Customer Reviews

Jewish: Does It Make a Difference?

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One of the surprises of this book is that the authors had to work so hard to compile it. Most of the people they asked the questions about their Jewish identity to , did not respond. So I suppose that the ones who did are more connected to their Jewish identity. I say suppose because there are quite a few strange answers given here. Variety is wonderful in one way but this book does not give a sense very strongly of a unified Jewish people. It seems to me however that answers which are simply private and talk about what the person's Jewishness can do for them miss the whole point. The real question I believe is how the person's Jewishness relates to their service of God, the Jewish people and mankind as a whole .

This book is a document, a multi-sided document. It is a testimonial book. It is a reflection-triggering book. It is a tormenting book, for at least some readers, because the authors have asked tormenting questions. The identity questions are bound to torment, and in this case they justifiably and constructively do so. I was disturbed by some of the answers. It is also a pride-generating book that will make many feel better for what they are.

I liked the structure of the book, which in itself is a message. The introduction gives a sense of how difficult it was for the authors to do this book, despite appearances--and made me curious for more details. The openness that guided the authors' stand in publishing diametrically opposed responses to the same basic questions gives the authors great credit. It will also be "responsible" for many discussions which will "pillpul" over such starkly opposed views.

Surely, this is in fact what the authors aimed at: to trigger more discussion, more thinking, about a simple, yet hard, question: "Who am I?"