By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
This list was compiled with the help of Don Hood and Graham Shutt, booksellers and well-read intellectuals at the University Village Barnes & Noble bookstore:
The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis
Leon R. Kass (Free Press, $35.00)
Lauded as an impressive work based on years of scholarship, Kass bisects the book of Genesis, showing in the first part how creation of the natural world and flawed human behavior are transformed in the second part into a nation in covenant with God. This book is a philosophical treatment of the human condition and attempts to derive a new way of living for the future.
Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel
Noah J. Efron (Basic Books, May 2003, $27.50)
Real Jews looks at conflicts between religious and secular Jews in Israel, and argues that many of the complaints about ultra-Orthodox Jews are not objective. By documenting the infighting and hostility between diverging groups, Efron shows that Israelis, in general, are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the Zionist dream and unsure about its ability to sustain their future.
Celebrating the Jewish Holidays:
Poems, Stories, Essays
Steven J. Rubin (University Press of New England, April 2003, $29.95)
Professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Adelphi University, Rubin has compiled an anthology of readings for the major Jewish holidays. The book includes literature from Eastern and Western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, medieval poetry, Yiddish-language authors and contemporary American writers. He includes essays on each holiday and provides context for the writings.
Classical Liberalism and the Jewish tradition
Edward Alexander (Transaction Publishers, September 2002, $34.95)
This is a collection of 14 essays by Seattle’s own Edward Alexander, professor of English at the University of Washington. Alexander criticizes the liberalism of Mill, Marx, Eliot, Edward Said and I. B. Singer. He rejects the “hostility” of Israeli intellectuals to the idea of an Israeli state, and advocates a return to the Talmud and other traditional Jewish texts.
The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It
Phyllis Chesler (Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, July, 2003, $24.95)
Feminist author Phyllis Chesler takes on “left-wing politics” and indicts those who espouse anti-Zionism with proliferating a dangerous form of politically correct anti-Semitism. She argues that this cloaked anti-Semitism links with anti-Americanism and gives Islamic terrorists and “ jihadists” a justification for their deadly violence. Chesler is able to criticize Israeli policy but contends that current anti-Semitic rhetoric “seems to have hijacked most North American universities.”
The Rebbe’s Army:
Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch
Sue Fishkoff (Schocken Books, April 2003, $26.00)
This is a respectful and entertaining overview of the Hassidic movement in the United States. Fishkoff traveled to cities like Peoria, Ill., Anchorage, Ala. and Salt Lake City, Utah, and attended Shabbat dinners, mikvah rituals, Friday proselytizing sessions and a Chabad telethon in Los Angeles. A regular contributor to Moment magazine and the Jerusalem Post, she interviews schlillim, Chabad’s legion of young devotees, who relentlessly teach, travel and conduct fundraising across the country.
Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hassidic Masters
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
(Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, March 2003, $27.95)
Rare stories, new translations and works of the great Hassidic masters from the Maggid of Mezritch to Reb Shlomo Carlebach, by the man who inspired the Jewish Renewal movement. “Reb Zalman” has studied and taught Hassidic stories and teachings for over 50 years.
Here are some of the most popular titles at the Tree of Life Judaica and Books in Seattle. This list was compiled with the help of Miriam Terlinchamp, graphic artist and technical manager at the store.
The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant
Judaism for Dummies by Rabbi Ted Falcon
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict by Mitchell Bard, Ph.D.
Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine by Raja Shehadeh
Counting of the Omer: A Spiritual Guide by Rabbi Simon Jacobson