The Synagogue in America: A Short History
“A virtuoso in several genres of American Jewish history, but a specialist in the evolution of American Judaism, Marc Lee Raphael has produced the culminating work of his career. This synoptic account of the institution of the American synagogue—and in effect of the rabbinate as well—is punctuated with wonderful insights and assured generalizations. The author wears his learning lightly. A fascinating scholarly overview,The Synagogue in Americaalso happens to be a pleasure to read.”-Stephen J. Whitfield,Brandeis University“Thanks to years of relentless toiling through synagogue archives coast to coast, and by virtue of his close examination of prayer books and rabbis' sermons, Marc Lee Raphael has provided readers with intriguing vistas and insights into the contours of Jewish religious life from the founding of the earliest communities in America to the present day. Written in clear prose by a master teacher, this volume will be welcomed both within university classrooms and in congregational study groups.”-Jeffrey S. Gurock,Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva University“No one knows more about the American synagogue than Marc Lee Raphael, whose compact yet comprehensive study reveals the astonishing diversity of Jewish congregational life over the last three centuries. Leaving dry institutional history in the dust, Raphael vividly conveys how the synagogue reflected the concerns, needs, and tastes of American Jews, as well as the contradictions that so often characterized their religious identities..”-Eric L. Goldstein,author ofThe Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity“A useful and concise scholarly treatise, which neatly interweaves the facts of the evolution of the American synagogue.”-Library Journal,"Raphael, a Reform rabbi and professor of religious studies at the College of William and Mary, has written a concise, detailed history of the synagogue as a religious institution in the U.S." -Booklist,