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You Are Here: Home > History Books > American Prophecies > Item 138
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The New American Judaism: The Way Forward on Challenging Issues from Intermarriage to Jewish Identity
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by Rabbi Dr. Arthur Blecher
Sales Rank: 273723
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List Price: $24.95
$16.47
At Amazon
on 8-6-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 256 pages
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan October 16, 2007
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 1403977461
ISBN 13 Number: 978-1403977465
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
Weighs: 12.8 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Blecher, rabbi, psychotherapist and self-described maverick, believes that American Jews have been given misinformation and misinterpretations by their Jewish teachers. He aims to correct such myths in this strident, iconoclastic book. Among his targets is the notion that Judaism is a 4,000-year-old religion. He claims that American Judaism, which he labels denominational Judaism, is a 20th-century invention that has little connection to ancient patriarchs, priests or animal sacrifices. Furthermore, he insists that it is false to envision the Jews in America as a dying breed based on assimilation and intermarriage. Indeed, he argues, in-marriage reduces the Jewish population by leading to the proliferation of genetic disorders, including any that affect fertility. Blecher takes particular delight in shattering the myth that the shtetl of Eastern Europe provided an emotionally fulfilling life. Among the sources he criticizes for painting a false, romantic picture of life in the shtetl are Fiddler on the Roof, Abraham Joshua Heschel's The Earth is the Lord's, and Life Is With People by Mark Zborowski and Elizabeth Herzog. Some readers may find this provocative and contentious book irritating; others will be stirred by its controversial assertions. (Nov.)
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Rabbi Louis Zivic, D.D.
"The book is brilliant! Rabbi Blecher has stood the Jewish establishment on its head. You've given rabbis permission to stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes and to go ahead and develop the Judaism so many of us have wanted to proudly proclaim."
Reader Reviews
First, I confess I have not finished the book yet, but did not want to wait to encourage others to enjoy it! Dr. Blecher has a rare gift for intellectual curiosity, perceptiveness, and the courage to speak his mind. When I became engaged to a Jewish man, I agreed to raise our children in the Jewish tradition, but did not want to make a false conversion for the sake of appearances. Everyone asked me if I was converting, though fortunately my in-laws were astute enough to accept that I would be a wonderful wife without doing so. I am overjoyed to encounter a rabbi who sees our commitment to passing on Jewish identity to our children not as a failure or second best, but as a sign of hope for Judiasm. I am also very pleased to discover Dr. Blecher's careful, impressive scholarship. So many books contain only a superficial nod towards actually doing your homework in service of gratifying the author's ego. It is a joy to spend time in the company of such a learned mind! This book combines a deep knowledge base with fresh ideas about the future of Judaism. I love to see books that make us question our assumptions, particularly when an author is not afraid to challenge an establishment. His purpose is to make Judaism more meaningful, to invigorate discussion, and get us all thinking. He offers a new perspective on the role of rabbis, synagogues, and Jewish families in their communities. I would love to see this book provoking long needed national and international self-examination for all of us interested in exploring what it means to be Jewish, and what it means to offer this tradition to our children.
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The New American Judaism: The Way Forward on Challenging Issues from Intermarriage to Jewish Identity
Available from Amazon
Price: $16.47
Updated on 8-6-2008.
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