Jews Without Judaism: Conversations With an Unconventional Rabbi
by Daniel Friedman
Category: History

...a step in the right direction... -Humanist in Canada. . .easy-to-read . . .[Friedman] succeeds in clearly and persuasively presenting the attitudes of Jewish humanism. --Publishers Weekly...a valuable step toward understanding the humanistic perspective.--ChoiceIt may fairly be said that religion plays virtually no part in the lives of most American Jews. So begins Daniel Friedman's provocative discussion of American Judaism. Friedman, a rabbi for almost forty years, has counseled thousands of Jews on the meaning of being Jewish. From this wealth of experience he has created this fascinating series of fictional conversations, each of them a distillation of many actual conversations.Should Jews marry outside the faith, and if so, what are the likely consequences? How should Jews cope with anti-Semitism, or evaluate their tense historical relationship with Christianity? Can one be Jewish without being religious; without belief in God; indeed, without Judaism? Are all values relative if one does not believe in God?In contemporary society these timely questions are of great importance to both practicing and nonpracticing Jews. Each of the fictional conversations thoroughly explores these issues with sensitivity and offers much valuable advice culled from Rabbi Friedman's many years of thinking about what it means to be Jewish in a secular age.Daniel Friedman (Lincolnshire, IL) has served since 1965 as the rabbi of Congregation Beth Or, a humanistic temple in Deerfield, IL. One of the founders of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, he serves on the editorial board and is a regular contributor to the journal Humanistic Judaism.