Customer Reviews

I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently purchased this book and was truly touched by it. I have to admit that I am saddened that some believe that this is too "narrow" because it focuses on what being Jewish means to Jews. Of course this book is not simply for Jews; in fact, I would love for my non-Jewish brothers and sisters to read it to understand what being Jewish means to us. What if it were a book about another community? Can no one write about their own community?

The first part of international understanding is understanding oneself and this book does a great job at this.

I had to respond to the criticism that this book is only for the "narrow Jewish community". I thought exploring various people's thoughts on what it means to be Jewish was an excellent idea. I am not Jewish and I felt the book was aimed at me as much as is it at Jewish people. Daniel Pearl's last words were "I am Jewish", so why not explore what this means? This was not intended as a biography - his wife has written a book, and there are others that deal with Daniel Pearl as an individual and in the larger context of his murder and terrorism.

This seemed to me to be a very positive means of celebrating his life. I thought the stories were interesting and felt it did what it set out to do.

A brilliant and inspiring collection of almost 150 people from a dozen countries. I couldn't put it down. Made me realize the wide range of Jewish thinking about what it means to be a Jew in the world today, and made me think about my own identity and how I can be a better person and a better Jew. I already bought copies for two upcoming bar/bat mitzvah kids to help them think about what it means to be a Jewish person. A great positive identity builder.

I read the critical review from the person from Montreal who seems to have more irrelevant opinions than appropriate comments. I have to wonder how anyone who actually saw the book and read what it was intended to achieve can write such a silly review. Amazon should screen things to make sure that they are relevant. If the title wasn't "I Am Jewish" then what would be the point of the book and its relevance to Mr. Pearl's tragic murder? How could it be "Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl"? And if the contributors were not all Jews, how could they speak about being Jewish personally? If someone wants to know what non-Jews think about people being Jewish, then go do a different book. This one does what it intended to do wonderfully and will be a classic for adults and youngsters, Jews and non-Jews, alike. Congratulations to the editors and publisher!

It is difficult to write a few lines about this book without thinking about the cruel and evil event that led to it. The murder of Daniel Pearl simply because he was Jewish would seem to take us back into the darkest times of Jewish and human history, to the Nazi era. And in truth the new Islamic Fundamentalism in whose name Pearl was murdered is a frightening and abhorrent phenomenom which is a threat to human civilization and freedom as a whole.
Pearl's last words ' My father is a Jew. My mother is a Jew . I am a Jew' are as I understand it a courageous affirmation of his own identity and connection with his people. It connects with generations of Jewish martyrs who died on ' Kiddush Hashem' crying out as their last words the Jewish declaration of faith in G-d, " Shema Yisrael"
The book itself consists in around one- hundred and fifty personal statements by largely well- known Jews about what being Jewish means to them. The selection to my taste is a little slanted to the ' left and to the Diaspora' and should in my opinion have had more Israelis, and more with a strong religious identity. There are a few who I would not have included. But on the whole the selection is varied, interesting and provides a great deal of meaningful thought. I especially was touched by the words of Kerri Strug the courageous Olympic gymnast but there are many other inspiring accounts also.
This is an important book for anyone who wishes to see the collective face of the Jewish people at this time.

To add to the debate- this book was a project inspired by a 13 yeard old girl just before the rite of passage that brought her to Jewish adulthood. Detractors below complain about the book's "limited perspective" and seem to accuse Daniel's parents (who carried this project through) of exploiting their son's name to explore the mosaic of Jewish perspectives. Perhaps if this book was intended to be a life history, collection of Daniel's work, or tome of political essays exploring the region, their critiques would have some merit. Instead, this book does exactly what it has set out to do-- it has gathered together the views of Jewish individuals who had all been affected by Daniel's death, and who were made to think about their Judaism through the lens of Daniel's last words.

My one complaint is that the spectrum of Jews selected largely neglect the voices of Jews of color, who deal with yet a different set of issues in claiming their Jewishness every day.

Loved this book. Informative and inspirational. I posted review which rebutted some of the points in previous reviews. My review was listed as being helpful by several people. My review suddenly disappeared from the web page (without notice to me). Nothing about my review violated Amazon policies and it is dismaying that this has occurred. Is Amazon skewing the reviews by deleting ones they don't agree with?

Anyway, get the book. Its contents are "limited" to the subject advertised in the title. Complaints that it doesn't deal enough with other issues are off the mark. Those are subjects of other books.

Being Jewish has so many interpretations. I get so sick of people stereotyping religions, especially Judiasm. I used to be afraid to tell people I was Jewish, especially after my friend Danny Pearl was murdered for being a Jew, and proudly admitting it before his death. Reading this book has made me proud to be Jewish at my own level. Sometimes it takes people well known in the public to make you feel comfortable with who you are. Just understanding how many jewish people feel about their faith, whether deep or just on the surface, proves that in the same religion there are as many GODS as there are people praying. It is refreshin to know how a group of jewish people share their iedals. Excellent and facinating reading!

This book is:

1. A continuous meditation on the mantra "I am Jewish". Like a niggun.

My father is Jewish
My mother is Jewish
I am Jewish

These, Pearl's last words, could be a prayer from a Siddur I haven't yet seen. If they aren't, they really should be. Closest one would be "Thank you for making me a Jew."

2. My bed time story. Each night before I go to sleep, I read about another Jew -- some are famous and some are not -- then fantasize about what my chapter might say.

Note to self: Visit Reform shul in Scarsdale to witness davening lead by first-ever Korean American Rabbi/Chazzan, daughter of Korean Buddhist mother and American Jewish father.

This book is an extensive collection of thoughts about what being Jewish means to Jews around the world. The contributors represent a diverse group of people; from famous to infamous to unknown. Some are religious scholars; others are secular atheists. The book is divided into sections: [Part I: Identity] [Part II: Heritage] [Part III: Covenant, Chosenness, and Faith] [Part IV: Humanity and Ethnicity] & [Part V: Tikkun Olam and Justice]. Most of my favorite contributions were from Part III.

Here's a few that stood out to me: [...]

This book is well written, easy to read, and dedicated in memory of a very special and memorable person. I own this book personally and have bought it as a gift for numerous people. In particular, I have chosen to buy this book as a bat mitzvah gift many times. This book is great for any kind of Jew: spiritual, cultural, religious, conservative, reform, or orthodox. I highly recommend this purchase.