Academic Studies Press

The communal gadfly; Jews, British Jews and the Jewish state; asking the subversive questions; an anthology.

In this anthology, Alderman collects the weekly "Comment" opinion columns he has written since March 2002 in the London- based Jewish Chronicle, the oldest continuously-circulating Jewish newspaper in the world (founded in 1841). He prefaces them with a brief history of the paper. Topics range from the internal politics of British Jewish groups and challenges to Orthodox Judaism in the UK, to views on Israel (e.g., Mordechai Vanunu is called "more raspberry than whistle-blower" in outing Israel's nuclear facility at Dimona), Nazi Germany, and Islam (arguing that "Muslims are not the 'new Jews' "). (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Early modern Russian letters; texts and contexts; selected essays.

In this essay collection, Levitt (Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Southern California) addresses works and issues that shaped the development of modern Russian literature, ranging from authorship and philosophy to gender and religion in Russian Enlightenment culture. Essays in the first part of the book explore the career and works of Alexander Sumarokov, who played a formative role in establishing 18th century Russian literature. In the second part, the author argues that the Enlightenment's privileging of vision as the principal means of understanding the world played an especially important role in the development of early modern Russian culture, and that eighteenth-century Russian "occularcentrism" was profoundly shaped by Orthodox religious views. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encounters of consequence; Jewish philosophy in the twentieth century and beyond.

The 'encounters' to which Oppenheim (religion, Concordia U., Montreal) refers are ones between Jewish tradition and modernity, history, and other philosophies. In this collection of 15 articles — most previously published — major modern Jewish philosophers address issues with universal implications. Among those discussing questions of Jewish identity, faith, and the challenges of secularism, the Holocaust, and religious pluralism are Martin Buber, Gerhom Scholem, and Irving Greenberg. Differing views are presented, e.g., between Buber and Scholem on Hasidism. Prominent Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers are partnered in dialogs: e.g., Joseph Soloveitchik and Kierkegaard on "the lonely man of faith." The final chapter is devoted to Jewish feminist perspectives on justice, relationships, and gendered 'God talk.' (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Exemplary bodies; constructing the Jew in Russian culture since the 1880s.

Dipping into a number of writers from the 1880s to the 2000s Mondry (Russian, U. of Canterbury, New Zealand) shows how the construct of the Jewish body, psyche, and character has been modeled by Russian culture, and how Russian culture has responded to this construct during the period. She argues that is the Jewish body that culture inscribed meaning onto, and that this body had a surface and inner organs — the psyche being as material and biological as the brain — and this is responsible for a special kind of behavior. Her topics include the medicalization of the Jewish body by Anton Chekhov during the 1880s, sadists' bodies of the anti-zionist campaign era in the 1960s and 1970s, glasnost and the uncensored sexed body of the Jew, and important Jewish personalities and post-Soviet corporophobia. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Jewish religion after theology.

In this book Sagi poses some interesting questions, centered on how one explains modern Judaism as a religion whose members, to a great degree, do not believe in God but remain true to the tenets of the religion. Sagi argues that post-Holocaust existentialism largely replaced the traditional religious beliefs of Judaism, yet the religion still survives. Examining the philosophical works of some of those who have influenced this movement, and analyzing what these conditions mean to the future of Judaism makes for thought-provoking reading. Several of the chapters in this book have previously appeared as journal articles. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The mind behind the Gospels; a commentary to Matthew 1-14.

Chapter by chapter, Basser (religion, Queen's U., Canada) elucidates what he sees as Jewish concerns embedded in the rendering of the birth and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, as presented in the first 14 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. He assumes that the author drew selectively on various oral and/or written materials at his disposal, among them early stories told by followers of Jesus both during his lifetime and shortly after his death that cast light on the cultural context of prevailing trends in Second Temple Judaism as they were understood by that Jesus community. His literary model for the transmission of the Jesus stories are the materials concerning Israel Ba'al Shem Tov (1698-1760), which purportedly record his oral stories of the miracles, faith-healings, establishment-criticisms, and teachings to his disciples. That material, he says, circulated orally for 55 years after his death before it was transcribed. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The multicultural challenge in Israel.

Non-Jews make up one-fourth of Israel's population and represent a variety of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Within the Jewish population, numerous different branches and geographic backgrounds are represented, reflecting different political and cultural perspectives. The Israeli state has no constitution which defines the rights on non-Jews in the country. How the various cultures interact and what influences result are the central theme of the contributed essays that make up this book. As a religious-based, democratic, multi-cultural state, Israel represents a fairly unique environment among the world's nations. This book examines the implications of this uniqueness. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The superstitious muse; thinking Russian literature mythopoetically.

Bethea (Slavic languages and literatures, U. of Wisconsin-Madison and Russian studies, Oxford U.) explores how the poetic impulse creates and is created by story, looking at Russian literature primarily as transmission and modification of large cultural patterns, though also recognizing the individuality of the authors. A central section on Pushkin as poet and thinker is preceded by a section on general themes and followed by one surveying how other Russian authors viewed their own work and that of others. Specific topics include the apocalyptic plot in Russian literature, how to read Pushkin's dialogue with Shakespeare in The Stone Guest, and Nabokov's style, and Joseph Brodsky's "To My Daughter." The ultra-contemporary typeface is for readers with a short attention span. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Variations on the messianic theme; a case study of interfaith dialogue.

Canadian scholar and international business traveler Wyse argues that Christians and Jews can learn to approach the divisive messiah issue fruitfully and positively to advance mutual understanding. She considers the Jewish-Christian dialogue, exploring some christological paths, examining the radical empirical methods, and mapping some variations on the messianic theme. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Wisdom of love; man, woman and God in Jewish canonical literature.

Spiritual and physical love between men and women are important parts of Jewish religious canons. They appear frequently in the Bible, and are therefore the subject of much analysis in works like the Talmud, the Midrash and mystical works like the Zohar. How these canonical works treat love is not well known nor well documented outside of small scholarly and religious circles. With this book, Rabbi Naftali Rothenberg, a senior research fellow at the Van Leer Institute of Jerusalem, reaches out to a broader audience. Though based on significant scholarship, Rabbi Rothenberg's presentation of the various interpretations offered in the canons is for those who want to understand and appreciate, rather than those conducting in-depth research. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)