Letters to Josep: An Introduction to Judaism

by Daniella Levy

"You are about to embark on something more than a book. You are about to participate in a quest for friendship, understanding, and love, beyond language, religion, and borders..."

--from Josep's foreword It began as an extraordinary correspondence across the Mediterranean. Josep, a secular Catholic from Barcelona, wanted to learn about Daniella's life as an American-Israeli Orthodox Jew. Her enthusiastic response to his curiosity resulted in this collection of entertaining and enlightening letters. With nuance, candor, and warmth--and a liberal dash of humor--Daniella paints a vivid picture of observant Jewish life. She explains complex concepts in a manner so unassuming and accessible that even the most uninitiated can relate--but with enough depth that the knowledgeable will find new insight, too. Whether you're a curious non-Jew or a Jew hoping to expand your knowledge, Letters to Josep will charm, inform, and inspire you.

Genres: Judaism, Theology, Nonfiction

292 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2016

About the author

Daniella Levy is a mother of three, rabbi's wife, writer, translator, self-defense instructor, bridal counselor, black belt in karate, and certified medical clown--and she still can't decide what to be when she grows up.

She is the author of Disengagement, By Light of Hidden Candles, and Letters to Josep: An Introduction to Judaism. Her short fiction, articles, and poetry--in three languages--have been published in numerous magazines, journals, and media platforms, and she has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Her Talmudic studies notes in high school consisted of a series of silly dramatizations of Jewish sages yelling at each other. She's pretty sure her teacher would have been horrified.

Reviews

[The Great Asπ e · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters to Josep has quite an interesting backstory. The author, a Jewish woman from Israel, befriends a Catholic man who becomes very interested in her and her faith. They become good friends and start exchanging emails where the Catholic man “Josep” asks her questions about her faith and she responds in kind. Being a Catholic, he wasn’t raised in Jewish thought and was curious about how those who only read with what Christians call the Old Testament went about their day to day life. Josep admits that the emails became too much for him, he was a busy man and Levy was giving him a lot to digest.

This is when Levy decided to create a blog, where she would post the content she was putting into the emails all in one space, so he could frequent them at his leisure. The book contains these “letters” of sorts and goes on to explain the key tenets and beliefs of Judaism.

Levy presents a compelling and heartfelt case for her religious values and devotions. Comments like “I prefer observant Jew to Orthodox Jew” show that she isn’t trying to be overly dogmatic but rather just wants you to see Jewish life through her eyes. Even though I’ve studied Judaism before, I feel like this Introduction has told me more than any of my previous studies. It treats the adherent of Judaism and the curious seeker as human beings and someones we get so caught up in our beliefs we forget that.

[Shanna Gabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ridiculously readable about a topic some might think particularly tedious: Jewish religious life. I loved Every. Single. Chapter. Daniella is so personal and personable, and her love shines through every page - her love for God, family and the world. This book comes with my HIGHEST recommendation.

[T.J. Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Levy's writing very compelling and she's an excellent storyteller. The book is essentially a collection of correspondence she had with a good friend, who had a hard time understanding Judaism. Levy answers the questions to the best of her ability and fruitful dialogue tends to follow. I think this book could be used as a model for how polite and civil discourse should go.

[Tony Lee Ross Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Daniella tells a compelling personal story about Judaism and her status as a Jewish person was like growing up, going through school, etc. This introduction to Judaism wasn't a systematic "Here's what adherents of Judaism believe" but "this is why we do what we do" type of thing, which I appreciated and think is a unique approach.

[Tony Lee Ross Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written story that was adopted from a correspondence between two friends about Judaism. The author is a Jewish woman who is actively practicing Judaism and seeks to help her friend understand her belief system, why she believes it and what it means to her.

[tlrj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Daniella Levy's writing style. She tells a story of a friendship of ignorance that turns into a friendship that is pleasantly seeking understanding.

[Tony Ross Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt and touching story about religious inquiry between friends.