Description
Book SynopsisBeginning with a chapter on Jewish beliefs, festivals and life-cycle events, both traditional and non-traditional, this text goes on to explain the enormous variation in practice. It then covers Jewish history in America, from the arrival of the first Jews about 350 years ago to the present.
Trade ReviewA fine contribution to the Columbia Contemporary American Religion series, Raphael's book is an apt portrait of contemporary Judaism in America. Library Journal Raphael makes an enlightening contribution to the history, development, and future of Judaism... A most pleasurable read. Recommended. Choice This is an excellent addition to all collections because it provides a focused overview of American Jewish life today. Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter Accessible and absorbing... newcomers will find this an engaging introduction to American Judaism, and even experts may learn something new. Publishers Weekly Raphael's study is not merely a collected analysis of texts, as is clear from his research throughout Jewish communities, but rather an attempt to capture the true nature of the American Jewish community's history: past, present and future. Jewish Book World Raphael gives detailed accounts of Judaism being affected by particularities of society in America... As the title of this excellent study suggests, the book concerns the religion rather than the people. -- Daniel Crewe The Times Literary Supplement A valuable contribution to the teaching of modern Judaism and of religion in America. -- George R. Wilkes The Journal of Jewish Studies An excellent overview of the transformation of Judaism in the United States. -- Shira Kohn Levy H-Amstdy
Table of ContentsWhat is American Judaism Beliefs, Festivals, and Life-cycle Events A History of Judaism in America Institutions, Organizations, and American Jewish Religious Activity The Synagogue The Future of American Judaism Select Profiles of Judaic Thinkers in America The Retrieval of Tradition
