Radical Then, Radical Now

by Jonathan Sacks

The Jewish People in its very being constitutes a living protest against a world of hatred, violence and war. Radical Then, Radical Now is a powerful testimony to the amazing resilience of the Jewish people who have, through their endurance of four thousand years of persecution and exile, earned a unique place in history. Without land or power, they created an identity for themselves through their shared dreams of freedom, justice, dignity and human rights. Yet far more than Jewish history is contained within the pages of this book. Jonathan Sacks reminds us all of the legacy of those dreams and of our responsibility to our fellow man. He challenges us to build a better world.

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Philosophy, Judaica, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2004

About the author

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Henry Sacks was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name was Yaakov Zvi.

Serving as the chief rabbi in the United Kingdom from 1991 to 2013, Sacks gained fame both in the secular world and in Jewish circles. He was a sought-after voice on issues of war and peace, religious fundamentalism, ethics, and the relationship between science and religion, among other topics. Sacks wrote more than 20 books.

Rabbi Sacks died November 2020 after a short bout with cancer. He was 72.

Reviews

[Kressel Housman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid hashkafa, but I like his later books more. This one is better for beginners to Judaism whereas his last two books take on the philosophical challenges faced by people used to living Judaism in this 21st century world.

[Xavier Alexandre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prodded by 3 disappointing responses from 3 prominent Jews to the question "what does it mean for you to be a Jew?", Jonathan Sachs takes his pen and describes what being Jewish means for him, in 220 pages.

Steering away from any self-justification from the past, but using the Torah, its lessons, and the musings of wise men from hundreds or thousands of years ago, he finds meaning in the future, or at least in the future that could and should be. A future where we love life, justice, where kings or judges are not needed because men can stand for themselves, and a world where we love not only our neighbour, but the stranger himself, i.e. the one we do not even know. Tough hill to climb. Climbing it is what Jews are/should be about, as masterfully described in this book.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good if you haven't read Sacks's more recent stuff, but a little repetitive if you have. Still nice, a lovely love letter to Judaism.

[Alexander Temerev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed, it is life-changing. Thank you Xavier.

[Jack Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great great book with that all too familiar prose. Rabbi Sacks i find is always amazing at illuminating that human side to things, constantly emphathetic to all sides of the argument.
He goes over how the Jewish condition has always been in rebellion to the burning palace we call earth. The scope of his knowledge in both Jewish and non-jewish sources is masterful and supherbly strung together.
Throughout the book he demonstrates the countless jewish ideas which have helped preserve the religion as well as influence western thought as a whole. He shows some of the shortcomings of the philosophy of the greeks, lacking that spiritual energy which pulls nations forward. As I've noticed with Rabbi Sacks his commentary on historical events is supherb showing sometimes how Jewish sources have always found them apparant (intermarriage in this case).
It is constantly shown how groundbreaking the ideas of the Jewish religion were then and still are now (hence the name).
The more you read him the more you understand the connection between his ideas, a tremndous thinker and author.

[Mikey Mizrahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving, intelligent, and well aware of the philosophical movements that have happened outside of Judiasm. Rarely do I find Jewish books that I connect with so strongly and agree with on many levels. This is an excellent read that I think every jew should read, and anyone who is wonder what jews think like should read.