Jewish Book Club discussion
Literary Chat & Other Book Stuff
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WHAT ARE YOU READING? A place for remarks, recommendations or reviews
So true. There are a ton of museums that are online. If it wasn't for the ability to download from the library, I am not sure what I would have done!
Shalom. I recently read this book, which analyzes the rift between American Jews & Israelis. It was well-researched and insightful. If any of you have already read it or are willing to read, feel free to discuss it over here.Here's my review of the book.
Israelis are from Mars and American Jews are from Venus
An in-depth examination of the widening schism between American Jews and their Israeli counterparts. Author Daniel Gordis compares their longstanding tumultuous relationship to an unhappy marriage with irreconcilable difference. He highlights that this is not a recent phenomenon, and traces its origins all the way to the early Zionist movement, much before the formation of the modern-day State of Israel.
The Zionist ideologues were relentlessly opposed to the universalism that gained momentum in erstwhile Europe. The ideological debate between the American and European Zionists eventually made way for the rift between the American Jews and Israelis. Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism, had realized that Judaism in America was a unique challenge for Zionism and had expressed his exasperation toward the community.
American Jews at large were against Zionism, which denigrated Jewish exile and espoused the re-establishment of a Jewish state. They internalized the notion that the US was their new national home and rejected the very idea of a Jewish state while considering Jews as a religious community than a nation. And their stance remained the same even in 1943, when the erstwhile Holocaust made the argument for the need for a Jewish state more compelling than ever. However, it’s interesting to note that the American Jewish leaders endorsed the 1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine not because of ideological or religious reasons, but rather, they “saw the state merely as a utilitarian solution to a demographic problem.” This was in stark contrast to Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion, who “saw Israel as a rebirth of Jewish peoplehood.” The author elucidates that American Jews couldn’t embrace the statehood-centric version of European Zionism because they envisioned America to be their Zion, their promised land. The community did so out of the fear “of undermining their position in their newfound home.
The American Jewish community was attracted to the liberal politics of the Democratic Party, becoming one of their major voting blocs. Most of them feel that commitment to Israel seems does not mesh well with American liberalism and that a country specifically for Jews was in disagreement with their universal vision for humanity. In the words of sociologist Steven Cohen who’s quoted in the book, “Israel is a red state and American Jews are a blue country.”
The book further explores how the friction between the two communities exacerbated during the Eichmann trial and the Six Day War. Israel’s involvement in the First Lebanon War, the eventual conflicts in Gaza, and the passing of the 2018 nation-state law added fuel to the fire. The author notes that another reason for this rift is the dismissive attitude of Israel’s Rabbinate and ultra-Orthodox leaders toward non-Orthodox Jews (particularly Reform and Conservative) who make up 90% of America's Jewish population. Especially, attitudes towards Israel among young American Jews are mostly negative. Daniel Gordis points out that this is because “Holocaust feels like ancient history, people are not emotional, unlike the previous generations, young American Jews cannot imagine Israel faces an existential threat.”
The two groups’ opposite visions of Jewishness have greatly contemporary shaped Jewish discourse. As the author notes, both communities, which make up over 85% of the world’s Jewish population, have very different values and different visions of Judaism. Israeli Jews are living in a country that’s struggling to stay both democratic and Jewish amid existential threats while their American peers lead comfortable, secure lives. Israel is an ethnic democracy built on Jewish particularism, while America is a liberal democracy built on American universalism. The former draws inspiration from the Hebrew Bible, while the latter reflected on the Christian Bible’s worldview. America was envisioned as a secular country for all, while Israel was envisioned as a national homeland for the Jewish people. In their bid to fit into the Wilsonian dream of Americanization, American Jews opposed Jewish particularism and embraced American universalism. They wanted Israel to emulate the United States. The author reasons out that “America could not have achieved its greatness were it not a liberal democracy. Israel could not fulfill its intended purpose if it were.”
The book also sheds lights on the positive impact of the American Jewish community on Israel, including Israeli religious feminism, which was inspired by American feminism, and the innovative educational institutions in Israel, which were conceived by American views on education.
Furthermore, Daniel Gordis opines that neither American Jews nor Israelis will be perfect partners owing to the radical divide in their histories, commitments, and values and that building a relationship in the face of imperfection is the only way forward. He concludes by suggesting that the two communities “need to recalibrate their expectations of each other” and “recognizing the fracture in this relationship” will make progress and begin the long-overdue process of healing between them.
Adrian, This is a really wonderful wonderful review, and a summary for anyone who doesn’t intend to read the book. I for one, think I’m going to buy it. And maybe I will read it just before I head to Israel this July! Thank you so much for the recommendation and for your thoughts.
You know I just had an idea after I wrote in the last time. Jan and Stacy, we should probably plan to read this book as a group. I mean there’s a lot for us to talk about, and I believe the majority of the group are Americans but if we have folks who are not that would be interesting too! I think if our group was reading this I would read it with you guys regardless of what month we were in. What others think this would be a good group and book to read together?
