual or intriguing ideas and arguments, as well as the most influential.The Jewish God Question is an exciting and useful book for readers wrestling with some very big questions.Trade ReviewIn eighty-seven brief chapters, Pessin offers an informative and highly readable survey of what Jewish thinkers, from antiquity through the twenty-first century, have had to say about God and related topics. Pessin is a learned guide, and he has written an accessible introduction to the varieties of Jewish philosophy by way of one of its central themes. -- Steven Nadler, University of Wisconsin-MadisonI highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Jewish theology or Jewish philosophy. Reading this book is both a joy and an education: Pessin's combination of knowledge, wit, readability, and insight is a rarity, and his survey touches on all the best-known Jewish thinkers and many more besides. -- Sanford Goldberg, Northwestern UniversityThis book is amazingly comprehensive and written in a lively and attractive style. It will attract a broad range of readers, all of whom will profit from reading this thought-provoking work. -- Menachem Kellner, professor emeritus, Shalem College and University of HaifaThis impressive summation of a huge wealth of material will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Jewish thought. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction PART I: PHILO–IBN DAUD (c. 20 BCE–1180 CE) Introduction to Part I Philo (c. 20 BCE–c. 50 CE) 1. On Beginning with “The Beginning” On the Law, creation, and the cosmos 2. The People of the Book, and the Book of (All) the People The Torah expresses a universal philosophy for everyone Saadia Ben Joseph Gaon (882–942) 3. What a Long, Strange Trip It Hasn’t Been The cosmos must have had a first moment of creation 4. Two Ways of Being One There is just one god, who is “one,” all the way through Isaac Israeli (c. 855–955) 5. The Descent, and Ascent, of Man Cosmology and psychology illuminate the way to eternal bliss Solomon Ibn Gabirol (1021–58) 6. On the Matter of the Soul All objects, physical or spiritual, are a combination of matter and form, and that is the secret to blessedness Bachya Ibn Paquda (c. 1050–1120) 7. Do the Right Thing—for the Right Reasons Duties of the limb are imperfect unless accompanied by duties of the heart Abraham Bar Chiyya (1065–1136) 8. And God Did Not Say, “Let There Be Man” Both scripture and philosophical reasoning demonstrate the immortality of the soul Joseph Ibn Tzaddik (?–1149) 9. In the Beginning Was the Beginning—of Time How to reconcile the eternal unchanging nature of God’s will with His creating the cosmos Judah Halevi (c. 1075–1141) 10. The Philosopher’s God The God who does not hear or care is not the God of the Hebrew Bible 11. The Spiritual Lighthouse The children of Israel were chosen for the mission of spreading the divine light 12. Home Is Where the Heart Is The children of Israel belong in the Land of Israel Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089–1164) 13. The History over the Mystery Why God prefaces the Ten Commandments with a history lesson Abraham Ibn Daud (Rabad) (1110–80) 14. The Unmoved Mover Philosophical principles prove the existence of the nonphysical God of Judaism 15. What God Does Not Know, Despite Knowing Everything Although our free actions cannot be foreknown, there is no lack in God’s knowledge PART II: MAIMONIDES–SFORNO (1135–c. 1550) Introduction to Part II Maimonides (1135–1204) 16. Not That Many Are Called Very few people are properly prepared to study the philosophical truths of religion 17. Speaking of God . . . On what can, and cannot, be said about God 18. And Behold, It Still Is Pretty Good How the perfectly good, all-powerful God could make a world containing so much evil Moses Ben Nachman (Nachmanides, Ramban) (1194–1270) 19. Though the Messiah May Tarry, We Should Not The Torah obligates the Jew to return to the Land of Israel 20. The Messiah Still Tarries—Contrary Opinions Notwithstanding Contra the Christian claim, Jews do not believe the messiah has yet appeared Hillel Ben Samuel (1220–95) 21. The Ultimate Meeting of the Minds In defense of personal immortality from the challenge of the universal intellect Moses De Leon (1240–1305) 22. Sex as a Mystical Experience Jewish mysticism sees a cosmos in which God battles dark forces, and seeks our assistance Abraham Abulafia (1240–c. 1292) 23. What’s in a Name? Only Everything Prophetic Kabbalah leads the way to spiritual perfection and redemption Isaac Albalag (late thirteenth century) 24. Agree to Disagree Sometimes both scripture and philosophy are true—even where they disagree Abner of Burgos (1270–1347) 25. Voluntary Actions in a Predetermined World Human freedom can be preserved even in a world where everything is caused Isaac Pollegar (d. c. 1330) 26. It Really Is “Up to You” Human freedom refutes causal predeterminism Joseph Ibn Kaspi (1279–1331) 27. Distance Makes the Heart Grow Harder Reading the Bible literally and naturally is preferable Levi Ben Gerson (Gersonides) (1288–1344) 28. What We Talk about When We Talk about God Our ordinary language does apply to God despite the great gap between God and ordinary things 29. If God Only Knew Divine foreknowledge really is incompatible with human freedom, and so must be rejected Aaron Ben Elijah of Nicomedia (c. 1328–69) 30. You Should Get That in Writing On privileging the written Law over the oral Law Moses Ben Joshua of Narbonne (Narboni) (d. c. 1362) 31. Don’t Do Everything Possible God knows the cosmos by knowing Himself, and thus makes room for human freedom Chasdai Ben Judah Crescas (c. 1340–1410/11) 32. Love of God over Love of Wisdom Contra the philosophers, it is not knowledge of but love of God that confers immortality 33. Keep On Keeping On Even an eternal cosmos requires God to create it—and to keep