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WorldPerfect: The Jewish Impact on Civilization
In pursuit of an answer to the question of what would constitute a perfect world, author Ken Spiro questioned more than 1,500 people of various backgrounds and religions. His findings revealed six core Respect for human life; peace and harmony; justice and equality; education; family; and social responsibility. He then set off on a journey to find out why these were such common goals across cultural, economic, social and racial lines, and in the process, traced the history of the development of world religions, values and ethics. As a rabbi, he paid particular attention to how Judaism impacted, and was influenced by, the course of these developments. The result is a highly readable and well-documented book about the origins of values and virtues in Western civilization as influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Christians, Muslims and, most significantly, the Jews. The history of religion, presented in Spiro’s highly readable style, is a fascinating and timely subject, especially in today’s volatile religious climate. Spiro divides his book into five engaging Readers of all faiths will find that the elements of a perfect world can only be achieved by a common understanding of our mutual backgrounds and that our diverse religions are all merely branches growing from one single tree.
356 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 17, 2023
In this remarkable work, Ken Spiro takes us through four thousand years of history to show how the ethical and moral values that are held dear in the West, such as respect for human life, social responsibility, political pluralism, peaceful co-existence, tradition, family etc, all originate from the Jewish civilization, which grew up in Israel, and gave the world the Bible. The Torah says the Jews need to be ' A Light Among The Nations'.
He begins by taking us through a tour of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which are often credited with being the predecessors of Western civilization, and shows us a rather horrific picture of how a lot of what they believed and practiced was quite antithetical to Judeo-Christian values.
Hence we learn about the nastier side these ancient civilizations and the wide scale acceptance and practice, defended by Plato, Aristotle and company of such things as infanticide, sexual abuse of children woman abuse, and extreme sexual depravity, as well as the total disregard for welfare of the poor or equal justice.
He then shows us how the Torah and the teachings of Ancient Israel enshrined respect for life, peace, justice, education, family and social welfare.
Through a history of the Jewish people, and religion, as well as the values enshrined therein.
What follows is an account of the Christian and Islamic faiths, which Judaism gave birth to, and their histories and attitudes to humanity etc.
Finally as we journey through time, we learn of the impact of Judaism on modern democracy.
He also shows how secular philosophies such as Communism and Humanism; leave much to be desired, because there morality is subjective, unlike the absolute truth given to us by our creator, enshrined in religious morality.
Hence the English Revolution of Oliver Cromwell, and the American Revolution, rooted in Protestant Christianity and deeply held Biblical values led to lasting democratic legacies, and relative peace in the countries in which they took place.
However the French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions, based on secular philosophies such as the Enlightenment and Communism, lacked all moral restraints, despite there high sounding ideals and therefore led to terror, mass murder and totalitarianism.
Marxism for example is supposed to be based on social justice and equality, but has led to the deaths of over 100 million people, and in my opinion, the word terror and repression, ever known to mankind.
Since in all of the ideologies and religions, he covers, he details the attitudes to and treatment of the Jewish people, I am surprised that he does not highlight that Karl Marx , despite being of Jewish background , was in fact violently anti-Semitic.
Some of Karl Marx's most vicious tracts are reserved for Jews and Judaism.
He concludes that liberal democracy and Judeo-Christian values are ascendant today
However I strongly disagree with Rabbi Spiro, that the United Nations is `perhaps the best example of the universal influence of Jewish values' as he states on page 268, `that it is `dedicated to making the world a better place'
I believe that the United Nations is a modern day tower of Babel, dominated by cruel dictatorships and rampant hostility to the pluralist democracy and Judeo-Christian values represented by the West.
The General Assembly of the UN routinely passing resolutions condemning the tiny Jewish state of Israel, for the mildest measure it takes to protect itself, and aims to remove the Jewish people, from their biblical heartland.
At the same time, it gives its almost unlimited support to every brutal dictatorship on this planet.
In the last year, the UN Human Rights Commission, which includes Red China, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Syria, Iran and Zimbabwe, was headed by Libya! Israel is the only country in the world, which cannot sit on the UN human Rights Commission.
deliberate starvation of Zimbabwe's people and massacres perpetrated by dictator, Robert Mugabe, genoicide of the Kurds, South Sudanese, Christian Lebanese etc, and the nightmarish totalitarian dictatorships in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Syria, Libya, Iran etc
The UN can always be counted on to side with the cruel ones, with the despots.
And while I am -with no apologies- an uncompromising believer in Judeo-Christian values and pluralist democracy, I am not perhaps as optimistic about the outlook for the easy victory of Western, democratic values.
While the Marxist ECONOMIC system may have collapsed, Neo-Marxism with its anti- Western, anti-Israel, pro terrorist, pro-dictatorship dyspepsia is on the rise.
The ideologies of Noam Chomsky - violent hostility to the West and particularly Israel, together with admiration for terrorists and Third World dictatorships, all under the label of `anti-imperialism' and `anti-colonialism', is now seen as the mainstream.
Yes, in university campuses and media, across the world, leftwing anti-democratic, anti-Semitic extremism is more powerful than ever.
Anti-Western revolutionary regimes have taken power. Since Communism has collapsed in Russia and Eastern Europe, anti-Western revolutionary neo-Marxist regimes have gained control in Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and Haiti, and while Red China has experienced economic liberalization, there is no sign of political liberalization.
The hysterical outcry across the world against the USA's war to liberate Iraq, involved millions of people, and involved massive support for terror, dictatorship and anti-Semitism.
Western, Judeo-Christian democratic values can triumph, but we have a massive struggle ahead of us to ensure that they do.
Merged review:
In this remarkable work, Ken Spiro takes us through four thousand years of history to show how the ethical and moral values that are held dear in the West, such as respect for human life, social responsibility, political pluralism, peaceful co-existence, tradition, family etc, all originate from the Jewish civilization, which grew up in Israel, and gave the world the Bible. The Torah says the Jews need to be ' A Light Among The Nations'.
He begins by taking us through a tour of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which are often credited with being the predecessors of Western civilization, and shows us a rather horrific picture of how a lot of what they believed and practiced was quite antithetical to Judeo-Christian values.
Hence we learn about the nastier side these ancient civilizations and the wide scale acceptance and practice, defended by Plato, Aristotle and company of such things as infanticide, sexual abuse of children woman abuse, and extreme sexual depravity, as well as the total disregard for welfare of the poor or equal justice.
He then shows us how the Torah and the teachings of Ancient Israel enshrined respect for life, peace, justice, education, family and social welfare.
Through a history of the Jewish people, and religion, as well as the values enshrined therein.
What follows is an account of the Christian and Islamic faiths, which Judaism gave birth to, and their histories and attitudes to humanity etc.
Finally as we journey through time, we learn of the impact of Judaism on modern democracy.
He also shows how secular philosophies such as Communism and Humanism; leave much to be desired, because there morality is subjective, unlike the absolute truth given to us by our creator, enshrined in religious morality.
He begins by taking us through a tour of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which are often credited with being the predecessors of Western civilization, and shows us a rather horrific picture of how a lot of what they believed and practiced was quite antithetical to Judeo-Christian values.
Hence we learn about the nastier side these ancient civilizations and the wide scale acceptance and practice, defended by Plato, Aristotle and company of such things as infanticide, sexual abuse of children woman abuse, and extreme sexual depravity, as well as the total disregard for welfare of the poor or equal justice.
He then shows us how the Torah and the teachings of Ancient Israel enshrined respect for life, peace, justice, education, family and social welfare.
Through a history of the Jewish people, and religion, as well as the values enshrined therein.
What follows is an account of the Christian and Islamic faiths, which Judaism gave birth to, and their histories and attitudes to humanity etc.
Finally as we journey through time, we learn of the impact of Judaism on modern democracy.
He also shows how secular philosophies such as Communism and Humanism; leave much to be desired, because there morality is subjective, unlike the absolute truth given to us by our creator, enshrined in religious morality.
Hence the English Revolution of Oliver Cromwell, and the American Revolution, rooted in Protestant Christianity and deeply held Biblical values led to lasting democratic legacies, and relative peace in the countries in which they took place.
However the French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions, based on secular philosophies such as the Enlightenment and Communism, lacked all moral restraints, despite there high sounding ideals and therefore led to terror, mass murder and totalitarianism.
Marxism for example is supposed to be based on social justice and equality, but has led to the deaths of over 100 million people, and in my opinion, the word terror and repression, ever known to mankind.