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Thanks, Amy for your suggestion. Could be a moderator's choice to get it in expeditiously. Will wait for Stacey's input as well. I bet she's read it.
Back this evening when -- I hope -- can read this review with enough time. (Why does everything happen at once!?!?)
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Adrian, now I've read your comprehensive review. Good work!
Is it a review of We Stand Divided: Competing Visions of Jewishness and the Rift Between American Jews and Israel? I was looking for one by the name of the text you put in bold, and when I couldn't find, thought this must be it. Right ... Oh yeah, now I see the cover at the bottom. 😁
This is a very current topic. I would venture to say Joshua Cohen's Pulitzer prize winner is on the sane topic, maybe also Dara Horn's People Love Dead Jews.
Rather than trying to get everyone to read the same book, would you like to see a discussion on this topic? I could start a thread. If you prefer sticking to the book itself, I'll hold off.
You know - would it be crazy if we actually looked at these three books as a set on the same topic? Like we could spend some time with the three of them over a course of a period of time. Like folks could read one of them, all of them.... Share each others thoughts, have a real discussion. Why choose just one, if there are three "titans" right now and a lot of different people in the group with different viewpoints and capacities. It's just a thought to mull over.
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Ah -- you mean We Stand Divided, Dead Jews, and The Netanyahus. Took me a minute so obviously I'm not totally awake.
There are more, Amy. Derek put his finger on it: has been a thing since the beginning. I'll start a "literary stuff" discussion thread later today and post the link back over here.
Plus the one Adrian just mentioned. Israelis are from Mars.
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Israeli Jews v. the diaspora: what have you read? and what do you think?
I think it’s a great topic. But it would have to be organized and a way that folks knew how do you read, think, and talk about this in a meaningful way, and in a way that fits in with other life priorities and book priorities.
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I did start a discussion, Amy, but may be too big a topic or not what's needed. Well, not carved in stone. :)
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn. 4.41Not exactly what the title implies. Essays from this novelist on Jews in America and how our past influences our standing in the world. Excellent.
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Not exactly what the title implies. Essays from this novelist on Jews in America and how our past influences our standing in..."
Excellent book Linda. The title was an eye catcher.
Made me nervous until i saw the author.
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I was glad to have read it as it was very creative, but was less engaged in the second half.
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Shelley, you had written you were waiting to read "A Death in Jerusalem" for a trip read. Have you read it yet?
yes I did. I posted a somewhat lengthy review on my Goodreads, but will repost here. I gave it 4 stars which for me is great praise! I have enjoyed all of the Adam Lapid series which can be read on several levels- for the vivid descriptions of neighborhoods of early state Israel, especially fun when they are streets and areas with which one is familiar- for the first person account of a deeply damaged protagonist who is using the skills he learned as a police detective a lifetime ago in prewar Hungary and adding a few that he was never taught in the police academy- and the supporting characters from various backgrounds making their way in a new reality- and the history which is so real and reveals aspects of life in Israel and the emotional challenges that I may not have read about elsewhere. In this book it was the wrenching decision by Ben-Gurion and the Knesset to enter into direct negotiations with Germany for reparations which many survivors viewed as putting a per capita price on the victims' lives. The opening scenes were so similar to what we witnessed at the US Capitol on January 6th that I had to wonder if they were accurate. They apparently were.
My favorite of the series was the the one prior to this- the prequel which actually took place in Auschwitz, as it shed so much light on our private detective. For reasons I can't explain the violence in this book was more disturbing than usual- not because it was more graphic , but because it was so rationalized and easily resorted to by characters on all sides. I understood the rage and the desperation we were to believe caused it, but it still seemed so comfortably done even by people who may have never killed before that for me it didn't always ring true. This book had many tragic characters- maybe all of them had some tragedy coloring their lives, very sad.
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I have enjoyed all of the Adam Lapid series which can be read o..."
Shelley,
I wonder how I missed your review. This is such a well written review and glad you enjoyed the book as I did.. I can recognize your comparisons with this one and The Auschwitz Detective". I think the descriptions and violence inside the camp was more disturbing because it was so intimate between specific characters.
It was a brilliant concept to show the parallels between the Reparations Act and that of Jan 6th.
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Amy wrote: "Well An Unorthodox Match, of course!"
:) I enjoyed that book. I was disappointed in the next one.
When its time I will tell you why.
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Oh, too bad. I've been counting on the book to pull me along rapidly. Only four days to finish it before a book club discussion where I'll probably hear spoilers if not finished. Maybe forewarned is forearmed. :) Thanks, Shelley.
:) I enjoyed that book. I was disappointed in the next one.When its time I will tell you why."
Stacey - I just finished the sequel, "An Observant Wife." Also liked it less than the first one. I'd be interested in hearing your take, when it's time.
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When its time I will tell you why."
Stacey - I just finished the sequel, "An Observant Wife." Also liked it less than the first one. I'd..."
