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שטעטל בייגל בייסבול
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 3, 2014
Rosner, a Ha'aretz journalist, tackles for the Israeli public the eternal question: what are these American Jews, and what do you eat them with?
Apparently, with pretty much anything. American Jews come in a wide variety of flavours - salty, sugary, tangy, fruity, and, occasionally, even traditional.
Food metaphors aside, the one main theme underlying the entirety of Rosner's varied and sundry investigations is the impossibility of determinning much of anything concerning the "congregation" of American Jewry - to the point where it is unclear, even, just how many American Jews there are, who counts as one, and who is likely to count as one by the time you've finished reading the book. Answers appear to involve politics, religion, temperament (optimistic or pessimistic) and perhaps also a tiny grain of competitiveness with that other other Jewish place - Israel.
The relationship to Israel and its Jewish culture and population takes up centre stage for Rosner, understandably, as he is writing for Israelis, as an Israeli. And it sure takes time to cover, again, because the Jewry of America can't quite make up its mind. He's not afraid of laying out the demands of partisan politics, the conflict and insecurity of dual-loyalty, and the proprietary feeling that prevails in the congregation concerning Israel - though most of the people do not see it as central, or important to them.
It tackles the issues of what American Jews believe and how they believe it, what they choose in order to touch upon their Jewish identity and Jewish practice, and even - slightly redundantly for me, but perhaps not for other readers - the emergence of the Orthodox Feminist revolution.
Rosener likes the American Jews, admires them, engages with them, but also obviously fears them, and for them, both as unbridled agents of influence in Israel without genuine understanding or investment - promoting their principles and agendas for their own reasons, including the need to appear loyal to America, liberal and enlightened, and as possibly a community with severe identity crisis. He is, of course, stil an Israeli, and sees Israel and the U.S. Jewish centres in a competition - a practice, by the way, old and much entrenched, as testified by the political games and machinations between Judea and the diaspora centres in Babylon. When one side loses, the other side "wins", and vise versa.
Being an Israeli myself, I tend to see his point, perhaps too much so. But I cannot help but take to heart his concluding remarks about why we, Israelis, can and should like the American community: "They are willing to support Israel and hope for its success, even though that success is liable to embarrass them and prove them wrong. And in Jews, this is no small thing."
Admitting that, in an Israeli, is no small thing either.
Apparently, with pretty much anything. American Jews come in a wide variety of flavours - salty, sugary, tangy, fruity, and, occasionally, even traditional.
Food metaphors aside, the one main theme underlying the entirety of Rosner's varied and sundry investigations is the impossibility of determinning much of anything concerning the "congregation" of American Jewry - to the point where it is unclear, even, just how many American Jews there are, who counts as one, and who is likely to count as one by the time you've finished reading the book. Answers appear to involve politics, religion, temperament (optimistic or pessimistic) and perhaps also a tiny grain of competitiveness with that other other Jewish place - Israel.
The relationship to Israel and its Jewish culture and population takes up centre stage for Rosner, understandably, as he is writing for Israelis, as an Israeli. And it sure takes time to cover, again, because the Jewry of America can't quite make up its mind. He's not afraid of laying out the demands of partisan politics, the conflict and insecurity of dual-loyalty, and the proprietary feeling that prevails in the congregation concerning Israel - though most of the people do not see it as central, or important to them.
It tackles the issues of what American Jews believe and how they believe it, what they choose in order to touch upon their Jewish identity and Jewish practice, and even - slightly redundantly for me, but perhaps not for other readers - the emergence of the Orthodox Feminist revolution.
Rosener likes the American Jews, admires them, engages with them, but also obviously fears them, and for them, both as unbridled agents of influence in Israel without genuine understanding or investment - promoting their principles and agendas for their own reasons, including the need to appear loyal to America, liberal and enlightened, and as possibly a community with severe identity crisis. He is, of course, stil an Israeli, and sees Israel and the U.S. Jewish centres in a competition - a practice, by the way, old and much entrenched, as testified by the political games and machinations between Judea and the diaspora centres in Babylon. When one side loses, the other side "wins", and vise versa.
Being an Israeli myself, I tend to see his point, perhaps too much so. But I cannot help but take to heart his concluding remarks about why we, Israelis, can and should like the American community: "They are willing to support Israel and hope for its success, even though that success is liable to embarrass them and prove them wrong. And in Jews, this is no small thing."
Admitting that, in an Israeli, is no small thing either.
November 4, 2023
בספר יש מידע רב אך הוא מתעלם מן התפתחויות היהדות ועבריות חילוניים, אולי בכוונה תחילה.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews