Two Worlds of Judaism: The Israeli and American Experiences

0/5 ( ratings)

What does being Jewish mean to Israeli and American Jews? How has each group reinterpreted the common Jewish tradition? In this fascinating book, a political scientist living in Israel and a sociologist living in America explore how Israeli and American Jews differ in the way they conceive of their Judaism.

Charles S. Liebman and Steven M. Cohen begin with a discussion of what Jews share--a familial sense of peoplehood and of their common past. Then, using surveys they have conducted in each country and anecdotal evidence from popular culture, they investigate the differences. According to Liebman and Cohen, Israeli Jews view both the land and the state of Israel as central to their Judaism, while American Jews do not. On the other hand, political liberalism is a key element of American Jewish identity but is almost irrelevant to Israelis. Religious tradition among American Jews and Israelis also has developed in contrary directions. Religion in Israel is public; in America it is a matter of individual conscience. Even though most Israeli Jews are non-Orthodox, they tend to regard Orthodox spokesmen as the most authoritative interpreters of Judaism, and unlike American Jews they see Judaism as an obligatory system of law. Rather than expand the universalist side of the Jewish tradition, Israelis emphasize the distinctiveness of Jews and the special obligations they have to one another. Israeli Judaism remains decidedly more ritualistic and less moralistic than its American counterpart.
Liebman and Cohen feel that these divergences do not herald the emergence of two separate Judaisms but suggest far more differentiation than some observers currently recognize. While this is not unhealthy, say the authors, each country's conception of Judaism would be enriched by adopting elements of the other's.

Charles S. Liebman is professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Steven M. Cohen is professor of sociology at Queens College, City University of New York.

"A brilliant analysis of the Israeli and American Jewish experiences, Two Worlds of Judaism is filled with penetrating and often dazzling insights. It is indispensable to anyone who wants to understand the nature of American and/or Israeli Judaism, as well as the complex relations between them."
--Charles Silberman, author of A Certain People: American Jews and Their Lives Today

"At last, a genuinely new book—bold in its conception, cautious in its assertions, a rich mine of insight and information that will provoke, disturb, and enrich discussion and debate for years to come."
--Leonard Fein, author of Where Are We? The Inner Life of America's Jews

"This is going to be the standard work on the relation in America and Israel between Jewish religion and Jewish politics."
--Arnold Eisen, Stanford University