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Chuzpe: Autobiographie
The acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller, written by a brilliant legal mind, on what it means to be a Jew in America today.
Alan Dershowitz discusses the changes they've witnessed, changes they've created, and the changes that must still take place. He examines anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, assimilation, Zionism, civil rights, changes in eastern Europe, and turmoil in the Middle East.
Alan Dershowitz discusses the changes they've witnessed, changes they've created, and the changes that must still take place. He examines anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, assimilation, Zionism, civil rights, changes in eastern Europe, and turmoil in the Middle East.
522 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
8 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Alan M. Dershowitz
148 books318 followersAlan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is known for his career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until Noam Elkies took the record. Dershowitz still holds the record as the youngest person to become a professor of law there.
As a criminal appellate lawyer, Dershowitz has won thirteen out of the fifteen murder and attempted murder cases he has handled. He successfully argued to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for the attempted murder of Bülow's wife, Sunny. Dershowitz was the appellate advisor for the defense in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until Noam Elkies took the record. Dershowitz still holds the record as the youngest person to become a professor of law there.
As a criminal appellate lawyer, Dershowitz has won thirteen out of the fifteen murder and attempted murder cases he has handled. He successfully argued to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for the attempted murder of Bülow's wife, Sunny. Dershowitz was the appellate advisor for the defense in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 11, 2018
Marking this as DNF because I don't know when I'll have a chance to finish it. That said, I enjoyed what I read and would like to continue. I was at roughly the 1/3rd mark before I put it back. My thoughts so far:
Alan Dershowitz writes from the perspective of a much older generation. Some of what he has to say is accordingly outdated (I have a feeling the infrequent anecdotes from Woody Allen films, an important part of the last generation's Jewish culture, are not received as well by my generation), but a lot of it I found to be relatable even now. For example, his stance on the safety and comfort of Jewish Americans (American Jews, some might say) who are not inclined to drop everything and take up permanent residence in the Holy Land at the slightest hint of unrest, strikes a positive chord with me. Dershowitz's thesis, as reflected by the title, is that the next generation of American Jews shouldn't internalize the belief that we are merely nomadic guests of a host country that could kick us out at any time. Rather, the Jewish American immigrants have equal claim to this country as the rest of the modern American people, a nation primarily comprised of immigrants. So when our rights are infringed upon and we are oppressed by undercurrents of anti-Semitism, we shouldn't take it silently for fear of shanda (Yiddish: embarrassment, scandal) - we need to adopt a stance of chutzpah. (Also Yiddish, but look this one up - it's in the English dictionary!)
The first third of the book is a narrative of Dershowitz's experiences growing up in an observant Jewish Brooklyn home, his transition into college life, law school, and career building, and the institutional discrimination he witnessed - anti-Semitism by gentiles and anti-religiosity by Jewish people he believed were actively complicit in this institutional discrimination. He also extols the reforms that have since been made, thanks to early adoptees of a chutzpadik stance, due to subsequent institutionally unavoidable exposures of these injustices.
Alan Dershowitz's own relationship with the religious, theological, fundamental aspects of Judaism and "Jewishness" plays a part in this work and influences his perspectives on the state of America's Jewish community. He writes, if I may paraphrase at the risk of misunderstanding his words, that he no longer observes Judaism in accordance with traditional Orthodox practices because he feels they are not relevant to him as a modern Jewish American, and/or because he does not understand how they could be.
Dershowitz is one of many modern Jewish thinkers who believe that a Jew should adapt his traditions to suit the age, so as to interface better with modern society. His disdain for the more fundamentalist and/or insular branches of his still-Orthodox relatives is apparent in the way he describes them: he invokes the memory of his grandfather, who was Orthodox, but didn't dress in a way that sets him apart from the rest of society (as some sects do today, in black suits or long coats), and wonders if Grandfather Louis would approve of his "ultra-Orthodox" progeny's lifestyle choices. I feel that Dershowitz's own admitted lack of understanding of Orthodoxy and how it can still be relevant to the life of a devout modern practitioner taints his perspective of those who have found relevance and understanding. This, too, I can relate to in the sense that my lifestyle choices have also been criticized from those among my coreligionist peers also do not understand.
Dershowitz also writes, slightly tongue-in-cheek, that he feels he adhered to a kosher diet for an additional year because a Catholic law school mentor intimated to him that just as some Catholics have become more lenient regarding meat consumption on Fridays, practitioners of Judaism ought to get with the times and let up on some of our dietary stringencies already. I admit there were periods of my adolescence where I questioned the rituals I was raised with, and part of my motivation to keep observing them to the degree that I do was to prove wrong the well-meaning meddlers who encouraged me to throw it all away.
Though this account was written to and about generations before mine, I realize there are some things about the American Jewish experience that never change ... or simply haven't yet. And conversely, it also shows the contrast in how accepted Jewish people were accepted in American society. One might say that relative to the working-class Jews of Dershowitz's generation, I am so privileged; I wonder if Dershowitz would argue that what I have now is not privilege, but sufficient access to the rights we were always entitled to as Americans.
Alan Dershowitz writes from the perspective of a much older generation. Some of what he has to say is accordingly outdated (I have a feeling the infrequent anecdotes from Woody Allen films, an important part of the last generation's Jewish culture, are not received as well by my generation), but a lot of it I found to be relatable even now. For example, his stance on the safety and comfort of Jewish Americans (American Jews, some might say) who are not inclined to drop everything and take up permanent residence in the Holy Land at the slightest hint of unrest, strikes a positive chord with me. Dershowitz's thesis, as reflected by the title, is that the next generation of American Jews shouldn't internalize the belief that we are merely nomadic guests of a host country that could kick us out at any time. Rather, the Jewish American immigrants have equal claim to this country as the rest of the modern American people, a nation primarily comprised of immigrants. So when our rights are infringed upon and we are oppressed by undercurrents of anti-Semitism, we shouldn't take it silently for fear of shanda (Yiddish: embarrassment, scandal) - we need to adopt a stance of chutzpah. (Also Yiddish, but look this one up - it's in the English dictionary!)
The first third of the book is a narrative of Dershowitz's experiences growing up in an observant Jewish Brooklyn home, his transition into college life, law school, and career building, and the institutional discrimination he witnessed - anti-Semitism by gentiles and anti-religiosity by Jewish people he believed were actively complicit in this institutional discrimination. He also extols the reforms that have since been made, thanks to early adoptees of a chutzpadik stance, due to subsequent institutionally unavoidable exposures of these injustices.
Alan Dershowitz's own relationship with the religious, theological, fundamental aspects of Judaism and "Jewishness" plays a part in this work and influences his perspectives on the state of America's Jewish community. He writes, if I may paraphrase at the risk of misunderstanding his words, that he no longer observes Judaism in accordance with traditional Orthodox practices because he feels they are not relevant to him as a modern Jewish American, and/or because he does not understand how they could be.
Dershowitz is one of many modern Jewish thinkers who believe that a Jew should adapt his traditions to suit the age, so as to interface better with modern society. His disdain for the more fundamentalist and/or insular branches of his still-Orthodox relatives is apparent in the way he describes them: he invokes the memory of his grandfather, who was Orthodox, but didn't dress in a way that sets him apart from the rest of society (as some sects do today, in black suits or long coats), and wonders if Grandfather Louis would approve of his "ultra-Orthodox" progeny's lifestyle choices. I feel that Dershowitz's own admitted lack of understanding of Orthodoxy and how it can still be relevant to the life of a devout modern practitioner taints his perspective of those who have found relevance and understanding. This, too, I can relate to in the sense that my lifestyle choices have also been criticized from those among my coreligionist peers also do not understand.
Dershowitz also writes, slightly tongue-in-cheek, that he feels he adhered to a kosher diet for an additional year because a Catholic law school mentor intimated to him that just as some Catholics have become more lenient regarding meat consumption on Fridays, practitioners of Judaism ought to get with the times and let up on some of our dietary stringencies already. I admit there were periods of my adolescence where I questioned the rituals I was raised with, and part of my motivation to keep observing them to the degree that I do was to prove wrong the well-meaning meddlers who encouraged me to throw it all away.
Though this account was written to and about generations before mine, I realize there are some things about the American Jewish experience that never change ... or simply haven't yet. And conversely, it also shows the contrast in how accepted Jewish people were accepted in American society. One might say that relative to the working-class Jews of Dershowitz's generation, I am so privileged; I wonder if Dershowitz would argue that what I have now is not privilege, but sufficient access to the rights we were always entitled to as Americans.
Read
March 24, 2016After sticking with it for 200 pages, I could not finish this book. Dershowitz's overbearing ego filled every page and his arguments were often skewed to show why he was always right and everyone else was always wrong.
August 10, 2020
In this semi-autobiographical work, Dershowitz displays a lot of “chutzpah” and self-promotion. He traces his origins from a 4th generation American Orthodox Jewish yeshivah student to a social liberal and civil libertarian taking on unpopular causes. We learn that the reason Dershowitz spent his career as a Harvard law professor rather than working for a big name law firm was that, despite his brilliance, the “white shoe” law firms would not hire such a visibly Jewish candidate, and he would have nothing to do with such a racist system.
