Why Be Jewish?: A Testament

by Edgar Bronfman

Overview

Edgar M. Bronfman's clarion call to a generation of secular, disaffected, and unaffiliated Jews, this book addresses the most critical question confronting Judaism worldwide.

Completed in December 2013, just weeks before he passed away, WHY BE JEWISH? expresses Edgar Bronfman's awe, respect, and deep love for his faith and heritage. Bronfman walks readers through the major tenets and ideas in Jewish life, fleshing out their meaning and offering proof texts from the Jewish tradition gleaned over his many years of study with some of the greatest teachers in the Jewish world.

With honesty, poignancy, and passion, Bronfman shares In WHY BE JEWISH? insights gleaned from his own personal journey and makes a compelling case for the meaning and transcendence of a secular Judaism that is still steeped in deep moral values, authentic Jewish texts, and a focus on deed over creed or dogma.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455562893
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	03/22/2016
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	981,666
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd, Edgar M. Bronfman was a renowned philanthropist supporting a wide variety of Jewish organizations. Mr. Bronfman was the foundation chairman of the international board of governors of Hillel and also president of the World Jewish Congress. He passed away in December of 2013, and is survived by his wife, Jan Aronson, and his seven children.

Table of Contents

Foreword Angela Warnick Buchdahl vii

Introduction 1

Part I

1 Beyond Belief 11

2 Question Authority 21

3 Here and Now 32

Part II

4 The Tree and the Sea 55

5 The Little Sanctuary 75

6 One Big Family 99

Part III

7 Reason to Celebrate 109

8 Freedom Revealed 162

9 A Lesson in Leadership 183

Acknowledgments 223

Works Cited 227

Index 231

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2016
The late Bronfman’s (1929–2013) last work effectively conveys “the deep and absorbing love” for Judaism that he found late in life. The book more than meets his stated goal of creating an accessible introduction for secular Jews seeking ways of finding meaning in their heritage without having to believe in God. He does so through a “distillation of the elements of Judaism” he most values, such as asking questions, performing acts of social justice, and engagement with Jewish texts, philosophy, history, and art. Little here will be new for readers who are already familiar with the Jewish Bible and ritual observance. His section on questioning authority, for example, makes much use of Moses and Job. Not all sections work equally well; transforming the escalation of the 10 plagues in Egypt into a business lesson to “be relentless” will strike some as a stretch. Bronfman also offers personal prescriptions by injecting anecdotes from his youth and taking pride in the legacy of his training program for young Jewish leaders; it has led to some remarkable initiatives, exemplifying the principles he emphasizes. This is a fantastic rumination on the principles and practices of Judaism for anyone interested in Jewish faith and culture. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"This book had me nodding my head and taking notes in the margin from the very first page. Edgar Bronfman . . . rightly points out that Judaism can be a powerful way to access the feeling of wonder about the universe, even for the most secular of us."—A. J. Jacobs

"This book is Edgar Bronfman's parting gift to his people-his legendary devotion in a new form. As he was with his deeds, so he is with his words: a prince of Jewish commitment."—Leon Wieseltier

"This book is a must-have for anyone compelled to more deeply understand and love being Jewish."
—Mayim Bialik

"Edgar Bronfman's book gives voice to so many of us who feels outside of the normal religious constructs but love Judaism. While I wish I had met him in person, this book made me feel like I was having a lifelong conversation with this very wise man."—Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker

"This moving and powerful testament demonstrates how much Judaism, with its intertwined concepts of freedom and responsibility, has to offer the thinking modern person in search of life's purpose. Read, and choose to stand at Sinai."—Dara Horn, author of A Guide for the Perplexed

"I was blown away by the beauty of this book and whole-heartedly recommend it."—Bruce Feiler, New York Times bestselling author of Walking the Bible and Abraham

"Excellent for nontheistic and unaffiliated readers, Jewish or not, who want to better understand this religion. It will also make a solid graduation gift."—Library Journal

"This is a fantastic rumination on the principles and practices of Judaism for anyone interested in Jewish faith and culture."—Publishers Weekly

"One man's personal call to laggard Jews to study, learn and seek justice in a broken world."—Kirkus

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
Assimilated and secular Jews may feel disconnected from Judaism, despite their interest in its culture. Business executive and philanthropist Bronfman (The Bronfman Haggadah) began working on this book shortly before his death in 2013. After returning to his faith later in life as a nontheist, the author worked tirelessly to promote Judaism, especially among young people. Part of that larger project, this work aims to persuade those who might be skeptical of religious observance or are less familiar with Judaism to learn more by detailing the literature, rituals, and personal lessons the author found most valuable, with descriptions of the ways in which the religion can be a part of family life for the younger set. Admitting his generational biases, Bronfman tries to balance his ideas against those of later generations and other contexts. Final chapters containing leadership examples from the Book of Exodus feel out of place. VERDICT Excellent for nontheistic and unaffiliated readers, Jewish or not, who want to better understand this religion. It will also make a solid graduation gift.—Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Library Journal

2015-11-19
The late businessman and philanthropist answers his title's question with a last testament of sorts. In the ancient Jewish tradition of an ethical will that dispenses not tangibles but moral principles, Bronfman (The Bronfman Haggadah, 2013, etc.) completed his manuscript just weeks before his death. Describing himself as a secular Jew—not a believer in a singular anthropomorphic authority whose avocation is to check on individual mortals—he finds much that is wonderful in the teachings and traditions of Judaism. He celebrates the warmth of his family relationships, unlike those of his childhood, and he speaks of goodness, not geopolitics, of morality, not dissention. A "cultural Jew," eschewing rigid ritual, Bronfman teases out meaning from age-old texts. He examines the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, rabbinic commentaries, exegesis from oral tradition, philosophical writing, and modern interpretations. The author revels in the particularly Jewish toleration of independent thinking and, if need be, argument with God. In this short book, especially relevant to a generation that knows little of its faith and finds little in it, there is a review of the holidays and holy days of the Jewish calendar. The author discusses the moral imperatives of charity, loving kindness, repair of the world, and repair of one's own spiritual life. Bronfman's text leans neither to the right nor the left of Jewish thought; it reflects the writer's own studies. It is all just slightly self-congratulatory, though, as we learn of the good works of his Samuel Bronfman Foundation, his presidency of the World Jewish Congress, and other exemplary efforts. His easily accessible primer concludes on a lengthy, oddly mundane note, in which Moses is presented as providing specific lessons in the art of leadership. One man's personal call to laggard Jews to study, learn, and seek justice in a broken world. Readers of other persuasions may also profit from his insight into bits of Jewish thought and practice.

Kirkus Reviews