Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism - Hardcover

George Kalinsky; Milton Glaser; Kirk Douglas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789308045 ISBN 13: 9780789308047

Publisher: Universe, 2002

Synopsis

From the lens of world-renowned photographer George Kalinsky comes this look at one hundred leading and influential rabbis of the twenty-first century. Through lush and brilliant photographs and essays by the rabbis in their own words we see the multifaceted people they are: leaders, teachers, preachers, scholars, spiritual innovators, chaplains, as well as fathers, mothers, avid hobbyists, and professionals.

Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism is an extraordinary book about modern Judaism. It features one hundred portraits of rabbis that span the globe and the ideological spectrum, from youthful Orthodox communal leaders to pillars of contemporary Reform Judaism, portraying today's Jewish leaders, and Judaism itself, in its diversity and dimensions. Keepers of the flame of Judaism, these are people who are working in the twenty-first century but are deeply aware of their religious legacy.

Some of the rabbis included in the book are: Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who was named the number one Jewish leader in America in The Forward in November 2001; Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, a well-known political activist and founder of a popular New York synagogue; Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and a fixture on talk shows and in the media; Norman Lamm, outgoing president of Yeshiva University; Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary; David Wolpe, author of Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, and other books; Laura Geller, Senior rabbi, Temple Emanuel, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, theologian and former chair of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. The book also includes Rabbi Sally Priesand, America's first woman rabbi, and Rabbi Yosef Hadana, the first Ethiopian rabbi.

Chosen for the rabbis' wide range of beliefs and interests, the people here represent the rabbinate as the rich, hard-to-define, impossible-to-categorize world that it is. Their life stories, which describe their coming to grips with their religion, are brilliantly articulated, filling the book with inspirational messages and spiritual guidance for all people-- not only for members of the Jewish faith but for people of all faiths and beliefs.

The photographs were taken by George Kalinsky, the official photographer at Madison Square Garden for more than thirty years. He has authored seven books, and his photos have appeared in numerous publications including Time, Life, People, Esquire, New York, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek.

About this title

About the Author

George Kalinsky is the Official Photographer at Madison Square Garden and special photographer to the New York Mets. His skillful capturing of great moments in sports and entertainment is unparalleled. He has authored seven books, which include Shooting Stars, The New York Mets: A Photographic History, The New York Knicks: The Official 50th Anniversary Celebration, and his photos have appeared in numerous publications including Time, Life, People, Esquire, New York, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. His pictures have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, and International Center for Photography, among others. He was named the PMDA International Photographer of the Year in 2001. He and his wife, June, reside in New York City.

Michael Kress has edited the rabbis' personal essays. A graduate of Yale and Harvard Divinity School, his writing on religion and spirituality has appeared in many prestigious newspapers around the world. He is the editor-in-chief of MyJewishLearning.com, a Jewish educational website, and the former Judaism editor at Beliefnet.com, a multifaith website.

Reviews

There is, it seems, no shortage of rabbis who do the unexpected, and Kalinsky, official photographer at Madison Square Garden, has gathered 100, presenting their portraits and short first-person essays. Rabbis in cowboy boots, rabbis in fatigues, rabbis on cell phones, gay rabbis, rabbis who eat sushi. A Los Angeles rabbi's shirt reads "Grateful Yid," while another, from Rome, saddles-up on a motorcycle. If the premise is hokey, the essays often are not. While a high percentage here write from Long Island, Marvin Tokayer, the former Chief Rabbi of Japan, writes of his encounter with a Japanese man who revealed his self-taught mastery of Yiddish-despite never having heard it spoken. The two kibitzed a night away, exchanging cultural knowledge. Senator Joe Lieberman declares in his introduction to the book, "Beneath the differences lies an even more profound unity..." And in a "Fiddler" moment, Kirk Douglas in his foreword, calls what these rabbis do "tradition." While there's some schmaltz here, there's also a challenge to bland stereotyping.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The official photographer at Madison Square Garden, a special photographer of the New York Mets, and the author of seven photographic books, Kalinsky here focuses on 100 influential rabbis from around the world. On the pages facing their portraits, the rabbis themselves write about their careers and their personal, spiritual, and social commitments and concerns. There are Hasidic, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist rabbis, among them pulpit rabbis, academics, writers, administrators, a comedian, folk musicians, and a surfer. These rabbis come from both small towns and big cities, ranging from Jerusalem to Paris to Rome. Among them are Marc Gellman, the award-winning author and cohost of The God Squad television program; Yosef Hadana, chief rabbi of the Ethiopian Jews; Alvin Kass, senior chaplain of the New York City Police Department; best-selling author Harold Kushner; and Sally Priesand, the first woman to be ordained a rabbi in the United States. Their brief essays are as diverse as their backgrounds, and Kalinsky's full-page photographs capture some of the depth and color of their hearts, minds, and lives. As Senator Lieberman writes in his introduction, "Together, they help and inspire us all." Highly recommended for young adults and adults, whether Jewish or gentile.
Marcia Welsh, formerly of the Guilford Free Lib., CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Universe
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0789308045
• ISBN 13: 9780789308047
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208