it in existence 34. Determined to Be Free There is foreknowledge and causal predeterminism—and freedom and moral responsibility Joseph Albo (1380–1444) 35. Back to Basics There are just three basic principles to Judaism, which also has the surest claim to divine origin Yochanan Alemanno (c. 1435–1504) 36. It’s in the Stars—and in the Torah On astrology and the Hebrew Bible Abraham Bivach (Bibago) (mid-fifteenth century) 37. It’s Reasonable to Believe on Faith Knowledge based on faith is superior to rational knowledge Isaac Abravanel (1437–1508) 38. All or None Every commandment, large or small, and every word of scripture is equally important Elijah Del Medigo (1458–93) 39. Disagree to Disagree There’s only one truth, and scripture always has it—except when it doesn’t Leone Ebreo (Judah Abravanel) (c. 1460–after 1523) 40. All You Need Is Love Love is all you need Moses Ben Baruch Almosnino (c. 1515 – c. 1580) 41. Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way The goal is to align not our intellect with God’s but our will Obadiah Sforno (c. 1470–c. 1550) 42. Do the Right Thing (Which Requires Knowing What That Is) Moral perfection is an aspect of intellectual perfection, so both are required for the good Jewish life PART III: SPINOZA–PINSKER (1632–1891) Introduction to Part III Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) 43. One with God—Literally Everything is God; and neither we, nor God, acts freely 44. Gazing at Eternity with Fresh Eyes The modern age requires a rethinking of the nature of the Bible, starting with a rejection of the supernatural Moses Mendelssohn (1729–86) 45. Have Your Kosher Cake (and Eat It Too) An observant Jew can also be a full citizen of the nation in which s/he lives Solomon Maimon (1753–1800) 46. Don’t Belong to Any Club That Has You for a Member Spinoza is not an atheist, and Mendelssohn wrongly thinks you can reject Jewish Law yet remain part of the Jewish community Saul Ascher (1767–1822) 47. To Everything There Is a Season—Including Traditional Judaism Modern times require a reformulation of Judaism, from a religion of law to one of belief Leopold Zunz (1794–1886) 48. Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Cannot, Study Modern scholarship (or “science”) is essential for Jews to become full members of society Solomon Steinheim (1789–1866) 49. Ya Gotta Believe! The metaphysical doctrine of creation ex nihilo is part of Judaism’s essence Abraham Geiger (1810–74) 50. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same The unchanging essence of Judaism itself dictates Judaism’s modern reform Samuel Holdheim (1806–60) 51. Love Your Compatriot as You Love Yourself The spiritual mission of Judaism is best served by its radical reform Moses Sofer (Hatam Sofer) (1762–1839) 52. Same as It Ever Was Contra “reform,” one should change nothing in Judaism unless absolutely necessary Zacharias Frankel (1801–75) 53. Goldilocks Judaism Reform jettisons too much, Orthodoxy jettisons too little; the middle ground is just right Nachman Krochmal (1785–1840) 54. The Light unto the Nations The Jews are a nation, with a spirit and history, but one with a special spirit and history Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–88) 55. When Progress Amounts to Regress The movement to “reform” Judaism amounts to the rejection of Judaism 56. Positively Inauthentic The “positive-historical” school is no more authentic Judaism than is the Reform school Israel Salanter (1810–83) 57. The Only Thing I Can’t Resist Is Temptation The righteous life requires methods of moral instruction and correction, based in Torah and psychology Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795–1874) 58. Not by Miracles, but by Sweat The ingathering of the exiles, through our own efforts, is the first phase of redemption Leon Pinsker (1821–91) 59. We’ll Do It Our Way Jews must emancipate themselves in order to end the scourge of Judeophobia PART IV: HERZL–LEBENS (1860– ) Introduction to Part IV Theodor Herzl (1860–1904) 60. If You Will It, It Is No Dream The only solution to European antisemitism is the establishment of a Jewish state Ahad Ha’am (Asher Ginsberg) (1856–1927) 61. More Than the Jews Have Kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath Has Kept the Jews Political Zionism seeks to solve the problem of the Jews, but what’s needed is to solve the problem of Jewishness Micah Joseph Berdichevsky (1865–1921) 62. Not the Last Jew, but the First Hebrew On the transvaluation of Jewish values, from the power of love to the love of power Shalom Dov Baer Schneersohn (1860–1920) 63. (Don’t Be) Another Brick in the Wall Redemption will not come by the Zionists but by the messiah, when the time is ripe Hermann Cohen (1842–1918) 64. Be Reasonable Judaism is a religion of reason 65. At Home in the Exile Judaism, as a religion of reason, should oppose political Zionism Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) 66. A People without (Need of) a Land A people with a spiritual mission is not tied to a land, but at home everywhere Martin Buber (1878–1965) 67. The Ménage à Trois God is to be found in the relationship between I and You Hayim Nahman Bialik (1873–1934) 68. Building a Modern University with Ancient Stones On the inauguration of the Hebrew University, and of a renewed national life Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) 69. The Jew and the Land, as Spirit and Flesh On the foundations of religious Zionism Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983) 70. Not as Jews, nor as Americans, but as Jewish-Americans On reconstructing Judaism for the modern American Jew Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–93) 71. From Sinai to Moriah, a Tale of Three Adams Halachic man partners with God in sanctifying the world Leo Strauss (1899–1973) 72. Reason versus Revelation and the Modern Predicament, Part I Can either be the source of absolute truth, to resist the modern attack on meaning? 