Magickal Judaism: Connecting Pagan & Jewish Practice [Paperback]

Jennifer Hunter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jennifer Hunter is a trained witch who has appeared on numerous radio shows, including The Howard Stern Show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (June 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806525762
• ISBN-13: 978-0806525761
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good work on an obscure subject, December 31, 2006

By 

Gavrielah Morgan (Houghton, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magickal Judaism: Connecting Pagan & Jewish Practice (Paperback)

I'm giving this book four stars although 4.5 stars would more accurately reflect my assessment. I consider it a good piece of writing for the general reader on a subject that sorely needs to be written about. In 270 pages Ms. Hunter covers topics ranging from Jewish history and mythology to perspectives on the divine to mysticism to the yearly cycle to ritual both Neo-pagan and Jewish. She also provides background information on magical and Jewish terms and concepts as well as a bibliography and recommended websites for futher research.

The area of magical Judaism has, until recently, been a very overlooked subject and the idea of combining Neo/Pagan practices and/or beliefs with Jewish ones has been nigh unto unheard of, the two paths generally being thought of as anathema to each other. What has been written about the magical aspects of Judaism has either come from the perspective of the Orthodox where the topic has been so obscured by mainstream Jewish beliefs as to be difficult to find or from ceremonial magic which has adapted Jewish concepts for it's own purpose. Neither perspective is terribly helpful for the growing number of Jews trying to integrate the practices/beliefs found in the more nature based or polytheistic segments of Neo-Paganism with a path that is Jewish to some degree. The elements to do this are there to be found though and this book does a decent job of drawing them out and showing how they have been adopted, adapted or otherwise utilized. Ms. Hunter delivers a work that is informative as well as being inspirational to and supportive of those following this path.

I found this book easy to read. One of the things I really liked about Ms. Hunter's writing style is how she performed more of the roll of facilitator for the various topics than lecturer on them. We hear from the practitioners themselves rather than information being related second hand. Her words provide informative and smooth background and transitions from comment to comment and between topics. She makes the topics accessible to the general reader by not getting overly technical and yet the reader who has a more than basic knowledge of Judaism and/or Paganism will not find it so simplistic as to be boring. For me this was one of those books in which new things are found on subsequent readings and it has and undoubtedly will continue to be a reference work and idea source for my own practice. Over all I enjoyed her writing style very much and look forward to reading her other works.

I can only hope that her other works will show the diversity, where appropriate, that she has managed to include in this book. Much of her background material on Jewish magical elements, both the knowledge and practice of them, is drawn from Orthodox sources but for better or worse, that is where they have been preserved over the centuries. It has only been relatively recently that they have crept into liberal mainstream Jewish practice and thought. Traditional Jewish elements are being combined with liberal Jewish paths and non-Jewish paths in a myriad of ways and Ms. Hunter has managed to address the diversity of these paths through her choices of the 13 interviewees, none of whom duplicate each other in belief or practice.

My one disappointment with this book is that it doesn't go further in depth. In many areas I found it enough to whet my appetite but not enough to sink my teeth into. Magickal Judaism is a seminal work in the field though and anyone who has an interest in non-mainstream Judaism or adding depth to a mainstream liberal Jewish practice should read it. I hope that this book proves to be only the first on the interplay of Jewish and Neo-Pagan thought and practice and the incorporation of magic into mainstream Jewish practice; it's a great place to begin.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Introduction to Magickal Judaism, August 2, 2006

By 

Carly "Ketzirah (PeelaPom)" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Magickal Judaism: Connecting Pagan & Jewish Practice (Paperback)

The book is a mixture of narrative and interviews with a variety of flavors of Jewitches. There are thirteen featured contributors to this book. I find that number funny as hell, since that's the traditional number of people in a Wiccan coven. Oh, and let me say up front -- I don't think there's a Wiccan in the bunch, except maybe Jen. Each of the feature contributors, including myself, were interviewed by Jennifer either by phone or email about a variety of topics. Our answers are used as illustrations throughout the book, as Jennifer brings up various issues about the world of Jewitchery. Jennifer does a great job of explaining both the Pagan and Jewish elements, without being pedantic. In reality, most readers will have a stronger foundation in one than the other and need explanations of different terms and ideas.

I'm really impressed by how well Jen was able to show the variety and diversity in our small community. The age range and paths of the people interviewed is far and wide. I think one thing that will surprise people is how old we all are. I'm one of the youngest at 32 (at the time I was interviewed). Many of the people interviewed are in their 40s and up. I am also glad that Jen was able to include Elisheva. While Elisheva would never call herself a Jewitch, she is a hugely important part of the Magickal Judaism community. Also as a native Israeli, she brings a unique and often surprising perspective to things.

I highly recommend this book to everyone in the Magickal Judaism community both as a personal read and as a great way to explain your beliefs and community to your family. I'm really proud of being a part of this book. I'm going to add it to my "Jewitchery 101" reading list -- because I think anyone who calls themself a Jewitch, owes it to themself to read this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magickal Judaism, November 3, 2006

By 

Jane Doeberg "Jane Doeberg" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magickal Judaism: Connecting Pagan & Jewish Practice (Paperback)

What a fantastic book! Many relevant questions presented and answered from various view points in a style reminiscent of Talmudic style commentary. This book assured me that I was not alone on this rather bewildering and contradictory stage of my journey. Though the insights shared in the text, I have a better understanding of my history and the Craft, making it easier for me to find my own way integrating the the 2 practices into a meaningful way of life for me. I bought copies of this book for each of my siblings to help on their journeys, also. Many thanks to Jennifer Hunter for her gift, showing that is really is possible to work under 2 stars!