Jews [Paperback]

George E. Berkley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

A wide-ranging and provocative look at history's most noticeable minority group.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Berkley, who is Jewish, a member of B'nai B'rith and author of Vienna and Its Jews, has written a freewheeling, brashly opinionated, anecdote-filled, sometimes entertaining cultural history of the Jews that is certain to irk and provoke. In his opinion, Jews tend to be assertive and prickly; they have an often desperate need for recognition and respect; a fractious people, driven by disunity, they give generously, but rarely anonymously, and have a "near-obsession with food." The typical Jewish family, he says, features a dominant mother, a relatively weak father and a high degree of solicitude for its children. These and other uneasy generalizations border on stereotypes. Berkley identifies what he sees as a new type of Jewish personality, the "aggressive wimp," citing as examples Howard Stern, Alan Dershowitz, Billy Crystal. His criticism of what he calls "Holocaust fixation," and of Jews' insistence on the uniqueness of the Nazi genocide, is bound to be controversial, as is his apparent opposition to allowing homosexual men to become rabbis, and his suggestion that Palestinian Arabs do not really constitute a distinct people. Most debatable of all, perhaps, he argues that rabidly anti-Semitic Austrians and Bavarians, rather than the German nation at large, were the originators and principal perpetrators of the Holocaust--a viewpoint diametrically opposite that of Daniel Goldhagen's recent Hitler's Willing Executioners, which he attacks.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Berkley (Hitler's Gift, Branden, 1993) profiles the character, beliefs, and actions of the Jewish people of the modern world. He has divided his entries into three major parts: Diaspora, Holocaust, and Israel. Each chapter revolves around a thematic issue, such as civil rights, homosexuality, or the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Berkley structures his chapters as a Talmudic dialog. First, he presents the issue; then he gives the various arguments before ending with his own opinion. His book suffers from several problems. On some issues, such as civil rights and homosexuality, Berkley constructs straw men that he easily demolishes. He often fails to do justice to the complex issues and gives little attention to how modern arguments relate to Jewish history and tradition. Because the intended audience is unclear, Jews or Gentiles, it is difficult to recommend to specific collectors.?Frederic Krome, Northern Kentucky Univ., Highland Heights
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Branden Pub Co; First Edition (Unsta edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0828320276
• ISBN-13: 978-0828320276
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 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: #624,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important contribution, February 6, 2000

By 

E. Rodin MD (Sandy, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jews (Paperback)

Berkley discusses Jews - as people - in clear authoritative language and thereby destroys the favorite myth of "The Jew" which has brought so much misery in the past century. He shows the good and the bad and is not afraid of calling a spade a spade. The book can be strongly recommended to Jews and Gentiles because it broadens one's view.