The Chosen People in an Almost Chosen Nation: Jews and Judaism in America - Softcover

This selection of essays and commentaries tells the story of Jews in America through the perspective of contributors to First Things, a publication of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, which furthers Jewish-Christian dialogue. "It is not possible to speak of the role of religion in America without paying close attention to Jews and Judaism," writes Neuhaus, the journal's editor-in-chief, who borrows Abraham Lincoln's phrase, "an almost chosen nation," for his title. The authors, almost all of whom are Jewish, tackle a broad array of contemporary questions and disputes theology, philosophy, law, psychology, history, anti-Semitism, Messianic Jews, black-Jewish relations, church-state issues, proselytism, intermarriage, public policy, Israel and interfaith relations. The fact that their viewpoints do not always represent conventional wisdom boosts the interest quotient of this anthology. For instance, writes Edward Shapiro, blacks and Jews diverge on a host of issues, and it is "demeaning to both... to argue that each must reflexively support the other's agenda in order to avoid antagonism." Neuhaus wisely offers two sides of the same issue in several cases, thus presenting a well-rounded range of topics and contributors. However, he includes only two women in this volume, a particularly glaring omission in light of the book's internal debate over God and gender in Judaism. Still, Christian readers will find here an "introduction to a Jewish world of discourse marked by energy and intelligence," while Jewish readers can answer an "invitation to join in arguments that are ever old and ever new."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The essays and commentaries in this collection, written primarily by noted Jewish writers and scholars, are all culled from the prominent journal First Things, which seeks to promote interreligious dialog and understanding. Contributed by Midge Decter, Marc Gellman, David Novak, Jonathan D. Sarna, Aaron Wildavsky, and Ruth Wisse, among others, the essays tackle such controversial issues as interracial relations, assimilation, multiculturalism, and gender. Also explored is the tangled issue of fringe religious groups and the shadows cast by an often dark history of interreligious relations. Most of the pieces run just a few pages, and informed lay readers will find them clear and easy to read. Some of the essays are both personal and historically evocative, such as Gellman's account of his friendship and public dialog with a priest. Neuhaus, the journal's editor and a Christian, ably introduces the volume. Recommended for libraries with strong collections in Judaic or interreligious studies. Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.