Dancing on the Edge of the World : Jewish Stories of Love, Faith, and Inspiration [Paperback]

Miriyam Glazer (Author), Miriyam Glazer PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0737303883 | ISBN-13: 978-0737303889 | Edition: 1

What does it mean to be Jewish? What are the struggles and joys Jewish people face? Through personal memoirs, inspiring fictions, and moving fables, this collection of ancient and contemporary stories provides a sparkling glimpse into the Jewish spirit that has been "dancing on the edge of the world" for two thousand years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Miriyam Glazer, Ph.D., a professor of literature at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, writes on Jewish spirituality and fiction and has edited two collections of Israeli literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0737303883
• ISBN-13: 978-0737303889
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Miriyam Glazer, rabbi, long-time literature professor, healthy/ethical foodie, and frequent Visiting Scholar & public speaker, has authored/co-authored books ranging from the engaged spiritual to the poetic to the delicious, including PSALMS OF THE JEWISH LITURGY: A GUIDE TO THEIR BEAUTY, POWER & MEANING -- a book that seeks to engage your heart, mind, and soul, your humor and your earthiness; THE ESSENTIAL JEWISH FESTIVAL COOKBOOK: 200 SEASONAL RECIPES & THEIR TRADITIONS -- written with my sister Phyllis, and filled with fascinating festival lore & mouth-watering, healthy recipes of the global Jewish cuisine, including Persian, Libyan, Moroccan, Ashkenazi,among many others; DREAMING THE ACTUAL: Fiction and Poetry by Israeli Women Writers, a compelling book that unfolds Israeli women's versions of the country's story, from the pre-state era to the present -- and more. I am nothing if not eclectic, and am now working on issues of Jewish spirituality and environmental justice. I'm married to Anthony Elman, now , joyously, the rabbi of the Jewish Home for the Aging after many years as a psychotherapist in England, and the mother of Avigail, a tv writer & producer. You can reach me via my website, miriyamglazer.com (which features has my Torah commentaries and literary essays) or [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you laugh or cry?, March 7, 2000

By 

toby cohen (Omaha, Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing on the Edge of the World : Jewish Stories of Love, Faith, and Inspiration (Paperback)

After reading "Dancing,"I realized the book had been such a special experience,I owed it to the editor and to all the contributors to review it.I have loved this book. Using poems, midrash, personal experiences, stories, commentaries, it covers such a vast range of the Jewish experience -- from the ancient rabbis to the world of the shtetl to the horrors of the Holocaust to everyday Israeli life and everyday life in America, so much of our Jewish Story, told so beautifully. What an impressive list of contributors -- from some of the country's most prominent rabbis to poets like Israelis Yehuda Amichai and Nava Semel (I nearly wept at "A Soldier's Sabbath"), and Alicia Ostriker and Irena Klepfisz; there are several very touching and illuminating stories by Paysach Krohn,a storytelling mohel whose work I loved, and by Rabbi Ed Feinstein, about which ditto. Michael Lerner, Karen Golden, Sarah Graff, Harold Schulweis, Richard Levy, Bradley Shavit Artson -- works you can't forget; they keep echoing in my heart. I shouldn't really mention individual names, because so many of them are so memorable and it's hard to choose my favorites -- The title story by Miriyam Glazer, for example, affected me a great deal because I, too, have thought a lot about my name, and Aryeh Cohen's piece, even though parts were difficult for me, was in the end so powerful because I have a baby daughter too. And the two stories that relate to a place called "Beit Tshuvah" -- a Los Angeles halfway house for Jewish criminals, addicts, and alcoholics --are extraordinary. I would like to meet Harriet Rossetto! The three beautifully written and sensitive contributions by rabbinical students (all of which are radically different from one another!) made me feel really optimistic about the future of Judaism in this country! wrote about I've read a lot of Jewish "spiritual" books -- but because of the quality of the stories and poems in "Dancing," this book will be my companion for a long time! Thanks, editor and writers for a wonderful wonderful book.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVED THIS BOOK, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dancing on the Edge of the World : Jewish Stories of Love, Faith, and Inspiration (Paperback)

I've read are a lot of collections of "spiritual" Jewish stories, but this one was so warm and so loving, it is my favorite of all --the stories cover a wide range and touch so many bases --the gentle, the powerful,the learned, the easily accessible, the tender, the compelling, the "tear your heart out." I especially like how the book seems to encompass all of Jewish history, from the Torah, the Ethics of the Fathers, the ancient rabbis to the present moment. The Holocaust material was brilliant. The Israeli poems (" A Soldier's Sabbath") was extraordinarily moving. The sense of "Shabat" in the book is nearly palpable. There is a story, "Jacob who loves the Sabbath," about a father and his autistic child that touched me to the quick, and another about a learning disabled child that was overwhelming. I bought three copies so I could give my daughter and my parents a copy! I would love to see more such books from this author!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a joyful read!, March 3, 2000

By 

Mike Adler (East Lansing, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing on the Edge of the World : Jewish Stories of Love, Faith, and Inspiration (Paperback)

I ordered this book at the recommendation of a friend, and I couldn't put it down -- read it from cover to cover at the first reading. It was so moving. Eloquent, is the word that comes to mind. I landed up wanting to order a dozen more for a Passover gift for friends/family. "Dancing on the Edge of the World" is a wonderful book -- Reading it is so inspiring. Miriyam Glazer and all her authors have done a great job -- the stories are truly wonderful. Some of the authors I knew well, many of them I hadn't been aware of. I like, too, how trans-denominational it clearly is -- Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, secular, feminist, traditional -- all the voices are in it. IT MADE ME FEEL VERY PROUD OF MY HERITAGE!