Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs & Rituals - Hardcover

Robinson, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671034804 ISBN 13: 9780671034801

Publisher: Atria, 2000

Synopsis

A practical guide to Jewish practice and ritual written by an award-winning Jewish journalist offers advice on beliefs, customs, synagogue services, prayer, holidays, weddings, circumcisions, dietary laws, Midrash, and much more.

About this title

Review:

Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals is a brief but comprehensive layman's handbook to Jewish prayer, worship, festivals, customs, history, language, philosophy, and ideology. Its author, George Robinson, returned to synagogue after a 20-year absence and found himself utterly confused about the basics of his religion, despite having attended Hebrew school. He looked far and wide for a reference work that would help him get his bearings but did not find one; so he wrote one himself. Robinson's background as a journalist proved to be an asset in this project, which shows evidence of much detective work, the results of which are plainly described and clearly organized. Robinson is sensitive to the many perspectives of contemporary Judaism without being mealy-mouthed. His work is a triumph of diplomacy and clear thinking; his overview of Hebrew Scripture, and his excellent Kosher primer, would be worth the price of this book in themselves.

About the Author:

George Robinson is recipient of a Simon Rockower Award for excellence in Jewish journalism from the American Jewish Press Association. His writing appears frequently in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Newsday, as well as Jewish Week and the Detroit Jewish News. Mr. Robinson is a trustee and former president of Beth Am, the People's Temple, a Reform synagogue in New York City. He lives in Washington Heights with his wife, a journalist.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atria
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0671034804
• ISBN 13: 9780671034801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 672