Melissa,
I would be delighted- not sure when "it's time" would be.
Just finished AOM. Will write my review tonight. Will be curious to discuss.
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So eager to discuss over there, Amy. My time has not been my own this weekend!
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And I have 30 more pages in The Lost Shtetl, so looks like I will finish in time for my book club meeting tomorrow after all!
Jan wrote: "I recently read Kafka's Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy, which pulls in history as well as the conflicting interests of the individuals and countries that wanted his liter..."Jan, not sure if you were there, but Literary Modiin hosted Max Gross, speaking about The Lost Shtetl in Dec 2020... here's the recording for anyone interested: https://youtu.be/STE6azAHZqE
I just finished Ariela Freedman's new historical novel, Léa, inspired by the life of Léa Roback, a Canadian-Jewish labor activist, feminist, etc. I thought it was an excellent portrayal of a strong female protagonist who grapples with her family situation and the world at large as she's trying to find her place in it. She spent a good bit of time in Europe in the late 1920s and early 1930s and I found that part of the book particularly interesting.(PS Ariela is appearing at the upcoming Literary Modiin event on Sunday, July 10 at 1 pm EDT...I posted about it on a different discussion board but in case anyone would like to register, you can do so here: https://bit.ly/3xnJmjD)
Julie, remind people that if they can't make that time they should register anyway and get the recording. (like me this month) I enjoy it every month and just read, the play for the end of the world which was very good- and would never have known about it if not for your Modiin group! so thanks again.(sorry, this is the wrong thread I think)
I just tried to read The Abu Dhabi Bar Mitzvah: Fear and Love in the modern middle east by Adam Valen Levinson. I was sadly disappointed with it. The fact that there were Jews in Abu Dhabi, and that they could even have a bar mitzvah was so unremarkable I had to go back and re-read that section because I missed it. I also couldn't get my head around how a Jewish male, even if not observant, was able to so freely move about in the middle east - into Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and more - seemed utterly stupid - endangering others to satisfy his curiosity - and against his theory that people are nice everywhere. He was the idiot that didn't care about the trail he left behind for those that hosted him had to explain while they remained.
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Sorry you got hold of one you didn't care for, Kszr. I didn't know about this one.
They all can't be great, right? Now you know what to avoid!
Hi everyone! I saw someone mention Rena Rossner's Sisters of the Winter Wood and I LOVED that one. I also thought Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver was a beautifully written and interesting Jewish take on a well-known fairy-tale. I'm curious if other folks are interested in fairy-tale retellings as adults. I always love them!
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Hi Lynda!
I agree with you on both of those books.
It so happens that last year we did a genre on Jewish Fairy Tales.
The interpretations of many of them were wonderful.
What is one or two of your favorites?
Oh! Amazing! I wish I had seen that! The Golem and the Jinni is honestly one of my all time favorite Jewish historical fantasy books. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a fairy-tale, but it's such a terrific story! I also loved The Wolf and the Woodsman.XO
I read both the Rossner book and the Golem and the Jinni. I enjoyed them both. I have a soft spot in my heart for Golem, maybe because they are alone, and can't speak, but can feel. We read Snow in August by Pete Hamill in our Sisterhood Book Club. It is not written as specifically a fairy tale, yet it is. The basic story starts as a young Irish boy meets an old rabbi and becomes a Shabbos Goy for him. they develop a wonderful friendship that goes beyond turning on the lights. Unfortunately, in 1947 Brooklyn, there is hate and ignorance and this friendship and their lives are affected by it. I would recommend this book.
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Hi Irene,
I read the Snow in August too! But it was a long time ago so I have to go back and re-read a little more than the synopsis to trigger my
memory although I remember the cover vividly.
For what it's worth, my memory allows for recall of older and current books I like and didn't care for by simply their titles.
Very frustrating at times when I can't remember the specific content. Hopefully I'm not alone on this. :)
I read the sisters of the winter wood this year and wrote a review. I thought it was extremely well done, and I believe I gave it four stars.
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Welcome home Amy!!!
That was a good book.
Just started The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World - I tend to veer away from 'holocaust' related books but thought I'd try this as it has very good reviews and Freedland is an excellent writer. Still very much at the start but it is, indeed, very well written, and very good/frightening on detail. I'll write more thoughts when I finish but interested if anyone else is or has given it a go.
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I haven't heard of it before. I bet Stacey has!
Hope others will chime in. That's one of our issues: not as many commenters as one would hope! Thank you for being one who did, Victoria!
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Stephan Pastis' "Pearls before Swine" comic strip for yesterday, 7/21/2022
Stacey and I considered the topic of "forgiveness" for our September nominations and poll but ultimately went in another direction. Posting this strip because it is on the topic of forgiveness. :)
I'm reading Spies of No Country by Matti Friedman. It's for a book club I'm in. Quite engaging and definitely information I didn't know.
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One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that we got to find out about a lot like that.