Since in all of the ideologies and religions, he covers, he details the attitudes to and treatment of the Jewish people, I am surprised that he does not highlight that Karl Marx , despite being of Jewish background , was in fact violently anti-Semitic.
Some of Karl Marx's most vicious tracts are reserved for Jews and Judaism.
He concludes that liberal democracy and Judeo-Christian values are ascendant today
However I strongly disagree with Rabbi Spiro, that the United Nations is `perhaps the best example of the universal influence of Jewish values' as he states on page 268, `that it is `dedicated to making the world a better place'
I believe that the United Nations is a modern day tower of Babel, dominated by cruel dictatorships and rampant hostility to the pluralist democracy and Judeo-Christian values represented by the West.
The General Assembly of the UN routinely passing resolutions condemning the tiny Jewish state of Israel, for the mildest measure it takes to protect itself, and aims to remove the Jewish people, from their biblical heartland.
At the same time, it gives its almost unlimited support to every brutal dictatorship on this planet.
In the last year, the UN Human Rights Commission, which includes Red China, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Syria, Iran and Zimbabwe, was headed by Libya! Israel is the only country in the world, which cannot sit on the UN human Rights Commission.
deliberate starvation of Zimbabwe's people and massacres perpetrated by dictator, Robert Mugabe, genoicide of the Kurds, South Sudanese, Christian Lebanese etc, and the nightmarish totalitarian dictatorships in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Syria, Libya, Iran etc
The UN can always be counted on to side with the cruel ones, with the despots.
And while I am -with no apologies- an uncompromising believer in Judeo-Christian values and pluralist democracy, I am not perhaps as optimistic about the outlook for the easy victory of Western, democratic values.
While the Marxist ECONOMIC system may have collapsed, Neo-Marxism with its anti- Western, anti-Israel, pro terrorist, pro-dictatorship dyspepsia is on the rise.
The ideologies of Noam Chomsky - violent hostility to the West and particularly Israel, together with admiration for terrorists and Third World dictatorships, all under the label of `anti-imperialism' and `anti-colonialism', is now seen as the mainstream.
Yes, in university campuses and media, across the world, leftwing anti-democratic, anti-Semitic extremism is more powerful than ever.
Anti-Western revolutionary regimes have taken power. Since Communism has collapsed in Russia and Eastern Europe, anti-Western revolutionary neo-Marxist regimes have gained control in Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and Haiti, and while Red China has experienced economic liberalization, there is no sign of political liberalization.
The hysterical outcry across the world against the USA's war to liberate Iraq, involved millions of people, and involved massive support for terror, dictatorship and anti-Semitism.
Western, Judeo-Christian democratic values can triumph, but we have a massive struggle ahead of us to ensure that they do.
Merged review:
In this remarkable work, Ken Spiro takes us through four thousand years of history to show how the ethical and moral values that are held dear in the West, such as respect for human life, social responsibility, political pluralism, peaceful co-existence, tradition, family etc, all originate from the Jewish civilization, which grew up in Israel, and gave the world the Bible. The Torah says the Jews need to be ' A Light Among The Nations'.
He begins by taking us through a tour of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which are often credited with being the predecessors of Western civilization, and shows us a rather horrific picture of how a lot of what they believed and practiced was quite antithetical to Judeo-Christian values.
Hence we learn about the nastier side these ancient civilizations and the wide scale acceptance and practice, defended by Plato, Aristotle and company of such things as infanticide, sexual abuse of children woman abuse, and extreme sexual depravity, as well as the total disregard for welfare of the poor or equal justice.
He then shows us how the Torah and the teachings of Ancient Israel enshrined respect for life, peace, justice, education, family and social welfare.
Through a history of the Jewish people, and religion, as well as the values enshrined therein.
What follows is an account of the Christian and Islamic faiths, which Judaism gave birth to, and their histories and attitudes to humanity etc.
Finally as we journey through time, we learn of the impact of Judaism on modern democracy.
He also shows how secular philosophies such as Communism and Humanism; leave much to be desired, because there morality is subjective, unlike the absolute truth given to us by our creator, enshrined in religious morality.
October 17, 2011
This book literally changed my life. I had no idea how much the morals of our society were based on biblical values and how much the bible brought to the world. Ken Spiro really opened my eyes the way no other author has. The only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 was because I'm not a history buff and so some parts felt a bit long but even so, this is a really important and great book.