73. Reason versus Revelation and the Modern Predicament, Part II The past can teach the moderns why we should remain Jews Emmanuel Levinas (1906–95) 74. Seeing God in the Face of the Other We experience God’s presence in experiencing our moral obligations to other persons Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–72) 75. God in Search of Man The experience of divine concern is at the heart of authentic religious practice Eliezer Berkovits (1908–92) 76. Man in Search of God The experience of divine concern is both the foundation and endpoint of Judaism Hannah Arendt (1906–75) 77. The Banality of Evil However evil the Holocaust was, Eichmann’s own evil was not radical but merely banal Emil Fackenheim (1916–2003) 78. The 614th Commandment The authentic Jew must not give Hitler a posthumous victory Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903–94) 79. Idolatry of the 1967 Lands One should serve God, for the sake of God, and leave politics out of it Hans Jonas (1903–93) 80. God after Auschwitz The existence of evil is ultimately due to God’s revocation of His own power Judith Plaskow (b. 1947) 81. Made in Her Image Feminist Judaism as a religion for all Jews Michael Wyschogrod (1928–2015) 82. The Body and the Blood It is through God’s preferential love of the Jewish people that He is able to love all humanity Eugene Borowitz (1924–2016) 83. A Covenant Theology On being committed to personal autonomy and God, Israel, and Torah Rachel Adler (b. 1943) 84. A Covenant for Lovers Building on the halachic past a foundation for a more egalitarian Jewish future Tamar Ross (b. 1938) 85. Expanding the Palace of Torah An Orthodox approach to feminism Shimon Gershon Rosenberg (Shagar) (1949–2007) 86. Postmodern Times The need to reconcile Judaism with modernity has become obsolete Samuel Lebens (b. 1983) 87. Living the Dream A twenty-first-century solution to the medieval problem of divine unity Afterword: Jewish Philosophy: Past, Present, and Future? by Samuel Lebens Glossary of Hebrew Terms Sources Bibliography Index
£28.50
Rowman & Littlefield Beyond Survival: How Judaism Can Thrive in the
Book SynopsisBeyond Survival challenges the current agenda, assumptions, mind-set, and sacred cows of the Jewish establishment, which has largely accepted as a given and become resigned to its communal decline. Instead, Beyond Survival offers an alternative vision for the Jewish future—a paradigm shift, one in which individuals can find an open and accepting community that joyously and creatively celebrates their sacred way of life. A future in which we can all grow and thrive. Beyond Survival begins by taking an in-depth look at the obstacles that currently prevent our growth as a people. This is the survival agenda that has served the Jewish community well in the past but now needs to be laid to rest. Change is never easy, but Rabbi Bookman, drawing from his decades of experience as a pulpit rabbi and innovator, shows the reader the path to surmount them. In each successive chapter, Beyond Survival looks at the opportunities that are in front of us—from active conversion; emerging Jewish communities around the globe; a new understanding of intermarriage; a realigned relationship of mutuality with a pluralistic Israel; a post-modern understanding of Jewish identity; reimagined synagogues and reinvigorated Jewish institutions; and a community that is truly an open door to all. In the afterword, Rabbi Bookman suggests how this can all take shape, positing that a thriving Jewish community can be actualized only when we all thrive. Against all the inertia, resignation, negativity and pessimism that pervades our world, Beyond Survival is a breath of fresh air, hope, and practical, achievable direction for a bright future that we can create together.Trade ReviewRabbi Bookman, as is his nature, and is so sorely needed, speaks truth—without fear of consequences. Far from shying away from sacred cows, he brings experience, intelligence, empathy, and chutzpah in addressing the major opportunities and challenges of our time. Read, share, discuss, and thrive. -- Sid Schwarz, director, Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network; author, Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish FutureWe are living in a time when Jews who care about the future of Jewish communal life cannot shrink from asking radically big questions about how our institutions function. Terry Bookman models such an approach in this book. Even if you don’t agree with all of his prescriptions, you will be enriched by the boldness of his approach and provoked—in a good way—to figure out how you can contribute to the next stage of American Jewish life. -- Dan Horwitz, founding director, The WellOne of the most remarkable yet little known religious and social phenomena of recent times is the transformation of vast swathes of Central and South America from conservative Roman Catholic to Evangelical and Messianic Christianity, which includes strong pro-Israel sympathies and Judaising tendencies. In this maelstrom of conflicting ideologies Bookman’s remarkable and moving book describes a separate but linked phenomenon: the emergence of powerful Jewish identities that demonstrate yet again the indomitable will to survive of the Jewish spirit. -- Tudor Parfitt, Florida International UniversityTable of ContentsBeyond Survival: A New Jewish Vision Part I: Obstacles 1 The Big Three Plus One 2 An Ugly Truth Part II: Opportunities 3 Who Is a Jew? 4 Do the Math! 5 A Funny Thing Happened to Me on My Way to Miami 6 Love versus Loyalty 7 Is the Synagogue (and All Other Jewish Institutions) Really Dead? 8 Israel: Ingathering or Impediment? 9 An Open Door: The “New” Jewish Community Beyond Survival: An Afterword Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
£31.50
Rowman & Littlefield Remix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse
Book SynopsisRemix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World offers an eloquent and thoughtful new vision for all Jews, regardless of their current level of observance, seeking a sense of belonging in a changing world. By developing a “remix” approach with Jewish traditionalism at its foundation and adding a dialogue on the importance and significance of preserving Jewish identity, the reader quickly identifies the sense of urgency for understanding the cultural and religious gaps in Jewish society today.Trade ReviewIn Remix Judaism, Roberta Kwall presents a lovingly-constructed portrait of postmodern, post-denominational Judaism in North America. Her extensive research is studded with touching, insightful anecdotes that will delight and inspire, inviting the reader into self-reflection and into dialogue with the tradition. Kwall’s thoughtful examination of the foundational pillars of Jewish life, and the diverse ways in which they are “remixed” by Jews today, brings her audience into a new appreciation for the multifaceted, multivalent nature of modern Jewish life. This marvelous book will provide Kwall’s diverse audience with a joyful affirmation of the way in which today’s diverse “remix Judaism” provides for heightened meaning in one’s life. -- Oren J. Hayon, Congregation Emanu El, Houston, TexasWhen I chose a Jewish life, I was hungry for anything that could tell me exactly what I was signing up for. Judaism is ancient and traditional, but it is also dynamic and ever-adaptable. Bobbi Kwall has written the book I needed then, and what a joy to read it now and remind myself of the breadth of Jewish life and ingenuity. -- Al Rosenberg, director of strategy and communication, OneTableRemix Judaism sets out to enable the reader to find meaning in and create an authentic Jewish life. Responding to recent research on trends in the American Jewish community, Kwall recognizes the realities of 21st century life and offers ways in which Judaism may provide guidance, relevance, and insight for living in these times. Kwall believes in the preservation of the religious and cultural traditions of Judaism and at the same time strives to make Judaism accessible, opening doorways into Jewish practice and exploration in an empowering way. -- Rabbi Laura Novak Winer, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of ReligionRemix Judaism does a fantastic job of drawing on Jewish text and real-life anecdotes to help people who really want to build Jewish community see multiple ways to do it. Roberta's love of Jewish tradition, of creativity and Jewish peoplehood, shines through the chapters of this book. Whether one considers oneself observant or secular, atheist or believer, Remix Judaism ultimately helps the reader envision a colorful and diverse Jewish future that transcends denominations and mines the gold at the heart of Jewish tradition. -- Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, Mishkan ChicagoLucidly and engagingly written, Roberta Rosenthal Kwall’s Remix Judaism is a must-read for Jews and other “willing listeners” seeking to deepen their connection to Judaism in ways other than through traditional Jewish legal observance. Emphasizing “tradition” rather than “law,” Kwall advocates a “remix” strategy of personal choice of rituals and traditions rooted in the normative Jewish legal tradition that are infused with personal meaning and practiced consistently. Blending personal narratives and a scholar’s perspective, Kwall illustrates “remixes” of Shabbat, Jewish food traditions, marriage, children’s education and b’nei mitzvah, grandparenting, mourning, and tikkun olam. Kwall’s emphasis on the importance of Jewish education, the joyful, thoughtful, and consistent appropriation of Jewish traditions, and the contemporary need to balance the normative Jewish legal tradition with a search for personal meaning makes Remix Judaism an indispensable starting-point for all those seeking a rich, meaningful Jewish life outside the scope of traditional Jewish legal observance. -- Alyssa M. Gray, professor of codes and responsa literature, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of ReligionRemix Judaism is a critically important work. In a world where young people face unprecedented alienation and breakdown of meaning, Jewish living has so much to offer. But with so many young Jews distant from their heritage, it must be presented in ways that resonate and meet them where they are. Professor Kwall understands these opportunities and challenges and her book serves as a guide on how to access and make meaningful our sacred resources of wisdom, culture and spirituality. -- Ari Hart, Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob SynagogueOne of the most beautiful and compelling truths about Judaism is that it evolves and keeps pace with modernity. Roberta Rosenthal Kwall’s book is a timely contribution to this generation’s search. This book captures the wonder of Jewish traditions and makes them assessable to all who are searching. -- Karyn D. Kedar, author of The Bridge to Forgiveness, Stories and Prayers for Finding God and Restoring WholenessRoberta Kwall’s informative and passionate new book melds some of the most meaningful Jewish customs and traditions with modern societal values and sensitivities. Her book provides enjoyable ways to preserve Jewish culture, in such areas as Shabbat and holidays, life cycle events, the roles of parents and grandparents, tikkun olam and much more. So many of the things we do on a day to day basis present opportunities to infuse them with Judaism, thus making them more meaningful and enjoyable. This book is a great guide to accomplishing that. -- Mark Trencher, president, Nishma ResearchKwall lovingly interweaves her personal Jewish journey with the unique stories of fellow travelers. The result: a more expansive and inclusive understanding of Jewish culture. Whether you agree or disagree with Remix Judaism’s premise, you’ll be inspired by Kwall’s use of Jewish culture as a springboard for intergenerational discussion. -- Hayim Herring, organizational futurist, coach and author of Connecting Generations: Bridging the Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial DivideRemix Judaism is a thought-provoking book filled with justification, stories, and ways to lead an assimilated lifestyle while being intentional about your Judaism. It encourages an individualistic approach to what Judaism means to you as an individual, couple, or family at any stage in your life and how to pass your tradition and culture on to those around you. As a millennial Jewish summer camp professional who works with the next generation of the Jewish people, I believe Kwall's remix Judaism is the direction my campers should embody as they begin their own journeys to discovering their Jewish identities. -- Gabrielle Gordon, assistant director, Camp Young Judaea MidwestRoberta Rosenthal Kwall's work reveals a deep examination of the unfolding nature of the Jewish Tradition in modernity, especially here in America. Kwall's analysis proves relevant for people in all stages of life. Her unique background allows for her the ability to craft explanations that make this a great resource for those who are new to the Jewish Tradition and for those who have been contemplating contemporary challenges for quite some time. I recommend reading it for all interested in understanding how to live according to Halacha (Jewish Law) today. -- Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz Lebovitz, Adat Shalom, Los Angeles, CaliforniaIn Remix Judaism: Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World, Roberta Kwall draws nimbly and intelligently from the wellsprings of Jewish tradition and practice so as to allow American Jews to forge a Judaism that is both meaningful and authentic. Kwall is a keen observer of the contemporary Jewish scene, and she offers a clear program for modern Jewish life that has the capacity to address and motivate individuals and community. Her creative and rooted vision of Judaism is both exciting and inspiring. Remix Judaism will deservedly garner a wide readership! -- Rabbi David Ellenson, Chancellor Emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of ReligionRoberta Kwall grapples with the challenges and opportunities of an open and diverse society to offer pathways for engagement and deepened connection to Judaism for cultural and secular Jews. -- Deborah Waxman, president, Reconstructing JudaismRoberta Kwall provides a new way to be Jewish in America! The book's “remixed” approach to contemporary Judaism means developing practical paths that are based in historical traditions. For anyone interested in the vibrancy of the Jewish community and religion, this book provides critical grounds for thought—and action. -- Naomi Cahn, George Washington University Law SchoolIn her insightful book professor Roberta Kwall offers a challenge to the world wide Jewish community and especially the liberal community in North America. Citing example after example she offers a path for all those who want to make their Judaism meaningful. Steeped in modern Jewish sociology, survey studies, personal interviews, and stories from the field, Kwall demonstrates that a Jewish tradition which is open to personal meaning, flexibility, and innovation can make a difference even in the lives of those who may not feel impelled by its legal structure. Kwall has produced a book which will challenge Jewish clergy, educators and thought leaders even as it challenges those who want to find their path in Judaism through their own practice. It is a book worth reading and thinking about and for that we should be thankful for the insights of the author and the passion with which they are expressed. -- Vernon Kurtz, Rabbi Emeritus North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, past president American Zionist Movement, past president international Rabbinical AssemblyEveryone knows that Jewish life in America is changing, but can American Jews take control of that change? In Remix Judaism, Roberta Kwall lays out a way to think about Jewish identity and practice that embraces all Jews, and encourages American Jews to "remix" their tradition with care, thought, and an eye towards sustainable transmission for future generations. Packed with religious insights, recent studies, and concrete suggestions, Kwall has produced a book for anybody interested in the future of Judaism in America. -- Shira Telushkin, author of “Thou Shalt” Jewish advice column, Tablet MagazineProfessor Kwall, one of the prominent scholars of modern American Jewry, wrote Remix Judaism as a follow-up to The Myth of the Cultural Jew. Her new book touches the lives of so many of us who live in a non-Orthodox world yet strive to maintain a strong connection to our Judaism. With over 34 years in a pulpit, I have dealt with congregants of all ages and backgrounds who have been dealing with the issues identified by Kwall. Her diverse sources are masterfully woven into the fabric of her narrative. There is no question in my mind that this work will be a guiding light to so many of us. If I could, I would make Remix Judaism required reading for all non-Orthodox Jews. -- Rabbi Chuck Diamond, Former Rabbi of the Tree of Life – Or L’Simcha, Pittsburgh, PAIn Remix Judaism, Kwall makes the case that Judaism is an aspirational tradition where diversity and disagreement can simultaneously be a tremendous challenge and our greatest strength. Kwall’s writings always challenge my thinking through her combination of meticulous research, well-crafted arguments, copious references to traditional and modern Jewish sources, and fidelity to Jewish tradition. For a person who cares about the future of Judaism, this book presents a tremendous opportunity to take a journey with Kwall and think deeply about what it means to care about Judaism in this generation and generations to come. -- Joshua Rabin, senior director of synagogue leadership, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ)Remix Judaism is a sourcebook of great Jewish ideas and a guidebook for living Jewishly in the 21st century. Robertal Kwall manages to be both descriptive and perscriptive, charting a path for how Jewish living can thrive in contemporary society. This is not a book for the future; this is a vital book for right now. -- Avi Finegold, Founder, The Jewish Learning Lab
£30.37
Rowman & Littlefield Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can
Book SynopsisWarm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century is the first book to tackle institutionalized biases and barriers to inclusion, offering not only stories and context about the issues facing Jews of all backgrounds, but more importantly offering practical and concrete advice that Jewish institutions can implement right away to change how they engage with diverse populations.The book will feature 17 chapters written by some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the Jewish community around the areas of diversity and inclusion. From senior leaders in the field to young innovators who are helping the change the ways that Jewish institutions create community, Warm and Welcoming will offer fresh perspectives, best practices, and new ideas to transform Jewish institutions regardless of their size, resources, or number of years in existence.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsForeword by Rabbi Sid SchwarzIntroductionChapter 1 - LGBTQ Jewsby Idit KleinChapter 2 - Interfaith Families by Jodi BrombergChapter 3 - Jews of Color by Gamal PalmerChapter 4 - Disability Access and Inclusion by Gabrielle Kaplan-MayerChapter 5 - Millennials and Gen Z by Rebecca BarChapter 6 - A New Model for Jewish Institutions by Rabbi Mike UramChapter 7 - Arts and Culture Programming by Marilyn Levitch HassidChapter 8 - Music by Rabbi Josh WarshawskyChapter 9 - Social Justice by Lauren Grabelle-HermannChapter 10 - Israel/Palestine by Rabbi Toba SpitzerChapter 11 - Education by Beverly Socher-LernerChapter 12 - Minyans by Warren HoffmanChapter 13 - Dues and Fundraising by Rabbi Kerry M. OlitzkyChapter 14 - Marketing and Communication by Miriam Brousseau and Lisa ColtonChapter 15 - (Almost) Everything Else by Miriam Steinberg-EgethAbout the Contributors
£47.70
Rowman & Littlefield Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can
Book SynopsisWarm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century is the first book to tackle institutionalized biases and barriers to inclusion, offering not only stories and context about the issues facing Jews of all backgrounds, but more importantly offering practical and concrete advice that Jewish institutions can implement right away to change how they engage with diverse populations.The book will feature 17 chapters written by some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the Jewish community around the areas of diversity and inclusion. From senior leaders in the field to young innovators who are helping the change the ways that Jewish institutions create community, Warm and Welcoming will offer fresh perspectives, best practices, and new ideas to transform Jewish institutions regardless of their size, resources, or number of years in existence.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsForeword by Rabbi Sid SchwarzIntroductionChapter 1 - LGBTQ Jewsby Idit KleinChapter 2 - Interfaith Families by Jodi BrombergChapter 3 - Jews of Color by Gamal PalmerChapter 4 - Disability Access and Inclusion by Gabrielle Kaplan-MayerChapter 5 - Millennials and Gen Z by Rebecca BarChapter 6 - A New Model for Jewish Institutions by Rabbi Mike UramChapter 7 - Arts and Culture Programming by Marilyn Levitch HassidChapter 8 - Music by Rabbi Josh WarshawskyChapter 9 - Social Justice by Lauren Grabelle-HermannChapter 10 - Israel/Palestine by Rabbi Toba SpitzerChapter 11 - Education by Beverly Socher-LernerChapter 12 - Minyans by Warren HoffmanChapter 13 - Dues and Fundraising by Rabbi Kerry M. OlitzkyChapter 14 - Marketing and Communication by Miriam Brousseau and Lisa ColtonChapter 15 - (Almost) Everything Else by Miriam Steinberg-EgethAbout the Contributors
£23.75
Rowman & Littlefield Historical Dictionary of Judaism
Book SynopsisWhat we now call Judaism is the religion of the rabbis; it is rooted in scripturethe Hebrew Scripturesbut it is not to be identified with Old Testament theology. Judaism in its many manifestations has continued to evolve, rereading its ancient texts and extracting new meaning, while addressing contemporary issues such as the status of women and attitudes to sexual orientation. History, or rather our perception of it, has changed substantially. Previously unknown documents and artefacts have surfaced, while scholars have proposed far-reaching changes to the way we read and evaluate ancient texts. Nowadays, we have a more nuanced understanding of how to evaluate statements in the Talmud and other rabbinic writings, and we are better able to contextualize them not only in Greco-Roman antiquity but also in the Sasanian environment in which the Babylonian Talmud was formed. Historical Dictionary of Judaism, Fourth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 800 cross-referenced entries on on important personalities in Jewish religious history, including biblical personalities with an emphasis on how they are understood in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Judaism.
£172.80
Rowman & Littlefield God Spoke Once I Heard Twice
Book SynopsisMoving from cosmology to creativity to criminology, the Torah explores the breadth of human existence: ethics and ritual, narratives of Patriarchs and Matriarchs, history and a philosophy of history--all of these drive the first five books of Hebrew Scripture. But as Rabbi Hillel Goldberg explains in this probing and insightful commentary, these sacred texts are governed by one ideaone God. God blesses the human being with power, and also imposes limits. A human being may not kill, not commit any sacrilege, not act unjustly. God retains ultimate power, including the prerogative to make ethical, ritual, and spiritual laws, which fill the Torah. The Torah is a kaleidoscope, and Rabbi Goldberg refracts it through its fifty-four prismsits fifty-four chapters. But a single reality undergirds allone God.Rabbi Goldberg's exploration of the diversity of disciplines in the Torah demonstrates how naturally the idea of monotheism emerges. In Genesis, God chooses one family to carry out His mission in history. The book of Exodus narrates God's liberation of this family's descendants in order to bring His mission to fruition. Leviticus details the laws by which God's people serve Him through ethics, ritual, even agriculture. Numbers begins with the metahistory of God's people as He sustains it with manna and guides it with a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud; then resumes the history of His people as it wages war and prepares to conquer the promised land. Fearful of idolatry there, Moses in Deuteronomy concludes his exhortation to remain faithful to the invisible presence of God.Bible commentary, according to Rabbi Goldberg, should mirror the many ways God enters into the human experience. Offering philosophic inquiry, personal reflection, and fresh exegesisplus a touch of poetry, humor, and storytellingGod Spoke Once, I Heard Twice is a brilliant, learned, and inspired contribution to an ongoing chronicle of faith.
£82.80
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd Havdalah is Coming
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£6.99
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd My Sister is Sleeping
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£7.50
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd Miriam at the River
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£9.21
Kar-Ben Copies Ltd I Love Matzo
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£6.99
Seal Press (CA) We Need to Talk about Antisemitism
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£22.50
Basic Books Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided
Book SynopsisA distinguished religious leader''s stirring case for reconstructing a shared framework of virtues and values. With liberal democracy embattled, public discourse grown toxic, family life breaking down, and drug abuse and depression on the rise, many fear what the future holds. In Morality, respected faith leader and public intellectual Jonathan Sacks traces today''s crisis to our loss of a strong, shared moral code and our elevation of self-interest over the common good. We have outsourced morality to the market and the state, but neither is capable of showing us how to live. Sacks leads readers from ancient Greece to the Enlightenment to the present day to show that there is no liberty without morality and no freedom without responsibility, arguing that we all must play our part in rebuilding a common moral foundation. A major work of moral philosophy, Morality is an inspiring vision of a world in which we can all find our place and face the future without fear.
£22.50
Basic Books Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided
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£17.09
PublicAffairs,U.S. Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People
Book SynopsisA classic account of courage, integrity and most of all, belonging.In 1977, after serving as a leading activist for the democratic dissident movement in the Soviet Union and the movement for free Jewish emigration from there, Natan Sharansky was arrested. He spent nine years as a political prisoner, convicted of treason against the state. In fact, Sharansky was fighting for individual freedom in the face of overt tyranny, a struggle that would come to define the rest of his life. In Never Alone, Natan Sharansky and historian Gil Troy show how Sharansky's years in prison, many spent in harsh solitary confinement, prepared him for a very public life after his release. As an Israeli politician and the head of the Jewish Agency, Sharansky brought extraordinary moral clarity and uncompromising, often uncomfortable, honesty. Never a follower of tradition for tradition's sake, or someone who placed expediency or convenience ahead of consistent values, Sharansky was an often awkward political colleague but always visionary in his appreciation of where the real threats to freedom lay. Never Alone is suffused with reflections from his time as a political prisoner, from his seat at the table as history unfolded in Israel and the Middle East, along with his passionate efforts to unite the Jewish people.Written with frankness, affection, and humor, the book offers us profound insights from a man who embraced the essential human struggle: to find his own voice when it was denied him, his own faith and the people to whom he could belong.
£22.50
PublicAffairs,U.S. Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People
Book SynopsisA classic account of courage, integrity, and most of all, belongingIn 1977, Natan Sharansky, a leading activist in the democratic dissident movement in the Soviet Union and the movement for free Jewish emigration, was arrested by the KGB. He spent nine years as a political prisoner, convicted of treason against the state. Every day, Sharansky fought for individual freedom in the face of overt tyranny, a struggle that would come to define the rest of his life.Never Alone reveals how Sharansky's years in prison, many spent in harsh solitary confinement, prepared him for a very public life after his release. As an Israeli politician and the head of the Jewish Agency, Sharansky brought extraordinary moral clarity and uncompromising, often uncomfortable, honesty. His story is suffused with reflections from his time as a political prisoner, from his seat at the table as history unfolded in Israel and the Middle East, and from his passionate efforts to unite the Jewish people.Written with frankness, affection, and humor, the book offers us profound insights from a man who embraced the essential human struggle: to find his own voice, his own faith, and the people to whom he could belong.
£15.29
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform Silver from the Land of Israel: A New Light on
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£12.44
Wilfrid Laurier University Press The Theology of the Chinese Jews, 1000–1850
Book Synopsis A thousand years ago, the Chinese government invited merchants from one of the Chinese port synagogue communities to the capital, Kaifeng. The merchants settled there and the community prospered. Over centuries, with government support, the Kaifeng Jews built and rebuilt their synagogue, which became perhaps the world's largest. Some studied for the rabbinate; others prepared for civil service examinations, leading to a disproportionate number of Jewish government officials. While continuing orthodox Jewish practices they added rituals honouring their parents and the patriarchs, in keeping with Chinese custom. However, by the mid-eighteenth century - cut off from Judaism elsewhere for two centuries, their synagogue destroyed by a flood, their community impoverished and dispersed by a civil war that devastated Kaifeng - their Judaism became defunct. The Theology of the Chinese Jews traces the history of Jews in China and explores how their theology's focus on love, rather than on the fear of a non-anthropomorphic God, may speak to contemporary liberal Jews. Equally relevant to contemporary Jews is that the Chinese Jews remained fully Jewish while harmonizing with the family-centred religion of China. In an illuminating postscript, Rabbi Anson Laytner underscores the point that Jewish culture can thrive in an open society, ""without hostility, by absorbing the best of the dominant culture and making it one's own."" Trade Review``In this fascinating work, Jordan Paper not only explores the intricacies of Chinese Jewish theology, but also the meaning of being a Jew. Long a student of comparative theology and the phenomenon of the Chinese Jews, Paper details the development of Chinese Jewish theology and considers how this theology was impacted by the surrounding culture.... Paper comes to the conclusion that these were indeed Jews from whom western Jews can learn a great deal.'' -- Randall C. Belinfante, African Sephardi Federation -- AJL Reviews (Association of Jewish Libraries), Vol. 111 #1, February/March 2013, 201303``This fascinating book offers a history of Chinese Jewry based on existing sources and articles, and places this in the context of a broad overview of Chinese religious life. It is a wonderful, somewhat popular, but also very sophisticated achievement. Paper helps one see the complex ways that religions emerge and attain stability, even within a mighty tradition like Judaism.'' -- Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, University ofChicago -- 201201Table of Contents The Theology of the Chinese Jews, 1000-1850 by Jordan Paper Prologue Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction: The Four Questions Who Are the Chinese Jews? Are the Chinese Jews Jewish? What Are the Sources for the Theology of the Chinese Jews? Is This Theology Relevant Today? Chapter 2: From Whence They Came to Where They Went The Extent of the Diaspora Jewish Life under Christianity and Islam: Tenth to Twelfth Centuries The Sea Route to China and the Settlement in Kaifeng Chapter 3: Life in China: Tenth to Nineteenth Centuries Religion Education Social Structure Government Economy Culture Chapter 4: Brief History of Buddhism and the Abrahamic Traditions in China The Buddhist Experience in China Christianity to the Mid-Nineteenth Century Christianity in China after the de Facto Demise of Judaism Islam Judaism Chapter 5: The Sinification of Judaism Veneration of Ancestors: Family, Tribal, Religious, and Cultural Education and Its Relationship to Judaism The Kaifeng Jews and Their Neighbours Chinese Judaism Chapter 6: A Speculative Theology of the Chinese Jews The Names of God: Hebrew The Kaifeng Synagogue's Stelae and Plaques The Names of God: Chinese The Nature of Creation Monotheism from a Chinese Perspective A Speculative Chinese-Jewish Theology Assimilation and Theology Historical and Cultural Context Epilogue Postscript: What Western Jews Can Learn from the Kaifeng Jews Rabbi Anson Laytner Appendix: Chinese Logographs for Terms and Translations in Chapter 6 Notes References
£77.00
Scholars Press From Tradition to Imitation
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£35.00
Scholars Press School, Court, Public Administration
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£49.60
Scholars Press The Bavli and its Sources
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£42.68
Scholars Press The Making of the Mind of Judaism: The Formative
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£35.28
Scholars Press The Systemic Analysis of Judaism
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£43.14
