The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became an American Religion

The Chosen Wars tells the dramatic story of how Judaism redefined itself in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—the personalities that fought each other and shaped its evolution and, importantly, the force of the American dynamic that prevailed over an ancient religion.

The struggles that led to a radical redefinition of Judaism illuminate the larger American experience. The transformation of the religion and culture of Judaism is a striking example. The story begins with the ...