Best Jewish Writing 2003 [Paperback]

Arthur Kurzweil (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Best Jewish Writing | Publication Date: September 2, 2003

Best Jewish Writing 2003
Contributors include:
Leo M. Abrami
Joseph Alpher
Benjamin Blech
Norman Berdichevsky
Susan Berrin
Lawrence Bush
Talia Carner
I. Century
Phyllis Chesler
Leslie Cohen
Ralph de Toledano
Enid Dame
Alan M. Dershowitz
Carol Diament
Amos Elon
Lawrence J. Epstein
Mordechai Gafni
Herbert Gold
Shefa Gold
Gloria Goldreich
David Grossman
Blu Greenberg
Irving Greenberg
Leo Haber
David A. Harris
Arthur Hertzberg
Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin
Paula E. Hyman
Yoel Jakobovits
Rodger Kamenetz
Edward I. Koch
Jane Leavy
Amy-Jill Levine
Andrei S. Markovits
Bezalel Noor
Cynthia Ozick
Marge Piercy
Todd Pitock
Daniel Polish
Daniel Asa Rose
Alvin H. Rosenfeld
Gilbert S. Rosenthal
David Saks
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Peninnah Schram
Eliezer Shore
Lewis D. Solomon
Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz
William C. Speed
Andrew Wallenstein
Arthur Waskow
Avi Weiss
Sheila Weinberg
Margaret Moers Wenig
Elie Wiesel
Valerie Wohlfeld
The Editor
Arthur Kurzweil is the former director of the Jewish Book Club and editor-in-chief of Jason Aronson Publishers. He is the author of From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History (Wiley, 2004).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For its third annual anthology of the best Jewish writing, Jossey-Bass has installed a new editor, Arthur Kurzweil. He is well qualified for this task, having served as director of the Jewish Book Club and as editor-in-chief of Jason Aronson Publishers, a company that specializes in books of Jewish interest. He casts a wide net for this judicious selection of articles, short stories, poetry and book excerpts. The material is grouped thematically, covering topics such as Israel, current issues, religious education and practice, Jewish spiritual thought, Kabbalah, the Holocaust, 9/11 and anti-Semitism. There are also sections of poetry, fiction and Jewish humor. Kurzweil presents an impressive list of prominent authors and allows them to speak for themselves. Among the better-known writers are Elie Wiesel, Alan Dershowitz, Arthur Waskow, Blu Greenberg, Carol Diament, Adin Steinsaltz, Arthur Hertzberg, Cynthia Ozick, Irving Greenberg, Avi Weiss, Edward Koch, Marge Piercy and Herbert Gold. What is remarkable about the roster is its comprehensiveness-all shades of Judaism and of political opinion can be found, thus fully demonstrating the editor's objectivity in making his choices. Yoel Jakobovits contributes an excellent essay on stem cell research, in which he considers the ethical issues arising from this cutting-edge technology. In a sprightly introduction, Kurzweil denies any claim to such objectivity, asserting that decisions about what to include were highly subjective. Objective or subjective, he has done readers a fine service by bringing together a stellar, diverse collection for their enjoyment.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Kurzweil offers a wide range of Jewish writing by 56 authors on the subjects of Israel, current issues, religious education and practice, Jewish spiritual thought, kabbalah, the Holocaust, and anti-Semitism--in the form of poetry, fiction, and humor. In this third annual volume of the best Jewish writing of the past year, Kurzweil stresses the importance of presenting diverse points of view and topics that are particularly timely. To that end, the contributors include such well-known writers as Elie Wiesel, Amos Elon, Herbert Gold, David Grossman, Cynthia Ozick, Marge Piercy, Arthur Waskow, Arthur Hertzberg, and Adin Steinsaltz. Wiesel's piece is a letter to President Bush on the day that Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was meeting with Bush; Elon and Grossman examine the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and Ozick's article on kabbalah concerns the mythic passions of Gershom Scholem. Piercy's poem speaks of the solace of Rosh Hashanah, and Waskow discusses an Israeli soldier's refusal to serve in the occupation army. Like the two previous volumes, this one is provocative and highly relevant. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787967718
• ISBN-13: 978-0787967710
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Jewish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly outstanding anthology, October 3, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Best Jewish Writing 2003 (Paperback)

This is an outstanding anthology containing a selection of the best Jewish writing of 2003. It is far superior to the previous collections both in the quality of the writers selected, and in the balance between various political and religious points- of-view within the Jewish world.It has been compiled by Arthur Kurzweil a person who more than any other in the past few decades has contribute to the creation of new and important English language Judaica.
His selections here include a remarkable essay by Cynthia Ozick on the intellectual career of super- scholar Gershom Scholem, a remarkable family memoir by Asa Rose, and a persuasive piece defending Israel by Alan Dershowitz. There are morever a wide selection of writings in the categories, politics, fiction, poetry, spiritual writing, religious education, Holocaust, current issues, Israel, Anti- Semitism and Jewish humor. There is a lot of very good writing here, and this work will give its readers great pleasure and instruction. It could not be more highly recommended.