My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith [Hardcover]

Benyamin Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 7, 2008

Part memoir, part spiritual quest, part anthropologist’s mission, Benyamin Cohen’s My Jesus Year is a humorous, personal, ultimately inspirational exploration of Evangelical Christianity by the son of an Orthodox Rabbi on his journey through America's Bible belt. Winner of the Georgia Writer Association’s Georgia Author of the Year Award, selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of the Year and by USA Today as one of the Top Eight Books to Help Rekindle the Hanukkah Spirit, My Jesus Year is an unorthodox and unforgettable search for universal answers and common truths.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Raised as an Orthodox Jew, mostly in Atlanta, Cohen, editor of Jewish Life in Americamagazine, obsessed over the church across the street from his childhood home—a home onto which his father, a rabbi, added a place of worship for Orthodox services. Struck by a crisis of faith, and not long after marrying the converted daughter of a Baptist minister, he decided to see if Jesus couldn't lead him back to Judaism. Each week, mere hours after celebrating the Jewish Sabbath, he'd attend Sunday services. He visited myriad denominational churches, Faith Day at Turner Field, Winter Jam at the Georgia Dome and even the home church of Ultimate Christian Wrestling. After 30-odd years of speculating that the sun shines brighter on the church side of the street, and 52 weeks of an Oz-like journey, his yarmulke turned out to have the same power as Dorothy's red shoes. A delicious olio of guilt, longing, surprise, wonder, unease and of course humor, Cohen's quest has universal appeal. One need not be Jewish, Christian or even a seeker to enjoy this wonderful loop around the Bible Belt. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

Cohen is the son of an Orthodox rabbi; his book is part memoir, part spiritual quest, and part an “anthropologist’s mission.” His so-called inspirational exploration—that is, adventures—include jumping into a mosh pit at a Christian rock concert, taking a trip with a Mormon missionary, attending a Black Baptists service, going to a Christian wrestling match, and attending a sunrise Easter service on top of Stone Mountain. Cohen writes that what he learned from the year’s spiritual journey was that there are many paths people take to find faith in God and there are more similarities than differences in various religions. “Hanging out with Jesus has made me a better Jew,” he writes. Amen to that. --George Cohen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; First Edition edition (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061245178
• ISBN-13: 978-0061245176
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #920,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Benyamin Cohen, the author of 'My Jesus Year', is the son of an Orthodox rabbi who married the converted daughter of a former Christian minister. He was the founder and editor of the award-winning national magazine 'American Jewish Life' and the online magazine 'Jewsweek', and he has written for the Daily Beast and Slate. Prior to that he edited 'Torah from Dixie', thoughts on the weekly Bible portion, which was later turned into a book by the same name. He is now the content director for the Mother Nature Network, an environmental news network. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and two dogs. For more info, please visit him online at http://www.myjesusyear.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Funny, Friendly and Ultimately Wise Look at Christianity by a Jewish Pilgrim October 14, 2008

By David Crumm TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Some of the best recent books on faith and spirituality are from "outsiders." Secular scientist E.O. Wilson wrote "The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth," atheist Hemant Mehta wrote "I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith through an Atheist's Eyes," and, let's face it, Anne Lamott's popular persona is built on her outsider status.

It's in that spirit that I strongly recommend Benyamin Cohen's "My Jesus Year."

He's funny. I mean, he's Anne Lamott funny. And, he's friendly as he's having fun with others and with himself. You'll find yourself chuckling as he describes trying to slip into an enormous Pentecostal megachurch to learn what's drawing thousands upon thousands of Americans to these venues.

This "five-foot-two bespectacled Jewish kid in a mosh pit of faith" suddenly discovers that the church's video crews have zeroed in on his face and he's shocked to discover: "My Jewish face on Jesus' JumboTron for all to see! Oh, God, forgive me."

We learn a lot about Benyamin's Jewish life, his family life, his vignettes from this year-long Christian pilgrimage and, in the end, his conclusions about faith in America.

In closing, he writes a pitch-perfect summary of how millions of young Americans see our national smorgasbord of faith: "Despite the gospel choirs and Christian rockers, despite the baptismal baths and Christmas trees, despite the wine, wafers, and confessional booths, and even despite our theological and philosophical differences, there is a deeper thread running throughout. There are many roads leading to spiritual maturity and even to God Himself, and all of us have to find our own way."

This is an important new voice. His journey is fun to follow and, when it's done, you'll begin to realize that many of us feel like spiritual outsiders today, looking in on houses of worship and wondering how we might fit inside.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming spiritual journey in which an Orthodox Jew discovers that "Hanging out with Jesus has made me a better Jew." December 26, 2008

By DWD TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

First off - this is not one of those stories of conversion.

Rather, Benyamin Cohen does not feel fulfilled by his experiences with the synagogue or the hundreds of rules that an Orthodox Jew must follow. He decides to go to the other side of the street and see if the grass is greener (he literally grew up across the street from a Methodist church that seemed so much more vibrant and alive and happy than the synagogue that was attached to his house).

Cohen gets permission from a Rabbi to spend a year with the Christians - he goes to church every Sunday (after synagogue on Saturdays this makes for some long weekends I am sure) and treats the experience as a wandering anthropologist looking into the strange and wondrous world of Christianity.

What follows is a remarkable journal of one man's exploration of Judaism and Christianity - some of it mainstream, some odd (Christian professional wrestling, for example) but all of it treated respectfully by a man who is searching for what he's missing in his own faith. On the way he finds it and the reader is blessed with wonderful writing, witty insights, touching observations and, quite simply, the experience of a great read.

I am writing from the perspective of an active, involved Christian and I find myself chuckling at some of his offbeat observations about the quirky things we do. I also learned a lot about Judaism along the way. I am sure some would find offense, but...whatever. It was not written in the spirit of offense and if they are offended they should grow up some.

One of the best books of the year for me.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read November 16, 2008

By Wally Mees

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Though the promo for the book stressed hilarity, there's much more to this year with Jesus than mere humor. As a Los Angeleno, I was struck by the stunning variety of "Jesus" experiences available within only a few hours of Atlanta. Cohen samples the beautiful solemnity of high church cathedral and self-denying cloister. The next thing you know he's rocking with full gospel as the only white guy in the building. His description of going to confession brought me into the confessional with him. The author is an honest reporter of what he experienced, and credits the year with deepening his appreciation for the faith into which he was born. My only quibble is that the subtitle is a better description than the title. If only we could spend a year with Jesus, and not with Christians. But that is another story. This book is a great - and worthwhile - read. Thanks, Benyamin!