Politics & Judaism, U.S. Politics & Government - General & Miscellaneous

Community and Polity

Name: Community and Polity
Author: Daniel J. Elazar
ISBN: 9780827605190

by Daniel J. Elazar

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Overview

This edition of Community and Polity is designed to serve two purposes: to provide a basic survey of the structure and functions of the American Jewish community and to suggest how that community should be understood as a body politic, a polity that is not a state but is no less real from a political perspective. This revised and updated edition of Community and Polity examines the transformations taking place in local community federations and in the countrywide federation movement, the decline of the mass-based organizations, the shift in the forms and organization of Jewish education, the changes taking place in the synagogue movements, and the problems of Jewish unity generated by intermovement competition. The book also looks at the new ambiguity in the sphere of community relations, the impact of demographic shifts on Jewish community organization, the institutionalization of new relationships between the American Jewish community and Israel, and the emergence of new model organizations to mobilize and serve the Jewish community.

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Editorials

Jonathan Woocher

Coming back to Community and Polity in a revised edition two decades after first reading it is a bit like revisiting an old friend who has changed in a few identifiable ways, but remains basically the same person whom we felt so good about and comfortable with years ago. -- Jewish Book World

Booknews

Analyzes the developments in the American Jewish community through the postwar generation to the present, surveying the structure and functions of the community and suggesting that it should be understood as a body politic. Addresses topics such as assimilation, adaptation to American life, and religious and educational community activity. This revised addition looks at the impact of demographic shifts on community organization and the institutionalization of new relationships between the American Jewish community and Israel. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)