What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew about Judaism

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 200 pages
• Published by: Loyola Press April 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 082941777X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0829417777
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 12 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
Written in a breezy, conversational style and laced with humor, this primer on Judaism delivers precisely what the title indicates. Schoen describes himself as "a layman" and an "average Jewish American." He is actually an accomplished musician whose compositions have been played in recital and appear on two CDs. Schoen claims that he wrote the book to present a systematic response to questions about Judaism that were posed by his Christian friends. Schoen begins his guidebook with a clear explanation of the streams of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist. He then discusses what goes on inside the synagogue, followed by an examination of the Jewish holidays. The final sections deal with Jewish life cycle events, home life and beliefs and Judaism in the world. The book concludes with a plea for inter-faith cooperation. What is truly remarkable about this enyclopedia is its thoroughness and lucidity. Schoen manages to touch briefly on practically all aspects of Judaism-from Israel, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism to the role of women, Jewish symbols, Jewish art and appropriate behavior at a bar or bat mitzvah, Jewish weddings and Jewish funerals. Although Schoen says he wrote the book as a manual for Christians, Jews can also benefit from this masterful overview of their religion, either as a refresher or as a quick source of new information.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This enyclopedia of facts, lore, and opinion is intended to help Christians become more knowledgeable about the issues of what it means to be a Jew, what the basic tenets and philosophy of Judaism are, and what problems American Jews face in today's society. Schoen discusses such topics as synagogues and congregations, the Torah, prayers, the roles of rabbis and cantors, and Jewish education. He also explains the holidays and festivals, weddings and funerals, keeping kosher, degrees of orthodoxy, conversion, religious apparel, women and Judaism, mysticism, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust. Rounding out this very informative book is a helpful glossary and pronunciation guide of Hebrew and Yiddish words. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
When you consider the fact that author, Robert Schoen, is not a Rabbi, this book is a remarkable achievement. Schoen did a ton of research and put together a good reference on the basics of Judaism. Schoen is reform but he, for the most part, gives the point of view and practices of more observant branches of Judaism. The book is divided into short chapters, each of which covers a small topic such as Jewish practices, Shabbat, holidays etc. Any book will be shaped by the experiences of the author and although he does well to give the perspective of all branches of Judaism, if this book were written by an orthodox author, it would be much different. Schoen writes from the perspective that modern Judaism encompasses the practices and obserances of the majority of American Jews, most of whom are not highly observant. An orthodox author would consider the requirements of Jewish law to be the norm and those that stray from it, even if in the majority, to be the exceptions. Here is another example of Schoen's reform perspective: Schoen recounts spending a Shabbat with an orthodox friend's family. He states, "Leaving the Shabbat dinner, I was elated but at the same time slightly envious. How wonderful to have a special day to share with family and friends, and God. ...when I think of what Shabbat should be--what it could be--I always remember the evening I spent at the home of my friend and his family." Certainly, someone who is orthodox would have Shabbat as a regular experience and would not write so wistfully about what it "could be." This leads to a criticism: Schoen makes it appear that the Shabbat experience is unattainable for him. There is no need to be envious. Rather, Schoen should adopt the practice of keeping Shabbat so that the evening he remembers will be an evening that is a regular part of his life. All it takes is commitment on his part. Schoen also writes about the Jewsih position on social issues. Although he tends to avoid making statements that are too concrete, he nonetheless generalizes, such as on the issue of abortion. I'm sure there are many Jewish spokespeople who would disagree on his conclusions of what the Jewish position is. In my opinion, there are many issues where our positions may be shaped by our Jewish experience but these personal positions do not necessarily constitute a "Jewish position." Despite this criticism, I highly recommend this book as a primer on Judaism and award it five stars.