Fighting For Your Jewish Marriage [Hardcover]

Joel Crohn (Author), Howard J. Markman (Author), Susan L. Blumberg (Author), Janice R. Levine (Author), Janice Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

Combining traditional Jewish wisdom with the most up-to-date scientific research on long-lasting relationships, Beyond the Chuppah is a hands-on guide for enriching Jewish and interfaith relationships. Based on the proven Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), the book shows couples how to recognize the special issues that are unique to Jewish and interfaith relationships and learn the skills they need to create a marriage that's intimate, loving, and fun. Using the practical tools found in this book, Jewish couples will discover how to "fight right" to resolve conflicts, improve their communication skills, do what's right for the children, and, most of all, appreciate the pleasure of each other's company.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fighting for Your Jewish Marriage is a bid to preserve shalom bayit (peace in the home) in the face of rising divorce rates among Jewish and interfaith couples. Written by a team of psychologists and marriage counselors (including Joel Crohn, the author of Mixed Matches, and Howard Markman and Susan Blumberg, the authors of Fighting for Your Marriage), the book begins with fundamentals, such as "Creating a Positive Jewish Identity That Supports Your Marriage." It moves to topics that address more specific situations, such as "Communicating Clearly and Safely: The Speaker-Listener Technique." Throughout, the authors are sensitive to the wildly different religious ideals that partners may bring to a marriage and the particular conflicts these differences may engender. Just as important, Fighting for Your Jewish Marriage describes the rewards of empathy and integrity that come from facing these conflicts head on and transforming them into occasions for growth. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly

This forthright, sensible book, by the two authors of Fighting for Your Marriage and two specialists on the Jewish family, offers marriage-enrichment techniques for Jewish couples. The book explores how the Jewish family differs from other American families, focusing on the oppressive legacy of anti-Semitism and enduring cultural stereotypes of Jewish men and women. The gender analysis is fascinating; the authors discuss, for example, how the Eastern European custom of having women support the family so that men could devote themselves to study changed drastically after immigration to America. The text is at times disjointed and a bit repetitive, possibly the result of too many author-cooks spoiling the broth, but despite the narrative disconnections, readers will find plenty of practical advice in the form of exercises, examples, case studies and sample conversations between couples. The Jewish experience is most specifically addressed at the start of each chapter, though chapters on sex, intermarriage and creating a positive Jewish identity explore Jewish-specific themes throughout. The greatest void here is the absence of Jewish ritual; the book contains almost no discussion of how Shabbat, Jewish holidays and home-centered observances can organize daily life and strengthen the family. For a more ritual-based approach, Azriela Jaffe's Two Jews Can Still Be a Mixed Marriage: Reconciling Differences Over Judaism in Your Marriage is a better choice, but Crohn, Markman, Blumberg and Levine offer strong intellectual foundations for marital improvement. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787943622
• ISBN-13: 978-0787943622
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,145,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Law

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love this Author, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fighting For Your Jewish Marriage (Hardcover)

Joel Crohn's other book Mixed Matches was fabulous and very helpful, and this book is terrific also. It helps with everyday problems that are for all Jewish couples, and really shows that Joel Crohn can teach and help couples as much as he had with his previous book.