Cambridge Companion To American Judaism, The

Description:
This volume provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the most important and interesting historical and contemporary facets of Judaism in America. Written by twenty-four leading scholars from the fields of religious studies, American history and literature, philosophy, art history, sociology, and musicology, the book adopts an inclusive perspective on Jewish religious experience. Three initial chapters cover the development of Judaism in America from 1654, when Sephardic Jews first landed in New Amsterdam, until today. Subsequent chapters include cutting-edge scholarship and original ideas while remaining accessible at an introductory level. A secondary goal of this volume is to help its readers better understand the more abstract term of 'religion' in a Jewish context. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism will be of interest not only to scholars but also to all readers interested in social and intellectual trends in the modern world.

Review:
'This Companion will both introduce newer readers to American Judaism and remind those familiar with the issues just how complex and topical they are. ... Dana Evan Kaplan ... has organized a perceptive and coherent series of chapters on American Judaism ... They inform and never condescend. ... changes and trends are mapped with scholarly intensity and stylistic clarity: this is not a pretentious or intimidating scholarly work, and accessibility and a zeal to tell it as it is pervades the Companion from start to finish. ... Real value for money for the academic and private collection ... [and] a useful portal to many other books and writers worth acquiring and reading ...' Reference Reviews 'That said, American Judaism is an outstanding resource that is broad, introductory and accessible ... It would serve as a superb reader for advanced undergraduate courses and will be a useful resource for both students and scholars.' Studies in Religion

Table of Contents:
Introduction Dana Evan Kaplan; 1. From preservation to innovation: Judaism in America, 1654-1880 Eli Faber; 2. The reshaping of American Judaism, 1880-1945 Lloyd P. Gartner; 3. Trends in American Judaism from 1945 to the present Dana Evan Kaplan; 4. Denominationalism in American Judaism Lawrence Grossman; 5. Patterns of American Jewish religious behavior Chaim Waxman; 6. Thinking Judaism through: Jewish theology in America Byron L. Sherwin; 7. The essence of American Judaism Charles Liebman; 8. Contemporary Jewish education Isa Aron, Michael Zeldin and Sara Lee; 9. The place of Judaism in American Jewish identity Debra Renee Kaufman; 10. The Holocaust in Jewish American life Lynn Rapaport; 11. Long distance nationalism: Zionism, Israel and American Jews Steve Rosenthal; 12. Life cycle rituals: rites of passage in American Judaism Rela Mintz Geffen; 13. Choosing lives: evolving gender roles in American Jewish families Sylvia Barack Fishman; 14. The body and sexuality in American Jewish culture David Biale; 15. The American Jewish urban experience Nathan Glazer; 16. 'Sacred survival' revisited: American Jewish civil religion in the new millennium Jonathan Woocher; 17. Judaism and democracy in America Alan Mittleman; 18. The economics of American Judaism Carmel U. Chiswick; 19. American Judaism and interfaith dialogue Yaakov Ariel; 20. American midrash: urban Jewish writing and the reclaiming of Judaism Murray Baumgarten; 21. Recent trends in new American Jewish music Mark Kligman; 22. The visual arts in the American Jewish experience Matthew Baigell; 23. Present and future tense: American Judaism in the 21st century Bruce Phillips; Afterword Jonathan D. Sarna.

Author Biography:
Dana Evan Kaplan is one of the most prolific scholars writing in the field of American Judaism and contemporary Jewish studies generally. He is the author of American Reform Judaism, Platforms and Prayerbooks and Contemporary Debates in American Reform Judaism. He speaks widely throughout the United States, and has been the Scholar in Residence at numerous synagogues.