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Źli Żydzi. O żydowskiej tożsamości w Ameryce
Co to znaczy być "złym Żydem"?
Wielu Żydów używa tego określenia jako broni przeciwko innym członkom własnej społeczności. Jesteś złym Żydem, jeśli nie prowadzisz koszernej kuchni, nie dość często chodzisz do synagogi, nie posyłasz dzieci do szkoły hebrajskiej, lubisz przeboje bożonarodzeniowe, zbyt rzadko dzwonisz do matki. Jeśli krytykujesz politykę prowadzoną przed Izrael. Lista jest długa. Co w takim razie oznacza być "dobrym Żydem"? A może lepiej zapytać, co znaczy być Żydem w Ameryce i kropka?
W Stanach Zjednoczonych kilka milionów osób identyfikuje się jako Żydzi, ale ich tożsamość nie jest jednorodna. Emily Tamkin opisuje, jak w ciągu ostatniego stulecia kształtowała się żydowskość w Ameryce, jak ewoluowały i ścierały się różne podejścia do asymilacji, jak Żydzi walczyli z rasizmem i przejawiali postawy rasistowskie, jak powstawały i wzrastały w siłę stereotypy o żydowskim bogactwie i rzekomej władzy nad światem. W tym skomplikowanym świecie wykluczanych i wykluczających od stu lat jak mantra powtarzają się pytania: kto jest Żydem? Jak być Żydem? I co to w ogóle znaczy?
Wielu Żydów używa tego określenia jako broni przeciwko innym członkom własnej społeczności. Jesteś złym Żydem, jeśli nie prowadzisz koszernej kuchni, nie dość często chodzisz do synagogi, nie posyłasz dzieci do szkoły hebrajskiej, lubisz przeboje bożonarodzeniowe, zbyt rzadko dzwonisz do matki. Jeśli krytykujesz politykę prowadzoną przed Izrael. Lista jest długa. Co w takim razie oznacza być "dobrym Żydem"? A może lepiej zapytać, co znaczy być Żydem w Ameryce i kropka?
W Stanach Zjednoczonych kilka milionów osób identyfikuje się jako Żydzi, ale ich tożsamość nie jest jednorodna. Emily Tamkin opisuje, jak w ciągu ostatniego stulecia kształtowała się żydowskość w Ameryce, jak ewoluowały i ścierały się różne podejścia do asymilacji, jak Żydzi walczyli z rasizmem i przejawiali postawy rasistowskie, jak powstawały i wzrastały w siłę stereotypy o żydowskim bogactwie i rzekomej władzy nad światem. W tym skomplikowanym świecie wykluczanych i wykluczających od stu lat jak mantra powtarzają się pytania: kto jest Żydem? Jak być Żydem? I co to w ogóle znaczy?
328 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 19, 2022
The subtitle of this book is better, and more accurate, than the title. It succeeds as a history of American Jews, in all the complexity and diversity of practice and opinion. She does a good job of describing the multiple different trends that can exist at once without generalizing American Jews into a monolith. I thought the “bad jews” theme wasn’t necessary and attempts to answer it felt incomplete. But the history was interesting and readable, and I liked all the interviews.
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.
December 19, 2022
While I often refer to myself as a bad Jew, I don't really think I'm all that bad, because in America, there are many ways to be Jewish. (Which isn't to say that others won't have opinions on how you choose to observe.)
In Bad Jews, Emily Tamkin is exploring the last century or so of Jewish experience in America--how the larger society has viewed us (White or not White?), and how we have viewed ourselves. How have changing mores and politics impacted the community? And there are repeated reminders that Jews in America are not monolithic: Sephardic, Ascanazi, people of color, emigrants from various parts of the diaspora. Among the topics discussed are anti-Semitism and Zionism, and whether we're allowed to criticize Israel.
And throughout, there are ethical asides about who should be classified as "bad Jews". Bernie Madoff? Steven Miller? George Soros? Entire classes of people? These are philosophical and ethical debates rather than actual denouncements.
I opened this review by admitting I may be a bad Jew. It's because I'm not a religious person, but I am very ethnic, and my Judaism is central to my identity. For this reason, and because of my interest in topics like politics, culture, and sociology, I found this book fascinating.
Happy Hanukkah to all!
In Bad Jews, Emily Tamkin is exploring the last century or so of Jewish experience in America--how the larger society has viewed us (White or not White?), and how we have viewed ourselves. How have changing mores and politics impacted the community? And there are repeated reminders that Jews in America are not monolithic: Sephardic, Ascanazi, people of color, emigrants from various parts of the diaspora. Among the topics discussed are anti-Semitism and Zionism, and whether we're allowed to criticize Israel.
And throughout, there are ethical asides about who should be classified as "bad Jews". Bernie Madoff? Steven Miller? George Soros? Entire classes of people? These are philosophical and ethical debates rather than actual denouncements.
I opened this review by admitting I may be a bad Jew. It's because I'm not a religious person, but I am very ethnic, and my Judaism is central to my identity. For this reason, and because of my interest in topics like politics, culture, and sociology, I found this book fascinating.
Happy Hanukkah to all!
June 20, 2022
I'm biased, but this is a smart, well-researched, engaging, funny, and heartfelt exploration of how Jewish Americans have figured out how to be Jewish and American.
January 4, 2023
I kind of struggled with how to rate this book. I would say the first two thirds were excellent. The history of Jews in the United States, both in the storylines they were familiar to me and those that were less familiar were really fascinating. The history of Jewish identity in the US was well written and thorough.
Where the book kind of went off the rails for me was when she began to discuss different strains and tensions among current American Jews. This is where the author’s obvious biases came in. In Tamkin’s telling, there is a split now among American Jews between those who continue to support Israel- who are, to hear her say it, all Trump loyalists, and progressive Jews who all voted for Bernie and care about Palestinians and therefore do not support Israel. There are also full throated and odd defenses of Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib, a strange choice for a book that otherwise centers Jewish voices. Of course there are American Jews that can accurately be described by one of these narratives but most cannot. In a book that purports to be all about nuance and the complexity of American Jewish identity, she ignores the fact if 75% of American Jews voted Democratic in 2020, and if 80% of American Jews say Israel is an important or essential part of their Jewish identity (Pew Research, 2021) then naturally there is a great deal of overlap and most American Jews do not fit neatly into Tamkin’s stereotypes.
Ultimately I think Tamkin is a a talented writer with a really interesting idea, but should have checked her own biases in last part of the book. For the record, I do not think this makes her a Bad Jew.
Where the book kind of went off the rails for me was when she began to discuss different strains and tensions among current American Jews. This is where the author’s obvious biases came in. In Tamkin’s telling, there is a split now among American Jews between those who continue to support Israel- who are, to hear her say it, all Trump loyalists, and progressive Jews who all voted for Bernie and care about Palestinians and therefore do not support Israel. There are also full throated and odd defenses of Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib, a strange choice for a book that otherwise centers Jewish voices. Of course there are American Jews that can accurately be described by one of these narratives but most cannot. In a book that purports to be all about nuance and the complexity of American Jewish identity, she ignores the fact if 75% of American Jews voted Democratic in 2020, and if 80% of American Jews say Israel is an important or essential part of their Jewish identity (Pew Research, 2021) then naturally there is a great deal of overlap and most American Jews do not fit neatly into Tamkin’s stereotypes.
Ultimately I think Tamkin is a a talented writer with a really interesting idea, but should have checked her own biases in last part of the book. For the record, I do not think this makes her a Bad Jew.
October 20, 2022
Jewish people were in the United States before 1885 and thought of themselves as members of a religion and not as a race.
Later on they were thought of a lower working class.
American Jews were discriminatingly against other immigrants and against Black laborers.
Jews moved to the suburbs to be by themselves, especially in Long Island, New York.
Through the synagogues Jewish women gained their individualism.
The Jews always were haunted by the stereotypes of " Money obsessive' and having too much influence. Greedy and cheap too.
There are poor Jews too. One fifth live on thirty thousand a year or less.
Bernie Madoff is an example of a "Bad Jew". He stole form fellow Jews and Jewish organizations and charities.
I want to thank Harper Collins publishers for the ARC book I received.
Later on they were thought of a lower working class.
American Jews were discriminatingly against other immigrants and against Black laborers.
Jews moved to the suburbs to be by themselves, especially in Long Island, New York.
Through the synagogues Jewish women gained their individualism.
The Jews always were haunted by the stereotypes of " Money obsessive' and having too much influence. Greedy and cheap too.
There are poor Jews too. One fifth live on thirty thousand a year or less.
Bernie Madoff is an example of a "Bad Jew". He stole form fellow Jews and Jewish organizations and charities.
I want to thank Harper Collins publishers for the ARC book I received.
March 6, 2023
Bad Jews is a timely discussion on modern Judaism in a time of rising antisemitism, christofascism, and an ethnonationalist Israeli government more interested in dictating who is a Jew than saving Jewish life.
Today, as civil rights are stripped away from oppressed communities, Bad Jews is a reminder that while intersectionality is critical in overcoming authoritarians, it is preached far more than practiced.
How do immigrant communities remember their own history? How do they form and protect their identities? How do debates in the present about assimilation, status, and one's role in a multi-ethnic society trace their origins? These questions (and many more) are at the heart of this well-written, well-researched, and well-argued book about how Jews became Jewish-Americans. Tamkin mixes a thorough review of the historical record with interviews with a wide cross-section of American Jews. This is great reading for anyone interested in the immigrant experience in America.
Above all, Bad Jews reminds us that Jews are Jews, are Jews, are Jews. We’re human with all the lovely quirks that come with it - hope, love, passion, joy, greed, hatred, misogyny, and racism. Just because we’re chosen doesn’t mean we’re better.
Today, as civil rights are stripped away from oppressed communities, Bad Jews is a reminder that while intersectionality is critical in overcoming authoritarians, it is preached far more than practiced.
How do immigrant communities remember their own history? How do they form and protect their identities? How do debates in the present about assimilation, status, and one's role in a multi-ethnic society trace their origins? These questions (and many more) are at the heart of this well-written, well-researched, and well-argued book about how Jews became Jewish-Americans. Tamkin mixes a thorough review of the historical record with interviews with a wide cross-section of American Jews. This is great reading for anyone interested in the immigrant experience in America.
Above all, Bad Jews reminds us that Jews are Jews, are Jews, are Jews. We’re human with all the lovely quirks that come with it - hope, love, passion, joy, greed, hatred, misogyny, and racism. Just because we’re chosen doesn’t mean we’re better.
July 17, 2023
that almost every Jewish person she spoke to said they thought they were a Bad Jew is the most succinct summation of what it is to be Jewish I’ve ever seen
June 9, 2022
I found this book very timely in examining the meaning of being a Jew today. Talking examines Jewish identity and norms, especially during this time when a rising tide of Antisemitism is apparent both here in the USA and other parts of the world. There is also an emphasis on the relationship between Judaism’ and Zionism.
This book pulls together the various strands of Jewis culture and identity. I think many book groups will enjoy reading and discussing this well-written book about an endlessly interesting subject.
Thank you Netgalley for this interesting and readable book.
This book pulls together the various strands of Jewis culture and identity. I think many book groups will enjoy reading and discussing this well-written book about an endlessly interesting subject.
Thank you Netgalley for this interesting and readable book.
November 16, 2022
Bad Jews is a really lovely and thoughtful examination of American Jewish life in the 20th-21st centuries. As a non Jewish person, I can say I learned quite a lot from it and feel like it almost certainly occupies both an important educational space and a thought-provoking space within the community. Emily's observations on Jewish life and the myriad ways people in America live it are funny, engaging, and heartfelt.
Read
August 18, 2025Fun fact: In my other life, I was profiled in The Forward in 2020, aka the year after the historical, groundbreaking Forverts ceased print distribution, moved wholly online and was probably at something of a nadir/identity crisis point. On the strength of that profile, Emily Tamkin interviewed me for this book. Having now, five years later, read the book, I can confidently say that I did not make it in to Bad Jews, which makes me… a good Jew?
Anyway, more like a boring Jew. I found this book somewhat boring too, on the basis that, being comprised seemingly solely of interview data, it gets really into the weeds of “but there are all kinds of Jews!” Which, I know, is the point of the book, but it’s got a kind of revisionist bent that isn’t served by avoiding the broad sweeps. Yes, Not All Jews supported the CRM. There were specific intra-Jewish North/South dynamics. Everyone pointed fingers at everyone else and declared them Bad Jews, and we shouldn’t just ride on the Herschel/King picture uncritically. But let’s be for real here, before 1967, polling data shows that a large majority of American Jews considered support for civil rights more important than support for Israel, and then that changed with the ‘67 war — after which, btw, support for civil rights and the Jewish-Democratic voting block stayed firm and did not decrease but was merely eclipsed. Same thing with the whole chapter about right-wing Jews — own ‘em, but come on now. “Not all neoconservatives were Jewish, but many were,” — bzuh? The entire Jewish electorate at the time of peak neoconservativism was less than 3%, and of that 3%, the vast vast majority were voting Democrat. I just don’t think “many” were actually, neither in an absolute sense or relatively — that was not the mainstream of Jewish political life. Glazer, Schachtman, et al were influential, but that is not the same thing as numerous, and you have to make that distinction! Moreover, when this book was published in 2021, Jewish far-right figures like Miller were even more of a minority than they are now, and acting like it’s all a mix is both untrue and kind of stultifying to read. Like yeah yeah, I know that guy at shul— he’s That Guy at shul, not my whole mishpocha, and there’s a series of political-historical reasons for that. Kind of weird also to see how this kind of thing is far less visible in the chapters that are about the Jewish Left — the author isn’t saying, “Not all 1920s communists were Jewish, but many were,” even though that’s actually more true. Then in the penultimate chapter, she tries to position J Street as some kind of sign of major realignment! It's just another NGO, Emily! I think there are probably more Jews employed by Jewish NGOs doing random things than there ever were Jewish neocons, but that doesn't make them the white-hot center of Jewish life! I do understand that American Jews need knocking down a peg sometimes (the number of people who tell me their grandparents were in the Bund probably outnumbers peak Bund membership, and no, the Ellis Island guards didn’t change your family name for you), but like… there was an “average Jew.” There was a center to this solar system.
“Everyone’s a Bad Jew and it’s complicated” is one thing, failing to actually track the shifts in mainstream Jewish opinion is just bad history. If you can’t tell when the changes are coming and why, then all the asides and quotes and nuances just get kind of dull and repetitive. Oh, the Jews are arguing again? Shlishi! Who WON? Why?
I guess Tomkin is kind of trying to both have a polemic “everyone’s a Bad Jew” and write a history, and it turns out that I think you can’t really do both those things effectively in the same book.
Anyway, more like a boring Jew. I found this book somewhat boring too, on the basis that, being comprised seemingly solely of interview data, it gets really into the weeds of “but there are all kinds of Jews!” Which, I know, is the point of the book, but it’s got a kind of revisionist bent that isn’t served by avoiding the broad sweeps. Yes, Not All Jews supported the CRM. There were specific intra-Jewish North/South dynamics. Everyone pointed fingers at everyone else and declared them Bad Jews, and we shouldn’t just ride on the Herschel/King picture uncritically. But let’s be for real here, before 1967, polling data shows that a large majority of American Jews considered support for civil rights more important than support for Israel, and then that changed with the ‘67 war — after which, btw, support for civil rights and the Jewish-Democratic voting block stayed firm and did not decrease but was merely eclipsed. Same thing with the whole chapter about right-wing Jews — own ‘em, but come on now. “Not all neoconservatives were Jewish, but many were,” — bzuh? The entire Jewish electorate at the time of peak neoconservativism was less than 3%, and of that 3%, the vast vast majority were voting Democrat. I just don’t think “many” were actually, neither in an absolute sense or relatively — that was not the mainstream of Jewish political life. Glazer, Schachtman, et al were influential, but that is not the same thing as numerous, and you have to make that distinction! Moreover, when this book was published in 2021, Jewish far-right figures like Miller were even more of a minority than they are now, and acting like it’s all a mix is both untrue and kind of stultifying to read. Like yeah yeah, I know that guy at shul— he’s That Guy at shul, not my whole mishpocha, and there’s a series of political-historical reasons for that. Kind of weird also to see how this kind of thing is far less visible in the chapters that are about the Jewish Left — the author isn’t saying, “Not all 1920s communists were Jewish, but many were,” even though that’s actually more true. Then in the penultimate chapter, she tries to position J Street as some kind of sign of major realignment! It's just another NGO, Emily! I think there are probably more Jews employed by Jewish NGOs doing random things than there ever were Jewish neocons, but that doesn't make them the white-hot center of Jewish life! I do understand that American Jews need knocking down a peg sometimes (the number of people who tell me their grandparents were in the Bund probably outnumbers peak Bund membership, and no, the Ellis Island guards didn’t change your family name for you), but like… there was an “average Jew.” There was a center to this solar system.
“Everyone’s a Bad Jew and it’s complicated” is one thing, failing to actually track the shifts in mainstream Jewish opinion is just bad history. If you can’t tell when the changes are coming and why, then all the asides and quotes and nuances just get kind of dull and repetitive. Oh, the Jews are arguing again? Shlishi! Who WON? Why?
I guess Tomkin is kind of trying to both have a polemic “everyone’s a Bad Jew” and write a history, and it turns out that I think you can’t really do both those things effectively in the same book.
May 20, 2022
Perhaps the best recent book on Jewish history and what a an American Jewish future could look like. Highest recommendation.
October 22, 2022
This is a very confusing and somewhat scary time to be a Jewish American. Emily Tamkin does her best to help us understand how we got here, and how to make some sense of where we are now. Bad Jews covers a century of history and politics, from socialist Jews to neocon Jews; Jews who marched with MLK and rallied for Soviet Jewry but joined their non-Jewish neighbors in contributing to white flight and supported Trump's immigrant bans; Ashkenazi "white" Jews and often-marginalized Jews of color.
I was brought up in 1960s and 70s to believe that a) all Jews vote Democrat, b) we must always support Israel, and c) Jews were essential to the success of the Black Civil Rights movement. This book taught me that a) I was wrong; and b) even when I was right, there was a lot more nuance to the story. I'm not sure that I feel any less confused after reading this book, but at least I know I'm not alone in my struggles to figure out how to incorporate my personal sense of Judaism into today's chaotic world.
I was brought up in 1960s and 70s to believe that a) all Jews vote Democrat, b) we must always support Israel, and c) Jews were essential to the success of the Black Civil Rights movement. This book taught me that a) I was wrong; and b) even when I was right, there was a lot more nuance to the story. I'm not sure that I feel any less confused after reading this book, but at least I know I'm not alone in my struggles to figure out how to incorporate my personal sense of Judaism into today's chaotic world.
December 14, 2022
After I heard author and journalist Emily Tamkin interviewed on the Shalom Hartman Institute’s podcast, Identity Crisis, I promptly ordered her new book for the Beth El library. In clear, accessible language, she examines the last 100 years of American Jewish politics, culture, and identity. I thought the way she tracked the evolution of Jewish identity throughout American history was very interesting and her discussions on assimilation, race, Zionism and Israel, affluence and poverty, philanthropy, politics; and social justice very enlightening. I also liked how she interspersed her personal story and her family history into the text. Highly recommended however I don't like the title; it doesn't really match the true focus of the book. I wonder if it was all part of a marketing ploy to be provocative and play off the success of Dara Horn's People Love Dead Jews.
January 17, 2023
Feel like a bit of a hater for giving this 3 stars, maybe I'm just not the target audience. It's a bit of a survey-level overview of American Jewish society, hitting the highlights and the "did you know?"s with a few interesting anecdotes. It feels like Tamkin was very much at the mercy of her interview subjects, which can be good in that she takes efforts to be as sympathetic to a variety of viewpoints as possible. But also, it sort of betrays a lack of historical curiosity when she takes them at face value.
This is very much a journalist's book, and reads more like reportage than sociology. Again, that's totally fine for what it is, and I suppose gets at the core question of the book: "what makes someone a 'bad jew'?". But also, there's a lot of context missing and in my opinion a lot of punches pulled. Tamkin gets at the links between religiousity, gender, and power but never really grabs the reader and spells it out for them. I suppose that helps make the book a conversation-starter and not a diatribe, but it felt like it was missing some analytical heft.
The book really focuses on Jews and Trump, because of when it was written and when it came out, but it can be a bit teleological in that regard. By emphasizing the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, it kind of hides the antipathy that Netanyahu had for Obama. It seems to me that wondering why politically liberal Jews have fallen out of lockstep with Israel, and not mentioning that the longest-serving PM of Israel gave a speech in Congress excoriating the most popular Democratic politician, is kind of missing a huge point. Same with talking about intra-religious feuds as relating to national politics, which kind of just skims over the tense local battles that get played out.
It's an interesting concept for a book, and some of the bits on intermarriage are probably its strongest parts (its of personal interest to the author, which is great! We get her perspective and not just the perspective of her interlocutors!). But it just seems to stop at "hmm, isn't this interesting" without going any further.
This is very much a journalist's book, and reads more like reportage than sociology. Again, that's totally fine for what it is, and I suppose gets at the core question of the book: "what makes someone a 'bad jew'?". But also, there's a lot of context missing and in my opinion a lot of punches pulled. Tamkin gets at the links between religiousity, gender, and power but never really grabs the reader and spells it out for them. I suppose that helps make the book a conversation-starter and not a diatribe, but it felt like it was missing some analytical heft.
The book really focuses on Jews and Trump, because of when it was written and when it came out, but it can be a bit teleological in that regard. By emphasizing the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, it kind of hides the antipathy that Netanyahu had for Obama. It seems to me that wondering why politically liberal Jews have fallen out of lockstep with Israel, and not mentioning that the longest-serving PM of Israel gave a speech in Congress excoriating the most popular Democratic politician, is kind of missing a huge point. Same with talking about intra-religious feuds as relating to national politics, which kind of just skims over the tense local battles that get played out.
It's an interesting concept for a book, and some of the bits on intermarriage are probably its strongest parts (its of personal interest to the author, which is great! We get her perspective and not just the perspective of her interlocutors!). But it just seems to stop at "hmm, isn't this interesting" without going any further.
July 29, 2023
This title has the most: "wait, let me explain first!" since I'm Glad My Mom Died. In fact, it was due to the title that I picked this, relatively, unknown book up as I'd never seen anything on the topic before in this sort of journalistic history format.
When it comes to the actual information on American Jewish history, this is probably the definitive book to read. It's up to date and filled with a wide range of information on various sects of American Jewish identity. But, oftentimes, what could be summarized in a 150 page book, was instead dragged out, and constantly repeated for another 100 pages.
There are nine chapters in this book. Formatted in a way which reminded me of a high-school essay, each chapters leads into another, but occasionally, I feel like the book ends up creating a circle. A lot of information is repeated in various chapters, with White and Red Jews feeling like a summarized version of Laboring Jews. This repetitive matter got quite grading in the second half, with many of the same "pondering questions" constantly asked by the author, as if to the remind us about the central thesis: Bad Jews! It felt like the consequences of the title creeping in on the author's work.
Overall, this felt like reading a high-school level essay, just expanded to encompass an entire book. Despite this, the information accumulated here is spectacular and so, will probably rise up to be the book on this subject. I've always wanted a book on this subject, and so I'm glad this book exists.
When it comes to the actual information on American Jewish history, this is probably the definitive book to read. It's up to date and filled with a wide range of information on various sects of American Jewish identity. But, oftentimes, what could be summarized in a 150 page book, was instead dragged out, and constantly repeated for another 100 pages.
There are nine chapters in this book. Formatted in a way which reminded me of a high-school essay, each chapters leads into another, but occasionally, I feel like the book ends up creating a circle. A lot of information is repeated in various chapters, with White and Red Jews feeling like a summarized version of Laboring Jews. This repetitive matter got quite grading in the second half, with many of the same "pondering questions" constantly asked by the author, as if to the remind us about the central thesis: Bad Jews! It felt like the consequences of the title creeping in on the author's work.
Overall, this felt like reading a high-school level essay, just expanded to encompass an entire book. Despite this, the information accumulated here is spectacular and so, will probably rise up to be the book on this subject. I've always wanted a book on this subject, and so I'm glad this book exists.
July 8, 2023
trying too hard to please everyone
I came to this book after reading Eric alterman’s we are not one—an intense but rewarding read—and at first found Tamkin’s style relaxing, even entertaining. My goal with both books was to fill in my understanding of the American Jewish experience especially during my lifetime, and that of my now-co-religionists—I having adopted Judaism in my early 60’s, after a lifetime of mostly unconvinced Protestant practice peppered with reading and on-off practice in eastern (Buddhist/Hindu) modalities. To some extent Bad Jews fulfilled this purpose. In the end, though, I got tired of the anecdotal, semi-family-history, inward looking-ness of Tamkin’s approach, which even becomes preachy at times. To me, it’s obvious that every US Jew is unique—so is every US Presbyterian or Catholic—though we are all subject to certain forces (antisemitism, American White supremacism, the US war machine, etc) that may push us to see ourselves as a single bloc or “interest group.” But trying to capture the moments in which we are or aren’t all (to use Alternan’s phrase) “one” is like trying to catch water in a sieve. Interesting but in the end merely one woman’s journey.
I came to this book after reading Eric alterman’s we are not one—an intense but rewarding read—and at first found Tamkin’s style relaxing, even entertaining. My goal with both books was to fill in my understanding of the American Jewish experience especially during my lifetime, and that of my now-co-religionists—I having adopted Judaism in my early 60’s, after a lifetime of mostly unconvinced Protestant practice peppered with reading and on-off practice in eastern (Buddhist/Hindu) modalities. To some extent Bad Jews fulfilled this purpose. In the end, though, I got tired of the anecdotal, semi-family-history, inward looking-ness of Tamkin’s approach, which even becomes preachy at times. To me, it’s obvious that every US Jew is unique—so is every US Presbyterian or Catholic—though we are all subject to certain forces (antisemitism, American White supremacism, the US war machine, etc) that may push us to see ourselves as a single bloc or “interest group.” But trying to capture the moments in which we are or aren’t all (to use Alternan’s phrase) “one” is like trying to catch water in a sieve. Interesting but in the end merely one woman’s journey.
March 9, 2023
If you grew up in a suburban Jewish home in the 50’s and 60’s marrying in the mid-70’s then so much of this story is so very familiar. It recounts the history of the period and is extremely thorough. Then on top of it, as an “activist” Jewish leader and donor who rails against the role of philanthropists in decision making at legacy Jewish organizations, I was fascinated by her take. And when I got to the conclusion and she spoke about her interview with my Rabbi, I thought that it is time I find this author and talk to her!
Saying all of this, I am only giving this a four because I cringed when the narrator on my audible recording mispronounced AIPAC, Tikkun Olam and numerous other words central to the book. I literally stopped at one point to see if the author was the narrator because I couldn’t believe that the author would have such an unusual pronunciation of “Judaism” in a book about Judaism.
Saying all of this, I am only giving this a four because I cringed when the narrator on my audible recording mispronounced AIPAC, Tikkun Olam and numerous other words central to the book. I literally stopped at one point to see if the author was the narrator because I couldn’t believe that the author would have such an unusual pronunciation of “Judaism” in a book about Judaism.
December 22, 2023
Emily is, indeed, a bad Jew. I have only read the introduction, which is shocking in its self hatred. Introducing Jews as both villains and victims of American history is insane and antisemitic. Jews have always been a discriminated against minority in the US, and are in no way villains (as a class, of course there are individual Jews who are villains like there are villains of every kind of person). Her definition of antisemitism is in and of itself antisemitic, stating that it is the belief that Jews are always foreigners in any land. We are. That is what makes us Jewish; we are a distinct tribe of people, and a closed practice, who descend from the land of Zion and are only at home there. She describes how she did not grow up in a Jewish community, which is unsurprising given her clear lack of regard for and understanding of our people.
October 18, 2022
There were some things I liked about this book. I liked the conversational tone and some of the clever wording. And the occasional history was fascinating. The biggest obstacle to enjoying this book is that too much was the author's opinions and too little was on actual history. The book felt more memoir to me than it did history. In my mind, the book also fails on objectivity. It was preachy and judgmental. I also found the writing by-and-large lackluster. The book had a lot of promise but it didn’t deliver. Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the digital review copy.
February 21, 2023
A book with a bad title, potentially very harmful content and written by a writer with a biased point of view.
Who needs antisemites when we have Emily Tamkin ?
I don’t recommend her book.
Who needs antisemites when we have Emily Tamkin ?
I don’t recommend her book.
January 2, 2023
A fascinating tour through 20th-century American Jewish identity, with the running theme of Jews judging each other—by ever-shifting criteria—to be good or bad. Tamkin's implied suggestion throughout is that the question is silly, for a simple reason: Jewishness can be religious, ethnic, and/or cultural, and nearly every criterion (do "good Jews" support a far-right Israeli government? closely observe every commandment?) is arguable at best, tendentious at worst. Anyone (except Donald Trump or Rudy Giuliani!) can call anyone else a bad Jew, with some reasoning behind it.
Bad Jews is also a discomfiting read. Tamkin refuses to allow any reader more than a moment's comfort in their identity before unsettling it. Feel as though you can claim the moral high ground based on a history of Jewish persecution, support for civil rights, and progressive voting record? Sure, so long as you accept that a solid minority of Jews owned slaves, fought against racial equality, and voted for Trump. There's often ugliness just beneath the surface: For instance, for decades, Ashkenazi Jews fought to claim the privileges of whiteness—we're just like you!—at the expense of discriminating against Sephardic Jews and Jews of color. Much of what Tamkin pokes at is grounded in the fundamental contradiction of American Jews: our demand to be treated as generic Americans, taking offense at being singled out, except when we are the ones doing the singling out. We want to be exceptional . . . but only on our terms.
It's a lot to think about, however uncomfortable, and any American Jew will find themselves considering and learning a great deal that's directly relevant to their life. As for who's a bad Jew . . . well, I'd feel few qualms about labeling white nationalist Stephen Miller a bad Jew, and he'd probably say the same about me, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Bad Jews is also a discomfiting read. Tamkin refuses to allow any reader more than a moment's comfort in their identity before unsettling it. Feel as though you can claim the moral high ground based on a history of Jewish persecution, support for civil rights, and progressive voting record? Sure, so long as you accept that a solid minority of Jews owned slaves, fought against racial equality, and voted for Trump. There's often ugliness just beneath the surface: For instance, for decades, Ashkenazi Jews fought to claim the privileges of whiteness—we're just like you!—at the expense of discriminating against Sephardic Jews and Jews of color. Much of what Tamkin pokes at is grounded in the fundamental contradiction of American Jews: our demand to be treated as generic Americans, taking offense at being singled out, except when we are the ones doing the singling out. We want to be exceptional . . . but only on our terms.
It's a lot to think about, however uncomfortable, and any American Jew will find themselves considering and learning a great deal that's directly relevant to their life. As for who's a bad Jew . . . well, I'd feel few qualms about labeling white nationalist Stephen Miller a bad Jew, and he'd probably say the same about me, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
June 14, 2024
There's some good information and some thought provoking discussion, but overall I didn't care for her approach. Despite the first half consisting primarily of a historical summary of Jews in America, the approach throughout is journalistic rather than explanatory. There are oodles of interviews, which yield some interesting anecdotes but fail to provide a comprehensive context for the subject of each chapter. To further muddle the picture the author includes her own opinions and viewpoint throughout, which precludes any chance of obtaining an objective understanding of the issues.
Of course it's her book and she's free to share her own experiences and beliefs, but her biases become overwhelming when she reaches current events towards the end. She all but completely rejects the existence of leftist/progressive antisemitism, downplays the association of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and singles out Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for praise in the section on Bernie Sanders' relationship to Israel and his own Jewish identity, despite neither of them being Jewish [apparently to make a political statement], while largely skipping over the attitudes of most Israelis. I would have liked a further exploration of the issues regarding American Jews and Israelis that Daniel Gordis glossed over in his "We Stand Divided".
The audiobook narration is pretty bad, with exaggerated accents for quotes bordering on racist and mispronouncing many words including a bizarre rendition of "Judaism" (Jew-DAY-ism), which seems like a very odd choice for a book about Jews.
Of course it's her book and she's free to share her own experiences and beliefs, but her biases become overwhelming when she reaches current events towards the end. She all but completely rejects the existence of leftist/progressive antisemitism, downplays the association of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and singles out Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for praise in the section on Bernie Sanders' relationship to Israel and his own Jewish identity, despite neither of them being Jewish [apparently to make a political statement], while largely skipping over the attitudes of most Israelis. I would have liked a further exploration of the issues regarding American Jews and Israelis that Daniel Gordis glossed over in his "We Stand Divided".
The audiobook narration is pretty bad, with exaggerated accents for quotes bordering on racist and mispronouncing many words including a bizarre rendition of "Judaism" (Jew-DAY-ism), which seems like a very odd choice for a book about Jews.
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July 28, 2023Here is a popular history on the vagaries of 20th-century American Jewish political, with the operative theme being what constitutes a "bad" versus "good Jew" in the realm of politics. Tamkin attempts to question and subvert the monolithic, Ashkenazi-centric perspective of American Jewish, incorporating the lives and voices of Sephardic, Persian, and Jewish POC. Much of the book is heavy-handed, performatively virtuous, clearly informed by the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd protests: Tamkin emphasizing the "whiteness" of American Ashkenazi's, the ambivalent relationship between Jews and Blacks (but never specifically focusing on moments of violence between the groups), and the problematics of overtly pro-Zionism amongst the Jewish political elite (think the AIPAC). This history is necessary to tell, but it is rarely even-handed ("white," upwardly-mobile Jews are frequently the enemy to "the good" here) and leaves out critically important religious-political interactions between Jews and Muslims, Christians, and, surprisingly, contemporary feminism/ists! (Tamkin mentions key figures in the second-wave, but where is Amy Eilberg? or Sally Priesand? Female ordination is a political act, and a contentious one in American-Global Judaism!).
November 2, 2022
Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identity
Bad Jews is not just a catchphrase but words that are said to and from Jews every day. I found this book both infinitive and profound. There was not a chapter or story in the book that I could not relate to.
Growing up in the suburbs in the early 70' in middle school I had coins roiled rolled down the floor of the classroom with someone saying here Jew you are going to need this. The teacher laughed. I went home and asked my parents what this meant.
My mothers family was part Sabra, they came over from Palestine after the Turkish invasion before World War 1. She had very dark skin and whenever she left their Jewish neighborhood in New York in the 1920-1040's would have to sit in the back of the bus. But even in there Jewish community they were treated differently.
There where many more of these types of memories that helped make this a memorable book. But the question of who is a Bad Jew comes bown I think to the same thing I thought before I read the book, its those who make fun of the person who looks different or believes different than themselves.
Bad Jews is not just a catchphrase but words that are said to and from Jews every day. I found this book both infinitive and profound. There was not a chapter or story in the book that I could not relate to.
Growing up in the suburbs in the early 70' in middle school I had coins roiled rolled down the floor of the classroom with someone saying here Jew you are going to need this. The teacher laughed. I went home and asked my parents what this meant.
My mothers family was part Sabra, they came over from Palestine after the Turkish invasion before World War 1. She had very dark skin and whenever she left their Jewish neighborhood in New York in the 1920-1040's would have to sit in the back of the bus. But even in there Jewish community they were treated differently.
There where many more of these types of memories that helped make this a memorable book. But the question of who is a Bad Jew comes bown I think to the same thing I thought before I read the book, its those who make fun of the person who looks different or believes different than themselves.
May 29, 2024
This review is for the AUDIO version of the book.
Overall while I certainly don’t agree with everything the author writes, I did enjoy this book quite a lot. Rather than an objective history, it was more of an autobiographical analysis of the authors own Jewishness and what it means to her. When approaching the book from this perspective, as a piece of self reflective art rather than an objective history, the book becomes a lot better.
However, in the audiobook, the narrator was for my taste, far too eccentric for the tone of the book. The narrator does ill intentioned Ben Shapiro impressions, exaggerated Russian accents for Russian Jews and ridiculous Israeli accents for Israeli Jews - it was weird. She didn’t need to do any accents at all in my opinion, especially because the book had very heavy subject material spanning from Russian pogroms, to the Holocaust, to the Israel Palestine conflict.
Overall though, I recommend this book for anyone who is contemplating what exactly it means to be Jewish. It won’t give you the answers at all, but it will give you the authors insights (which are biased and non conclusive) but interesting all the same.
Overall while I certainly don’t agree with everything the author writes, I did enjoy this book quite a lot. Rather than an objective history, it was more of an autobiographical analysis of the authors own Jewishness and what it means to her. When approaching the book from this perspective, as a piece of self reflective art rather than an objective history, the book becomes a lot better.
However, in the audiobook, the narrator was for my taste, far too eccentric for the tone of the book. The narrator does ill intentioned Ben Shapiro impressions, exaggerated Russian accents for Russian Jews and ridiculous Israeli accents for Israeli Jews - it was weird. She didn’t need to do any accents at all in my opinion, especially because the book had very heavy subject material spanning from Russian pogroms, to the Holocaust, to the Israel Palestine conflict.
Overall though, I recommend this book for anyone who is contemplating what exactly it means to be Jewish. It won’t give you the answers at all, but it will give you the authors insights (which are biased and non conclusive) but interesting all the same.
November 2, 2022
I became interested in my Jewish heritage later in life, connecting mostly through ancestral research, travel, and family stories, and like Tamkin, learning a bissel Yiddish. Reading "Bad Jews" was oddly comforting in the sense that it reassured me that these debates about what it means to be Jewish have been going on since Jews have existed––and not everyone is going to be thrilled with the kind of Jew you are. "Bad Jews" is a well-written, compelling, and engaging narrative that tells the story of American Jewry in all of its complexities. I still have questions, but I finished the book with a better understanding of my ancestors' experiences in adjusting to life in the United States. And that in and of itself is a rewarding feeling.
January 18, 2023
Bad Jews provides a historical and sociological overview of successive waves of Jewish immigration to the US and describes different Jewish religious, political and cultural perspectives through a number of interviews. The book presents many of the contested issues within American Jewish identities, such as Zionism, inter-marriage, activism, and religiosity, in an engaging and accessible way. I think Bad Jews also provides a useful template for thinking about the complexities of group identity generally. It would be interesting to see the author’s analytical style and “excavation of identities” applied to other ethnic, cultural or political groups in the United States.
February 8, 2023
As someone who’s not Jewish themselves, I found this book extremely informative and really interesting. Tamkin’s willingness to examine the beliefs of the American Jewish people she interviewed for this book in an open and curious way makes for a wonderful variety of perspectives and she interweaves those lived experiences with interesting and thorough research. I especially appreciated the way she took a nonjudgmental stance toward the variety of beliefs encountered among American Jewish people, while also grappling with the challenge of recognizing that some of those beliefs are what, in the minds of others, might make her the titular “bad Jew.”
May 23, 2025
I LOVED this book! It made me think about the history of Jewish political opinions beyond the surface, explaining why they were that way, especially considering the current rightward shift of more American Jews when they have typically voted left in the past. I appreciated the explanations of how Israel plays into these opinions, especially the growing divide of opinion between younger and older American Jews on Israel. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in not just Jewish politics, but also politics in general and voting blocs to better understand a group that has been vital to liberal politics for many years. Again, love this book.
September 29, 2023
I read this book during the final weeks before I was immersed in the Mikvah and pronounced a Jew. It really helped validate me in my decision, any Jew seeking validation should read this.
Good history, lots that I didn't know. I find it fascinating how much the people have changed in the wake of the Holocaust... Learning that most Jews didn't go to Temple before the war and that the bar/bat mitzvah party culture arose from white flight to the suburbs totally totally fit with my understanding of urban/suburban politics in the midcentury.
Good history, lots that I didn't know. I find it fascinating how much the people have changed in the wake of the Holocaust... Learning that most Jews didn't go to Temple before the war and that the bar/bat mitzvah party culture arose from white flight to the suburbs totally totally fit with my understanding of urban/suburban politics in the midcentury.
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