Encyclopedia of Judaism (Encyclopedia of World Religions) - Hardcover

Sara E. Karesh; Mitchell M. Hurvitz

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816054576 ISBN 13: 9780816054572

Publisher: Facts on File, 2005

Synopsis

Encyclopedia of Judaism explores a tradition that has a 2,000-year recorded history and has been a part of the culture of almost every country and society around the globe. Encapsulating all things Jewish - language, laws, literature, arts, theology, ritual, land, culture, and personalities - this authoritative volume offers readers access to Judaism from both a historical and contemporary perspective.

About this title

About the Author:

Sara E. Karesh is a teacher of Jewish history at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD. She received her Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Karesh is the coauthor of Facts On File's Jewish Faith in America.

From Booklist:

Containing about 800 entries, this encyclopedia--part of the Facts On File Encyclopedia of World Religions series--covers Judaism from its origins to the present time. It is a daunting task to compress almost 3,000 years into one modest-sized encyclopedia, but the authors have performed admirably in their eclectic choice of topics, including prominent places, major personalities, historical events, ritual practices, and objects, among numerous other subjects. Each entry ranges from a few paragraphs to several pages and includes a useful bibliography with well-described citations. The index provides easy access and helpful cross-references, and the text is enhanced with 80 black-and-white photographs, a chronology, and an interesting introductory essay.

Most noteworthy: the volume provides a superb range of ready-reference entries defining some arcane terms, e.g., JUBU (the term for Jews who adopt some Buddhist practices); the 614th commandment (Jews should perpetuate their faith after the Holocaust); Grogger (the Hebrew word for a noisemaker used during the holiday of Purim); and Shuckling (rhythmic swaying during prayer popular among Ashkenazi Jews). The volume is even fun to browse.

Almost 100 general and specialized Jewish encyclopedias have been published, including The New Encyclopedia of Judaism (New York Univ., 2002) and The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion (1997), but this work merits special consideration for its concise text and eclectic range of subjects. Strongly recommended for public, academic, and school libraries. Donald Altschiller
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0816054576
• ISBN 13: 9780816054572
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 602