Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal

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Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal (eBook) Pub. Date: 6/1/2010 Publisher: Columbia University Press
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Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal Pub. Date: 3/21/2011 Publisher: Columbia University Press
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Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal Pub. Date: 6/22/2009 Publisher: Columbia University Press

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Overview

No longer controlled by a handful of institutional leaders based in remote headquarters and rabbinical seminaries, American Judaism is being transformed by the spiritual decisions of tens of thousands of Jews living all over the United States. A pulpit rabbi and himself an American Jew, Dana Evan Kaplan follows this religious individualism from its postwar suburban roots to the hippie revolution of the 1960s and the multiple postmodern identities of today. From Hebrew tattooing to Jewish Buddhist meditation, Kaplan describes the remaking of historical tradition in ways that channel multiple ethnic and national identities.

While pessimists worry about the vanishing American Jew, Kaplan focuses on creative responses to contemporary spiritual trends that have made a Jewish religious renaissance possible. He believes that the reorientation of American Judaism has been a "bottom up" process, resisted by elites who have reluctantly responded to the demands of the "spiritual marketplace." The American Jewish denominational structure is therefore weakening at the same time that religious experimentation is rising, leading to the innovative approaches supplanting existing institutions. The result is an exciting transformation of what it means to be a religious American Jew in the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

A Reform rabbi in Albany, Ga., Kaplan has edited a collection of essays on American Judaism and written three books on Reform Judaism. His newest contribution focuses on American Judaism since the end of WWII, emphasizing recent innovations in the religion of the Jewish people. The first chapter provides a broad overview of both religious and historical developments, including the impact of the Holocaust and Israel. Changes in religious identity are sketched. The next seven chapters flesh out the fundamentals identified in the introductory chapter. Kaplan discusses spirituality, Jewish denominationalism, intermarriage, feminism, Jewish Renewal, mysticism and synagogue revitalization. He concludes by emphasizing the need to transform Judaism, implying that a more orderly structure is needed but not necessarily achievable. He fails to mention the value of ferment and debate as guarantors of survival, an odd omission given his insightful description of radical changes in American Judaism. (July)

Forward

[Kaplan] skillfully portrays the wide variety of untraditional, often idiosyncratic ways of 'doing Jewish.

More Reviews (4) Fewer Reviews

Jerusalem Post Magazine

A keen observer of the faith of his people in the U.S., Kaplan does not hesitate to underline the fact that 'the American environment has impacted Judaism.'

— David Geffen

Jewish Review of Books

Kaplan is clearly breaking new ground and writing a new narrative for twenty-first-century American Judaism.

Wilson Quarterly

Kaplan's gallery of American-inflected Jewish innovators is entertaining and... illuminating.

Zeek

Kaplan's book is exhaustive in detail and broad in scope, touching on the fundamental challenges to contemporary Judaism in America from intermarriage, conversion, and the end of religious denominations to questions of ethnicity, spirituality, Israel, and the Holocaust.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780231137294
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication date: 3/21/2011
Pages: 446
Sales rank: 1,159,604
Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 8.90 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Dana Evan Kaplan is the rabbi of Temple B'nai Israel in Albany, Georgia, and adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at Gratz College. His books include The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, American Reform Judaism: An Introduction, Platforms and Prayer Books: Theological and Liturgical Perspectives on Reform Judaismand Contemporary Debates on Reform Judaism: Conflicting Visions. Many of his publications can be found at www.DanaKaplan.com.

Foreword, by Rabbi David Ellenson Preface Acknowledgments Chronology of Events Introduction 1. A Historical Overview from 1945 2. The Reengagement with Spirituality 3. The Rise and Fall of American Jewish Denominationalism 4. Facing the Collapse of the Intermarriage Stigma 5. Inclusivity as a Social Value 6. Radical Responses to the Suburban Experience 7. The Popularization of Jewish Mystical Outreach 8. Herculean Efforts at Synagogue Renewal Conclusion: The Future of Judaism in America Afterword, by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Notes Glossary Index

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Anonymous

Posted December 15, 2009

Insightful Contemporary Look into America's Jews

Once again, Dana Evan Kaplan, proves that he is one of the foremost scholars on contemporary American Judaism. As always, Rabbi Kaplan's writing is well-researched and articulate. He probes some of the most interesting issues impacting the contemporary Jewish community in a refreshing manner. Rabbi Kaplan's exploration is equally interesting for non-Jews who sometimes turn to Judaism, arguably the world's most ancient religion, for answers to their own spiritual and religious quests.
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Anonymous

Posted November 24, 2009

A Must Have From Rabbi Kaplan

Rabbi Dana Kaplan is first and foremost a scholar. His research and thorough understanding of the Jewish religion, its history and its culture are apparent in reading any of his works. Rabbi Kaplan's work as a spiritual leader in rural Southwest Georgia gibes him a unique perspective on the various issues that small congregations deal with in their daily lives, especially if those Jews are transplanted from larger communities. Having grown up in New York, Rabbi Kaplan is the epitome of that essay and brings his wealth of experience in larger congregations and communities combined with his working knowledge of smaller communities to bear in this insightful look at contemporary Judaism. The book is well written, diverse in its subject matter and able to sustain the reader throughout. Reading it makes you want to attend one of his services or Torah study sessions or sign up for his class. This is a must have edition for any Jewish home library.
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religiousreader

Posted September 9, 2009

Interesting book about the Transformations in Judaism

This book is primarily about the ways that Jews have taken creative approaches to their spirituality in the last few decades. Dana Evan Kaplan has given many examples of how the Judaism has basically had to "change with the times." It was very interesting to me to read about the transformations taking place within this ancient religion. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Judaism or Religious studies.
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BusinessGhost

Posted August 11, 2009

Five Stars

Contemporary American Judaism is an enjoyable, and extremely well-researched, thought-provoking examination of contemporary Judaism in the United States.
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