American Jewry's Challenge: Conversations Confronting the Twenty-first Century

by Manfred Gerstenfeld

Overview

Watershed events - including the second Palestinian uprising in 2000, September 11 2001 and the Iraq war - have created major challenges for American Jewry, leading to changes in its perceptions and environment. Through conversations with some of America's most influential Jewish leaders, Manfred Gerstenfeld sheds light on the how the tumultuous events of recent years have affected and will continue to influence the American Jewish population. These include issues surrounding education, assimilation and revitalization, relationships with other religious communities, anti-Semitism and generational change. Of enormous historical value, American Jewry's Challenge serves as a time capsule capturing American Jewry at the dawn of the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742542822
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/04/2005
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 9.28(h) x 1.13(d)

About the Author

Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld is a leading expert on Judaism and the environment. He lectures and publishes extensively on the subject, internationally and in Israel. Dr. Gerstenfeld has an extensive background in Jewish public affairs. He is chairman of the steering committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is co-chair of the Judaism Task Force of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, co-publisher of the Jerusalem Letter/Viewpoints and co-publisher of Jewish Environmental Perspectives.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Acknowledgements
Chapter 2 Foreword
Chapter 3 American Jewry after Recent Mega-Events
Part 4 Interviews
Chapter 5 Norman Podhoretz: Countervailing Trends in American Jewry
Chapter 6 Alan Dershowitz: Unprepared Jewish Leadership and Radical Change
Chapter 7 Gray Rosenblatt: Change and Perplexity
Chapter 8 David Harris: Confronting Existential Questions
Chapter 9 Malcolm Hoenlein: A Community Seeking Unity through Consensus
Chapter 10 Stuart Eizenstat: The Activism of American Jews and Restitution
Chapter 11 Abraham Foxman: The Resuscitation of Anti-Semitism
Chapter 12 Marvin Hier: Building a Major Organization from Scratch
Chapter 13 Daniel Pipes: The End of American Jewry's Golden Era
Chapter 14 Shoshana Cardin: Community versus Individualism
Chapter 15 Rela Mintz Geffen: Sociological Changes in the Community
Chapter 16 David Ellenson: New Concepts for Teaching Reform Rabbis
Chapter 17 Ismar Schorsch: Indicators of Spiritual Renaissance
Chapter 18 Norman Lamm: Changes in Modern Orthodoxy
Chapter 19 Richard Joel: Revitalizing Hillel
Chapter 20 Carole Solomon: National and International Responsibilities
Chapter 21 Mark Charendoff: At the Core of the Funding Revolution
Chapter 22 Afterword
Chapter 23 Index
Chapter 24 About the Contributors and Interviewees
Chapter 25 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

How are American Jewish leaders responding to the new dangers of the 21st century? Manfred Gerstenfeld captures the thinking of these leaders at a transitional moment, when the formulas of the 20th century may no longer work and the solutions of the new century have yet to be conceived.

Jack Wertheimer

This book offers a fascinating look at how America's Jewish leadership has begun to assess the impact of recent global events. New threats, old challenges and future alliances are explored in a reflective snapshot by key players whose careers span decades of organizational activism. Historians and policymakers—not only in America but particularly in Europe—will find these interviews both useful and revealing.

Barry Kosmin

Professor Gerstenfeld provides a useful analysis of the problems facing Jews today along with commentary by current Jewish leaders on how to grapple with them.

Murray Friedman

This study pinpoints problems and suggests solutions and is a good beginning place for those who want to understand what is going on in the modern American Jewish community.

Community - David Wallace

A time capsule of analyses and predictions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the growth of antisemitism, trends in the American Jewish community, relations with Evangelical Christians, and the danger of radical Islam by a distinguished group of American Jewish leaders. Only time will tell who were the true prophets.

David R. Blumenthal

Following up on surveys conducted by the "Jews and the American Public Square" project examining how US Jews link their Jewishness and engagement as citizens, this volume comprises interviews with 17 prominent American Jews in light of 9/11, Lieberman's presidential candidacy, and other recent "mega-events."

Reference and Research Book News

This study pinpoints problems and suggests solutions and is a good beginning place for those who want to understand what is going on in the modern American Jewish community.--David Wallace "Community "

A time capsule of analyses and predictions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the growth of antisemitism, trends in the American Jewish community, relations with Evangelical Christians, and the danger of radical Islam by a distinguished group of American Jewish leaders. Only time will tell who were the true prophets.--David R. Blumenthal, Jay and Leslie Cohen Professor of Judaic Studies, Emory University, author of Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest.

Professor Gerstenfeld provides a useful analysis of the problems facing Jews today along with commentary by current Jewish leaders on how to grapple with them.--Murray Friedman, director, Feinstein Center for American Jewish History at Temple University

From the Publisher