June 14, 2011
AWESOME CRYSTAL CLEAR WORK
If I have to choose an introductory book for a Jewish fellow who is looking to read a short essay with a comprehensive content about the history and essence of the Jews as religion, nation, and race, this is the book
Written with an easy language and very clear and concise concepts, nobody will have the same view of everyday world after finishing these rich pages
The author Historian and Rabbi, makes at the beginning a survey of the biggest ancient civilizations (Greece and Rome) considered the producers of the ideas, ways of life and principles that gave rise to the development of the Western World and shows how traditional school teaching was wrong, in fact the first seeds of the principles ruling today Western civilization originated in the five books of Moses,
On a second part it dedicates some chapters to briefly explain the Dark Middle Ages in Europe and how the Church distorted and censored Jesus preaching, based on the holy values of the Books of Moses, in order to promote mass ignorance and monopolize economic power
Finishes with very convincing elements explaining how the United States from its very beginnings with the Mayflower pilgrims arrival in Massachusetts helped to constitute a free democratic nation following the values of every individual right to life, freedom, justice, education for all and social benefits based on the mandates of the Jewish Holy Book, the Torah
The above US chapter ("America the beautiful") and the author final conclusions are in my opinion the most juicy sections of the book, as they provide the best insights, teachings and pieces of wisdom that he can convey to us from this outstanding essay
It you happen to be Jewish, it is a mitzvah (a divine command) to perform acts of kindness, everyday, so buy one volume for your best Jewish friend, first, and another one for you then
You will never regret it !!!
If I have to choose an introductory book for a Jewish fellow who is looking to read a short essay with a comprehensive content about the history and essence of the Jews as religion, nation, and race, this is the book
Written with an easy language and very clear and concise concepts, nobody will have the same view of everyday world after finishing these rich pages
The author Historian and Rabbi, makes at the beginning a survey of the biggest ancient civilizations (Greece and Rome) considered the producers of the ideas, ways of life and principles that gave rise to the development of the Western World and shows how traditional school teaching was wrong, in fact the first seeds of the principles ruling today Western civilization originated in the five books of Moses,
On a second part it dedicates some chapters to briefly explain the Dark Middle Ages in Europe and how the Church distorted and censored Jesus preaching, based on the holy values of the Books of Moses, in order to promote mass ignorance and monopolize economic power
Finishes with very convincing elements explaining how the United States from its very beginnings with the Mayflower pilgrims arrival in Massachusetts helped to constitute a free democratic nation following the values of every individual right to life, freedom, justice, education for all and social benefits based on the mandates of the Jewish Holy Book, the Torah
The above US chapter ("America the beautiful") and the author final conclusions are in my opinion the most juicy sections of the book, as they provide the best insights, teachings and pieces of wisdom that he can convey to us from this outstanding essay
It you happen to be Jewish, it is a mitzvah (a divine command) to perform acts of kindness, everyday, so buy one volume for your best Jewish friend, first, and another one for you then
You will never regret it !!!
September 29, 2007
I enjoyed this tour de force of Jewish/western history. It is very readable and provides a quality overview of a vast body of history. In addition, I was fortunate enough to discuss this book with the author. A vibrant guy full of humour and conviction.
March 1, 2017
A dozen years ago I was taken with it, as it asserted what I already believed to be true about the past and the present the past had emerged, as well as what I had wanted to believe about ALL of it from a "Orthodox" and "Jewish" perspective AS simply the most objective and correct perspective. In time, I've come to think that the parts that were true depictions of events, etc - actually required more truth context than was given to be taken seriously as true assessments (for example, often, Christianity and Christian communities played very different roles than presented) - and the parts that were false were just that. Oft times, it wasn't even so much that the error could not have been known at the time of the writing - it was ideologically committed selection of a less-nuanced, less-informed perspective (examples, ancient Greek and Roman sexuality). It wasn't simply the difference between an academic work and a popular work. I have a hard time even trying to think of HOW I thought back then, to try and give a fair assessment of myself as a reader, so I'll just stop. Now. ;-)
September 16, 2014
A few historical mistakes (Edward VI of England was 15 when he died, not 24) and a lot of white-washing makes for a poor read.
November 22, 2020
I was so fortunate to meet this author and pick up his book while in Israel for the first time years ago! A wonderful read💜🙏🏻🇮🇱
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews