Social groups: religious groups and communities 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 SynopsisKlezmer is Yiddish music, the music of the Jews of Europe and America, a music of laughter and tears, of weddings and festivals, of dancing and prayer. Born in the Middle Ages, it came of age in the shtetl (the Eastern European Jewish country town), where "a wedding without klezmer is worse than a funeral without tears." Most of the European klezmorim (klezmer players) were murdered in the Holocaust; in the last 25 years, however, klezmer has been reborn, with dozens of groups, often mixing klezmer with jazz or rock, gaining large followings throughout the world. The Book of Klezmer traces the music’s entire history, making use of extensive documentary material; interviews with forgotten klezmorim as well as luminaries such as Theodore Bikel, Leonard Nimoy, Joel Grey, Andy Statman, and John Zorn; and dozens of illuminating, stirring, and previously unpublished photographs.Trade Review"On the stage, on the screen, and now on the page, Yale Strom has made me tingle with the wonderful feel and poignant heritage of klezmer music. The emotional stories in this book will reach every heart, not just Jewish ones." -- Arthur Hiller"A remarkably entertaining and carefully documented study." -- Choice"Strom uses an artist's hand . . . and shows that a history of art can be a work of art as well." -- Jewish Bulletin"Full of exciting facts . . a musical treasure full of never-before-published material." -- San Diego Jewish Times"This very good book has an anecdotal, folkloric quality that makes for pleasant browsing. A valuable addition to klezmer literature." -- Theodore Bikel"The best, most thorough, klezmer book on the market." -- Cleveland Jewish News"By far, the best book on the history and folklore of instrumental Jewish music." -- RootsWorld"Few modern practitioners are better equipped to examine and celebrate klezmer's history than Yale Strom . . . Just about everything you could ever want to know about klezmer is supplied in the book." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

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Book SynopsisIn The Mosque Conflict in Catalonia: Space, Culture, and Capitalism, Martin Lundsteen examines two paradigms around mosque conflictsone of an analytical nature and the other of a political-technical nature. Lundsteen argues that both paradigms interpret conflicts culturally, as originating primarily in the symbolic realm. Though racism and xenophobia are certainly at the core of the issue, Lundsteen shows through the study of the conflict surrounding the mosque project in Premià de Mar (Barcelona) that other dimensions of utmost importance lurk behind these interpretations. This book constitutes an anthropological approach to the intersection of local-global processes of contemporary capitalism and emphasizes the understudied socio-spatial dimension of these conflicts.

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Book SynopsisA Jewish Heart: A Struggle for Status and Identity in Asia is at once the saga of a modest charitable grant in 1903, an unimagined windfall ninety years later, and a history of Progressive Judaism in Asia. Enriched with profiles of key players, the author rootsthe narratives in the entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities of two legendary Baghdadi families, the Sassoons and the Kadoories, beginning in mid-nineteenth century Bombay, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and unfolding against the backdrop of worldwide waves of Jewish arrivals. The story gains currency when challenges are raised over community funding, facilities, preserving or replacing the aging synagogue, and accommodating Reform Judaism. Robert L. Green provides a thorough and previously undocumented account of the decade-long religious, legal, and public relations battles that follow, engaging the attention of international media and top rabbinical and legal authorities in Hong Kong, Israel, Australia, United States, and United Kingdom. The author focuses on questionable legal gymnastics as trustees, facing China's impending takeover of Hong Kong, undertake efforts to protect the funds from unknown perils. Concurrently, he chronicles the establishment of a vibrant Reform congregation, braided with Jewish lore, and the struggles of visionaries hoping to make Hong Kong an oasis of Jewish worship, learning, and recreation in Asia.

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Book SynopsisMark Abrahamson is professor of sociology emeritus at the University of Connecticut.

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Book SynopsisThe Yemenite Children Affair was a tragic crisis in which about 1,000 children died between 1949 and 1954. Over the years, rumors spread that the kids were not dead, but kidnapped. This book tells the story from the health crisis to the investigations and the conspiracy theories that have developed ever since.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the Holocaust, American literature experienced a resurgence of Jewish themes, characters, and contributions. This book focuses on the genres of science fiction and fantasy of the post-Holocaust period and argues that while the era was colored by grief, it also offered a renaissance of Jewish creative expression. The author provides an overview of texts beginning with the rise of Jewish speculative fiction anthologies in science fiction and fantasy and delving into emerging subgenres such as alternate history, post-apocalyptic, cold war, second-wave feminism, counterculture parodies, new wave, postmodernism, and cyberpunk to illustrate how Jewish culture made its mark on popular culture. The book also covers the Silver Age and Bronze Age of comics which saw Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz, and Marv Wolfman form new superhero teams to battle prejudice and draws parallels with some of the most impactful shows made by Jewish creators, including Star Trek, Twilight Zone, and Doctor Who. The analysis also looks beyond the American context to include texts from Germany, the Soviet Union, Brazil, and Israel.

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Book SynopsisIn Pilosity, Prejudice, and Passion in The Tale of Old Bearded Achbor by Yaakov ben El'azar of Toledo, Tovi Bibring argues that behind the restless parody and the sour tone of the tale, lies a fierce discourse of hate toward the Other, incarnated as a black woman, as well as an insistent alarm regarding the threat of assimilation. Following an enticing fully annotated translation of an overwhelming medieval Hebrew composition featuring a pathetic sermon, a hedonist feast, a love liaison, violent shaming, and murder, Bibring artfully explores their significances through a variety of chapters. From highlighting how hair symbolism and color symbolism construe dangerous prejudices, to suggesting that Achbor is a symbolic incarnation of a new Balaam, the author, through close-readings of selected excerpts, draws connections to the broader medieval and classical context. By highlighting possible literary correspondences, she sheds insightful light on this mysterious tale. This book stands as a testament to the richness of medieval European Hebrew culture, making it a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts alike.

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Book SynopsisBeing Muslim in a Morally Relative World: The Dilemma of Contemporary Polarized Pakistani Society examines the challenges faced by Islamic societies in the 21st century, particularly in Pakistan, as they navigate the influences of globalization and Western intellectual movements. Muhammad Awais Shaukat offers a detailed analysis comparing the Islamic value system with the concept of moral relativism, exploring how these contrasting ethical frameworks shape individual and societal behaviors, values, and beliefs. The book investigates the conflict between traditional Islamic morality, rooted in the Qur'an and Sunnah, which upholds absolute and objective values, and the relativistic, subjective morality emerging from post-modernism. By leveraging his multidisciplinary expertise, the author illustrates how these conflicting values have intensified polarization within Muslim societies, amplified by media and intellectual discourse. The book contributes not only to academic discourse but also offers practical insights for policymakers, educators, and community leaders, offering a framework for developing pathways toward social harmony and cohesion.

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Book SynopsisHalil Ibrahim Canbegi is dedicated political scientist and scholar specializing in comparative politics, political theology, radicalization, and terrorism. Currently based in Germany, he earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Middle East Technical University.

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection offers new perspectives on perceived paradoxes in Israel's religious heritage, with a particular focus on the Garden of Eden narrative and descriptions of Israel's God. The chapters examine a number of themes related to these paradoxes, including (1) knowledge versus life (referencing the two Edenic trees); (2) paradoxes pertaining to knowledge in the biblical versus Socratic traditions and the Platonic good versus the apparent eschewing of the good-evil dichotomy in Garden of Eden; (3) difficulties implicating finitude versus infinity; (4) God's Edenic garden versus rabbinical orchard, or Pardes, the traditional fourfold manner of Torah interpretation; (5) the question of the Sôd, or secret esoteric stratum or narrative channel within the text of the Torah; (6) the issue of idolatry; (7) the nature of Israel's deity; (8) a comparative glimpse of the Israelite God vis-à-vis relevant Christian and Buddhist glosses on divinity; and (9) science-fictional explorations of the biblical exegesis discourse. The volume's contributors are based in Canada; England; Poland; Israel; and the United States.

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Book SynopsisKadya Molodowsky, the most prolific woman writer of Yiddish, wrote an autobiographical memoir that left many questions unanswered. Why does she say of her wedding day only that she wore new shoes and fell in the snow? Did she join those who saw communism as the answer to the Jewish problem? Why did she leave Israel after having spent only three years there? It took Zelda Kahan Newman's research at three archives, the YIVO archive in New York, the Municipal Jewish Library in Montreal, and the Machon Lavon archive in Ne'ot Afeka, Israel, to discover the answers to these questions. In this biography, Kahan Newman covers the arc of Molodowsky's life, a life that saw pogroms, World War I, an escape from Europe to the United States, and an attempt to revive Yiddish culture after World War II. Finally, as Kahan Newman notes, it was an ironic twist of fate "that Kadya's death was noted in the U.S., where she felt increasingly alien, and ignored in Israel, where she felt she belonged, if only in spirit.

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Book SynopsisAntisemitism in the twenty-first century remains a major threat to Jewish communities around the world, and a potent challenge to the liberal international order. But it can so often be a more hidden form of racism, relying on codes, images, cues, and ciphers embedded in the cultural mythology of prejudice against Jews. It is about the invocation of the blood libel, attacks on so-called "cosmopolitans," accusations of "dual loyalty," and conspiratorial notions of malign "Jewish power." It is also a highly protean prejudice, ever adaptable to a multitude of changes in political and social circumstances, always ready to mutate and shape-shift to fit a new environment. That is why it has so easily become a feature of the modern anti-Israel movement. This short volume will explore how anti-Israelism has reproduced many of the canards, tropes, and ciphers of historic Jew-hatred and regurgitated them as attacks on Zionism and Israel. The adverse treatment of Jews within Gentile societies has also been replicated in an endless array of double standards against Israel in the international community. Today, the "Jewish question" has been replaced by the "Israel question," with a similarly obsessive and ritualistic form of demonization and delegitimization. Anyone concerned about the future of liberal democracy should take note.

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Book SynopsisThe New Canadian Pentecostals takes readers into the everyday religious lives of the members of three Pentecostal congregations located in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Using the rich qualitative and quantitative data gathered through participant observation, personal interviews, and surveys conducted within these congregations, Adam Stewart provides the first book-length study focusing on the specific characteristics of Canadian Pentecostal identity, belief, and practice. Stewart asserts that Pentecostalism remains an important tradition in the Canadian religious landscape - contrary to the assumptions of many Canadian sociologists and scholars of religion. Recent decreases in Canadian Pentecostal affiliation recorded by Statistics Canada are not the result of Pentecostals abandoning their congregations; rather, they are indicative of a radical transformation from traditionally Pentecostal to generically evangelical modes of religious identity, belief, and practice that are changing the ways that Pentecostals understand and explain their religious identities. The case study presented in this book suggests that a new breed of Canadian Pentecostals are emerging for whom traditional definitions and expressions of Pentecostalism are much less important than religious autonomy and individualism.Table of Contents The New Canadian Pentecostals by Adam Stewart List of Tables Chapter 1: Introduction The Canadian Decline of the World's Fastest Growing Religion The Transformation of Pentecostalism in Canada Methodology Outline of the Chapters Chapter 2: The Pentecostal Tradition Defining Pentecostalism Pentecostal Beginnings Traditional Canadian Pentecostal Identity, Belief, and Practice Conclusion Chapter 3: The Churches and Their Pastors Freedom in Christ Elmira Pentecostal Assembly Elevation Conclusion Chapter 4: Generically Evangelical Religious Identity Generic Evangelicalism Traditional Denominational Identifiers Latent Denominational Identifiers Nondenominational Identifiers Conclusion Chapter 5: Spirit Baptism and Speaking in Tongues Ignorance and Confusion Regarding Spirit Baptism Spirity Baptism and the Question of Subsequence Speaking in Tongues as Evidence of Spirit Baptism The Purpose of Spirit Baptism Conclusion Chapter 6: Healing, Miracles, and other Supernatual Phenomena Divine Healing Miracles Angels, Demons, and Exorcism Conclusion Chapter 7: Conclusion Notes References Index

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