I tend to agree with many, but not all, of his positions – that American Jews should not accept being made to feel like second class citizens, that Israel should be treated and criticized on the same level playing field as all other nations, and others. Yet Dershowitz looks down on his cousins who are even more orthodox than his great grandparents. The cases presented in book make it sound like Dershowitz is a champion of justice for the under-represented (John Demjanjuk, Jonathan Pollard). Yet the cases listed in Wikipedia since this book was written in 1991 (O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump) make it sound like Dershowitz is just a lawyer for hire in the most egregious cases. And I also find it tragic that after so many generations of Jewish continuity, Dershowitz’s own son married a Roman Catholic.
I tend to agree with many, but not all, of his positions – that American Jews should not accept being made to feel like second class citizens, that Israel should be treated and criticized on the same level playing field as all other nations, and others. Yet Dershowitz looks down on his cousins who are even more orthodox than his great grandparents. The cases presented in book make it sound like Dershowitz is a champion of justice for the under-represented (John Demjanjuk, Jonathan Pollard). Yet the cases listed in Wikipedia since this book was written in 1991 (O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump) make it sound like Dershowitz is just a lawyer for hire in the most egregious cases. And I also find it tragic that after so many generations of Jewish continuity, Dershowitz’s own son married a Roman Catholic.
February 7, 2010
"Chutzpah" by Alan Dershowitz
The definition of chutzpah is something like hubris or extreme arrogance.What Mr.Dershowitz is urging on his co-religionists is to
assert themselves as first-class cititzens,rather than accepting a role
as a second-class minority.
The author points out that because of the uniqueness of America in
not having an established religion,the Jewish people for the first time
in 2,000 years should avail themselves of the opportunity to participate
as full-fledged citizens.
He then recounts the tragedy of the Holocaust and the use of Jews as
scapegoats in Russia,Eastern Europe and the Arab world. This has been
done to cover up the inadequacies of the current as well as former
regimes. In former times this scapegoating was practiced in Western
Europe as well. In contrast to those ruling classes, today's America
offers almost unlimited opportunities for the Jewish person to enjoy.
This book will be most meaningful to those who are Jewish. One might
consider it an extended "pep talk" with a good deal of illustrative
material. For the non-Jewish person who wishes to explore the Jewish
psyche and how it got that way,there is a treasure trove of material
to be discovered.
The definition of chutzpah is something like hubris or extreme arrogance.What Mr.Dershowitz is urging on his co-religionists is to
assert themselves as first-class cititzens,rather than accepting a role
as a second-class minority.
The author points out that because of the uniqueness of America in
not having an established religion,the Jewish people for the first time
in 2,000 years should avail themselves of the opportunity to participate
as full-fledged citizens.
He then recounts the tragedy of the Holocaust and the use of Jews as
scapegoats in Russia,Eastern Europe and the Arab world. This has been
done to cover up the inadequacies of the current as well as former
regimes. In former times this scapegoating was practiced in Western
Europe as well. In contrast to those ruling classes, today's America
offers almost unlimited opportunities for the Jewish person to enjoy.
This book will be most meaningful to those who are Jewish. One might
consider it an extended "pep talk" with a good deal of illustrative
material. For the non-Jewish person who wishes to explore the Jewish
psyche and how it got that way,there is a treasure trove of material
to be discovered.
November 1, 2014
I picked up this book at a library used book sale, not expecting much. It was quite a tour d'force, describing the development of the Jewish community in the New York area, and its place in academia. He posits that he is a left-wing liberal but frankly I'm not so sure. I think he's really almost as "conservative" as Norman Podhoretz but like me is uncomfortable admitting that.
July 17, 2012
Alan Dershowitz, maybe better than any other author, "gets" the American Jewish experience. If you want a great insight into that experience, read this book.
March 14, 2022
A must read book for Jewish people.
