© Columbia University Press
Judaism in America
Paper, 256 pages, 30 photos
ISBN: 978-0-231-12061-6
$27.00
/ £18.50
June, 2003
Cloth, 256 pages, 30 photos
ISBN: 978-0-231-12060-9
$75.00
/ £52.00
"Accessible and absorbing . . . newcomers will find this an engaging introduction to American Judaism, and even experts may learn something new." — Publishers Weekly
"A fine contribution to the Columbia Contemporary American Religion series, Raphael's book is an apt portrait of contemporary Judaism in America." — Library Journal
"Raphael's study is not merely a collected analysis of texts, as is clear from his research throughout Jewish communities, but rather an attempt to capture the true nature of the American Jewish community's history: past, present and future." — Jewish Book World
"Raphael makes an enlightening contribution to the history, development, and future of Judaism . . . A most pleasurable read. Recommended." — Choice
"This is an excellent addition to all collections because it provides a focused overview of American Jewish life today." — Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
"Raphael gives detailed accounts of Judaism being affected by particularities of society in America. . . . As the title of this excellent study suggests, the book concerns the religion rather than the people." — Daniel Crewe, The Times Literary Supplement
"A valuable contribution to the teaching of modern Judaism and of religion in America." — George R. Wilkes, The Journal of Jewish Studies
"An excellent overview of the transformation of Judaism in the United States." — Shira Kohn Levy, H-Amstdy
"Raphael is an historian who can evoke the vibrancy of the current religious moment, [and] who appreciates both the residual power and the adaptive resources of American Judaism, and a writer who wonderfully conveys the variousness and the surprises of his subject. Judaism in America merits the attention not only of his co-religionists but of anyone intrigued by the heterogeneity and the resilience of faith in the United States." — Stephen J. Whitfield, Max Richter Chair in American Civilization, Brandeis University
"Crossing the country, the eminent historian Marc Lee Raphael visited synagogues, large and small, to map American Judaism on the cusp of the twenty-first century. Raphael cites official stances but, far more importantly, he has uncovered those at the grassroots--rabbis and the women and men he met in their synagogues reflecting upon their worship and its place in their lives. Raphael has written the guide to contemporary American Judaism, indispensable reading for all interested in American religion." — Pamela Nadell, professor of History and Director of Jewish Studies, American University
"This is a clearly written and imaginatively conceived study that ranges over rabbinic thought, theology, sociology, history and religion, to present an insightful and informative portrait of Judaism in the United States. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the belief and practices of American Jews." — Robert Rockaway, Department of Jewish History, Tel Aviv University
"Dr. Raphael has created the freshest and most readable portrait that we have of the contemporary American-Jewish religious scene. With a masterful comand of the most diverse historical sources he has crafted a lens for examining the variegated responses of the four major branches of American Judaism to the challenges of post-modernity." — Moses Rischin, Department of History, San Francisco State University