Customer Reviews

What is a Jew?

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Some books on religion give a warm fuzzy feeling - others give a lot of detailed information. This work is definitely in category two! In a question-response format (114 of each), this volume manages to cover almost anything one would want to know about Judaism. Originally written by the late Rabbi Morris N. Kertner, his nephew Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman has updated it. ("What Is a Jew" was first published in 1953, and has gone through three revisions, and countless reprints.) A new feature I found very useful in this revised edition is its transliteration of Hebrew words -- abundant in this work -- as they occur, together with their meanings. The 148 Hebrew (and occasionally Yiddish or Aramaic) terms used throughout the text are brought together in a glossary at the end of the volume, too. ---- Though this book is written from a "middle of the road" Jewish perspective, it carefully points out the differences between the four contemporary major divisions of Judaism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist schools). "What Is a Jew" also gives fair treatment to the Chasidim (Hassidim), and such historical schools as the Sadducees, Pharisees, Mitnagdim, and others. To give an idea of the range of questions covered in this paperback, here is a brief sample: "Who Were `The Rabbis'?"; "What is Halachah?"; "Is There a Priesthood in Judaism?"; "Do Jews Believe Literally in Satan?"; "According to Judaism, Do Animals Have Rights?"; "What is the Difference Between A Synagogue, a Shul, and A Temple?"; Why Do Some Jews Keep Only One Day of a Holy Day, While Others Keep Two?"; and "What Is the Jewish Attitude Toward Divorce?"; "Does Judaism Accept Converts?", and many other equally interesting topics. ---- I believe that whoever masters the contents of this fascinating volume will be well on his/her way to a fascinating voyage of discovery. Any non-Jew (like myself) who has ever been invited to a Bar Mitzvah, and has come out of the synagogue laden with questions, will find his/her journey out of ignorance a pleasant and rewarding one! This is as good a guide as I have been able to find...

Morris Kertzer's book has been extensively revised by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, an eminent Reform Rabbi who gives fair and faithful treatment to all branches of Judaism in this book. I teach a course in Judaism at a Catholic College and I use this book as a key text. Rabbi Hoffman lucidly explains theology, ethics, customs, traditions, holidays, the Sabbath, Jewish lifecycle events, etc in an easily understood style which is helpful to both Jews and non Jews alike. He also makes a very fair attempt to be non judgmental about the differing views of the various branches of Judaism and, for the most part, represents each of these views fairly. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to understand Judaism better.

What I liked most about WHAT IS A JEW? (aside from the somewhat humorous title) is how succinct and well organized it is. It is written mostly in a question and answer format, and just about all the questions a potential convert will have are listed and then answered. This book is also a good introduction for anyone just interested in learning about Judaism. I was impressed with the author's ability to convey the vastness of Judaism; there are so many different braches within the Jewish family. The author really conveys the love he has for his spiritual path, and makes it sound very exciting and interesting.

This is the best book I've found that provides an overview of Judaism. Its intention is to inform and provide understanding without needless bias or judgment. I read Harold Kushner's To Life! prior to What is a Jew? and was disappointed. His Conservative bias is obvious and gets in the way of his ability to present an overall understanding of Judaism. I don't get that sense at all with What is a Jew? Rabbi Kertzer and Rabbi Hoffman willingly present all the ways Judaism has come to be interpreted and practiced. They may analyze and draw conclusions, but it is done to help understanding, not to promote their own opinions or to judge others.

This book is a refreshing approach to a difficult topic, filled with wisdom and insight.

I hesitate to write this review because it concerns an aspect of this book that will not be important to many readers, yet it may be very important to some. If you are a Humanistic, cultural or agnostic Jew you may be interested in what follows here.

The unique and amazing aspect of the original edition of Rabbi Kertzer's book (first published in 1953 and revised by him in 1960)was that it was almost entirely non-theistic. It did not emphasize the role of God in being a Jew at all. It had little to no connection with "establishment Judaism." For those of us who do not believe in divine revelation, etc., the book was a wonder. It presented a Judaism we could all love and recognize and yet did not require adherence to established theistic and traditional rabbinic authority.

To get a hint of what I can only call the violence of the re-write, compare the section headings of the original with the current re-write. The total sections of the original were, "What is a Jew?," "Jews and the Community," "Marriage and the Family," "Religious Law and Ritual," "Customs and Traditions," Feasts and Fasts," "Modern Israel," and "Jews and Christians."

It's worth noting that in the original the section on "Religious Law and Ritual" starts with this quote from the Talmud, "It matters not whether you do much or little so long as your heart is directed toward Heaven." This quote is representative of the entire original version which values heart, custom and Jewish life more than Jewish authority. The opening quote of the whole text is a reconstructionist prayer that starts with the question, "God, where shall I find thee?" and follows with answers such as "Wherever words come out from the depth of truth."

I won't quote all the section titles of the new version, but the extreme shift to the more conservative, theistic view can be seen in just a few of them (which were entirely absent in any form in the original): "The Way to God: A Life of Torah," Basic Jewish Beliefs: God, Torah, Israel," "The Shape of Sacred Time: Festivals and Fasts."

There are enormous numbers of Jews who do not consider the ceremonies, words, God, etc. to be sacred. But they are Jewish. They are no longer represented in this book.

It was so disappointing to see the breath of fresh air in the original book squashed under the weight of religious authority.

I see that Rabbi Kertzer was a chaplain in the World War II. I imagine he may have seen such horrors that traditional religious authority lost much of its appeal. In any case, for those of you who have read this far, I believe the original flavor of the book was almost completely destroyed in the Hoffman re-write.

What to do? If you are a Jew or non-Jew for whom traditional theism is not your belief and you want to read a wonderful exposition of Judaism written by what Rabbi Sherwin Wine (founder of Humanistic Judaism) would have called an "underground" Jew, you'll need to find the original edition. At the time of this writing I see one copy of the Kertzer only text (1965) on e-bay. It seems that the Hoffman revision dates from 1993.

Others may find the Hoffman revision useful for a conservative rabbinic view of Judaism, but those of us Humanistic, agnostic, or cultural Jews, it is worth the effort to find the original Kertzer only version.

I enjoyed this book immensely, as it helped me to better understand the religious beliefs and practices of my Jewish friends and colleagues. When a few gathered to discuss plans for Yom Kippur services, I was able to be an interested and somewhat knowledgeable participant. So the book helped me with inter-cultural relations. A little basic knowledge helped me deal with a Jewish anti-semite who criticized the young Jewish lady who was our assistant (picture this: a Christian defending a Jew against anti-semitic remarks from another Jew. Very uncomfortable for me,to say the least, but morally essential.) I'm a Christian and found the book informative, rather than insulting ... like Rabbi Kuschner's book "To Life." Kuschner's book insulted me,and I don't recommend it to any non-Jew or any Jew who has Christian friends.

I loved this book. I am a Reform Jew but I didn't really know what that meant. A friend of mine was curious about the Jewish religion and started asking me basic questions about what Jews believe but I didn't know how to answer. I picked up this book, thinking I would skim it and find her answers. Instead, I read it cover to cover and enjoyed avery minute of it. It was written in a way that was not overwhelming and it answered every question about what Jews believe from the symbolic meaning of the Star of David to Jews' beliefs on homosexuality. There was a short section on the history and each section talked about the beliefs of all different kinds of Jews. All in all a great read! I DEFINITELY recommend it!

After a very enjoyable spirituality course in college, I became very interested in Judaism. Reading this book helped me come to a general understaning of what Jews believe, but it left me with more questions than answers! But I guess that's a good thing because I've gone on to read many more books, and when I go back to school I'm planning on finding a temple!

This book is great for those of us who are just "discovering" that we're Jewish. Easy to understand language; it's as if the author knew what the reader was going to ask next and then answers it. Terms and pronunciations are included as well. All the basics about the Jewish religion. Good reading for teens and pre-teens as well.

Like another reviewer, I too use this book as part of an undergraduate course on Modern and Contemporary Judaism, which I teach primarily for military personnel as part of their distance education undergraduate degrees. I include a few other books in the syllabus, but this book is often one of the ones most frequently cited as helpful due to its question-and-answer format. When I was studying for a Jewish Studies certificate at Indiana University some time ago (nearing a quarter of a century ago), an earlier version of this book was one of my regular references for a quick and informative answer to questions as they arose. The more recent edition, revised carefully and thoroughly by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, preserves the style and utility of Rabbi Morris Kertzer's base text while adding material both for extension of questions and updating of information.

The book is broken into nine major sections, each one presenting within a series of questions. The first section looks at the different kinds of Judaism - Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, etc., and some other issues that come up with regard to basic identity - what is a Zionist? How does the Jewish community relate to the wider community?

The next few sections look specifically at religious questions, in terms of Bible and history, ritual and practice, and basic belief structures. Rabbis Kertzer and Hoffman address the differences in beliefs and practices largely for a Christian readership or for the Jewish person raised in a predominantly Christian culture.

Other sections include ideas of home and homeland, calendar issues (what is Chanukah and why does it fall at different times of year? etc.), and Jewish views on various issues in shared society such as divorce, children, and other topics.

The book also includes a useful glossary. `Like members of any culture, Jews describe what matters to them using a specialized vocabulary.' Throughout the book, specialised words are provided with pronunciation keys (although there are a few sounds in Hebrew that are difficult to transliterate into English). In addition to the glossary, there is a very handy index, so that if the particular question needing to be answered cannot be found easily in the table of contents, the topic should be able to be found in the index.

This book is very useful for anyone who is looking for basic answers and insights into Judaism in its different aspects.