Tres conceptos fundamentales:
1. no aceptar jamás ser ciudadanos de segunda clase
2. los valores judíos son los valores universales y por lo tanto buenos para el país donde los judíos estén
3. el término que el autor acuña es JUDEÓPATA (y no antisemita, y tampoco incluso judeofobia,
Cito: “Necesitamos un nuevo término para describir este fenómeno este doble control esta reforzada supervisión de los asuntos judíos, esta selección de Israel. El término antijudaísmo no lo capta totalmente porque ya no está dirigido contra la religión o la teología de los judíos. Tampoco lo hace judeofoboa, ya que sugiere Temor a los judíos en lugar de resentimiento. La esencia del nuevo fenómeno se caracteriza por ser antijudío, un ataque contra los valores y las actitudes judías contra los asuntos judíos y las personas que reflejan una naturaleza judía. Además, la etiqueta de antisemita, inventada por los antisemitas como un epíteto orgulloso, es un término de por sí neutro. Simplemente se refiere a aquellos que están en contra de los judíos. No implica necesariamente la enfermedad y el mal inherentes a esa intolerancia. El término judeópata parecería ser mucho más adecuado. Sugiere un odio patológico a los judíos y responsabiliza a aquellos que odian más que aquellos que son odiados. Nadie se sentiría orgulloso de ser etiquetado como un judeópata tal como se sienten algunos con la etiqueta de antisemita. Nadie podría hablar acerca de una “judeopatía objetiva” de la forma en que algunos sociólogos hablan con indiferencia acerca del antisemitismo objetivo, como si de alguna manera fuera culpa de los judíos.”
Tres conceptos fundamentales:
1. no aceptar jamás ser ciudadanos de segunda clase
2. los valores judíos son los valores universales y por lo tanto buenos para el país donde los judíos estén
3. el término que el autor acuña es JUDEÓPATA (y no antisemita, y tampoco incluso judeofobia,
Cito: “Necesitamos un nuevo término para describir este fenómeno este doble control esta reforzada supervisión de los asuntos judíos, esta selección de Israel. El término antijudaísmo no lo capta totalmente porque ya no está dirigido contra la religión o la teología de los judíos. Tampoco lo hace judeofoboa, ya que sugiere Temor a los judíos en lugar de resentimiento. La esencia del nuevo fenómeno se caracteriza por ser antijudío, un ataque contra los valores y las actitudes judías contra los asuntos judíos y las personas que reflejan una naturaleza judía. Además, la etiqueta de antisemita, inventada por los antisemitas como un epíteto orgulloso, es un término de por sí neutro. Simplemente se refiere a aquellos que están en contra de los judíos. No implica necesariamente la enfermedad y el mal inherentes a esa intolerancia. El término judeópata parecería ser mucho más adecuado. Sugiere un odio patológico a los judíos y responsabiliza a aquellos que odian más que aquellos que son odiados. Nadie se sentiría orgulloso de ser etiquetado como un judeópata tal como se sienten algunos con la etiqueta de antisemita. Nadie podría hablar acerca de una “judeopatía objetiva” de la forma en que algunos sociólogos hablan con indiferencia acerca del antisemitismo objetivo, como si de alguna manera fuera culpa de los judíos.”
January 29, 2024
If history does not make you feel uncomfortable you are not reading history. This book makes those of us non-Jewish uncomfortable. Usually I am able to find a way to relate to a book, but Dershowitz does not allow for that to happen. Over the 30 years that this book was written I wish I could say that more has changed. I haven't seen the anti-Semitism, but then I do live in a smaller city in the Midwest and becoming friends with the Rabbi's wife. Walking away from this book I really don't feel there was a call to action for those of us that want to be good humans.
How did this book find me? It was recommending though a Facebook book group, but I don't remember which one.
How did this book find me? It was recommending though a Facebook book group, but I don't remember which one.
March 24, 2020
I am not a big fan of the man, but I do remember really enjoying and learning from the book.
April 26, 2020
Dershowitz is brilliant and funny, even while addressing a very difficult topic. This was an enlightening and challenging read.
Read
August 18, 2023A very readable book in spite of the author
October 26, 2024
The least of Dershowitz's crimes is his unbearable pomposity. Unfortunately, he makes several good points in between painfully self-important anecdotes.
November 2, 2024
This book the author narrates how the environment for innovation is built in Israel. Further how the training in army help develop entrepreneurs across.
September 21, 2007
What the undercurrents were to be in jewish Academia at Ivy league Schools (Harvard)during the 70's.Harvard years ago did not accept Jews. Also about expressing your judaism in the workplace and world at large, when historically Jews tried to conceal their identity.
May 21, 2015
I found this book very interesting. It really gave me a new outlook on being Jewish in America, as well as a new outlook on Israel. Although the book was written in 1991, Dershowitz was right in his prediction for the Middle East. I will definitely look for other books by him.
January 7, 2008
Dershowitz tends to be pompous.
August 8, 2008
This book is great. Very well-written. Sad at times, hilarious in others, but you definitely get taken along for the ride.
June 9, 2017
Good autobiographical account of his life and how being Jewish impacted his life, though he could have been more sympathetic in discussing Rabbi Meir Kahane
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews