Customer Reviews

Judaism Faces the Twentieth Century: A Biography of Mordecai M. Kaplan (American Jewish Civilization Series)

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I have read many books by and about Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, but this is by far the best one. Mel Scult has gone thru Kaplan's personal journal for so many decades and found out so much about Kaplan that was not public information like: the thought of daily prayer makes me nauseous, which is an amazing statement.
I am writing a Masters paper on Reconstructionism and Kaplan for the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, where I am a Rabbinic candidate. This book was immensely helpful in doing my research.
Edward J. Klein, Jamaica NY

Scult makes the effort to see Kaplan as a major force in restructuring and enhancing Jewish 'civilization' as a whole. While Kaplan was without doubt a major Jewish twentieth century figure the results of his efforts are not particularly encouraging. The Jewish people it seems need God far more than they need Kaplan's 'God idea'. The Jewish people once they follow Kaplan's prescription and make of their religious life a ' tradition' only, lose a dimension of meaning not easily gained elsewhere.. Is it surprising then that what we have today in the Jewish world is so so much assimilation on the one hand, and a growth in a more narrow kind of Haredi Judaism?
Kaplan was a prolific, and in certain ways heroic figure.But his ideas and his whole view - of - the -world did not bring about true Jewish renewal. And the long- term beneficial results of his effort seem to be minor indeed.