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Essential Judaism

Name: Essential Judaism
Author: George Robinson
ISBN: 9780671034801

by George Robinson

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Overview

What happens at a synagogue service? What are the rules for keeping kosher? How do I light the Hanukah candles? What is in the Hebrew Bible? What do the Jewish holidays signify? What should I be teaching my children about being Jewish?

A landmark reference, here is an indispensable one-volume guide to the religious traditions, everyday practices, philosophical beliefs, and historical foundations of Judaism—everything you need to know about being Jewish. In Essential Judaism, George Robinson has created the accessible compendium that he sought when he rediscovered his Jewish roots as an adult. Robinson illuminates the Jewish life cycle at every stage, and lays out many fascinating aspects of Judaism—the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the evolution of Hasidism, and much more—while keeping a firm focus on the different paths to living a good Jewish life in today's world.

About the Author, George Robinson

George Robinson is the recipient of a Simon Rockower Award for excellence in Jewish journalism from the American Jewish Press Association. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsday, Jewish Week, and the Detroit Jewish News. Mr. Robinson is a trustee and former president of Beth Am, the People's Temple, a Reform synagogue in New York City.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

A one-volume reference book about every aspect of Judaism, from birth and circumcision to death and mourning. The New York Times Book Review called this compilation "ambitious and all-inclusive."

Library Journal

Written by an informed layperson for a popular audience, this book can be understood and appreciated by Jew and non-Jew alike. Robinson, a former syndicated columnist, writes as a committed Reform Jew attempting to fairly present the viewpoints of the various modern Jewish movements (Conservative, Reconstructionist, Orthodox). The book is divided into nine chapters that focus on such issues as prayer and ritual, festivals, the life cycle, the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, and Jewish mysticism. The appendix contains some key documents, a time line of major events, and a discussion of what is kosher. There is also a helpful glossary of Jewish terms. The book is extremely readable with a clean layout and highlighted sidebars. The best introduction to Judaism remains Milton Steinberg's concise Basic Judaism (1947), but this book is a welcome addition to the subject. Highly recommended for most libraries.--Paul M. Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.