Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities

by Aaron J. Hahn Tapper

What does it mean to be a Jew in the twenty-first century? Exploring the multifaceted and intensely complicated characteristics of this age-old, ever-changing community, Judaisms examines how Jews are a culture, ethnicity, nation, nationality, race, religion, and more. With each chapter revolving around a single theme (Narratives, Sinais, Zions, Messiahs, Laws, Mysticisms, Cultures, Movements, Genocides, Powers, Borders, and Futures) this introductory textbook interrogates and broadens readers’ understandings of Jewish communities. Written for a new mode of teaching—one that recognizes the core role that identity formation plays in our lives—this book weaves together alternative and marginalized voices to illustrate how Jews have always been in the process of reshaping their customs, practices, and beliefs. Judaisms is the first book to assess and summarize Jewish history from the time of the Hebrew Bible through today using multiple perspectives.
 
Ideal for classroom use, Judaisms

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Nonfiction, Religion

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2016

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing!
Enlightening!
Enriching!

This book delivers thorough research on what it means to be Jewish. This book delivers highlighted interpersonal experiences of the Jewish author. This book delivers by addressing tough topics within Jewish communities. Judaisms: A Twenty-First- Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities by Aaron J. Hahn Tapper does not sway toward a single Jewish identity, but rather highlights the whole universal collective. I felt as high as a kite reading this one. Right at a point of my life when I was hyper-curious about the Jewish identity, this book quenched the thirst of my intellect. Being entrusted with a copy of this book for an honest review was so unreal. I could reread this a million times and still not be filled.

This jewel could easily be included among the texts given to students in Jewish 101, encompassing twelve chapters exploring topics fully capable of being stand-alone texts. The topics are diverse ranging from anti-semitism propaganda to cultural genocide, Jewish religious movements, zions and includes, but is not limited to postbiblical Messiahs.

Each chapter begins with a narrative leading into the topic, which gives a unique glimpse of Jewish living abroad and stateside. In that sense it makes this non-fiction feel more entertaining allowing you to self-reflect as well. It fully validates the excerpt, “Although this book focuses on Jewish identities, its ultimate aim is to give readers a deeper understanding of identity formation at large, regardless of whether or not one identifies as Jewish.”


My favorite topic was the feature on Ashkenazi-ness and being white in the United States. Reading about Persian Jews, Jews among Muslims, Jews among Christians, and Jews in Asia all makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin. I have an Argentinean Jewish friend and for years we felt like unicorns. But skin color and ethnicity were never the only variations of our identity. There’s also culture, religion, and language. And yet there is no single understanding. This book explores the various variations from dominant to exotic closing loose ends of diversity to one merging of acceptance.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great textbook for an Intro to Judaism course. I am using it for an online undergraduate course that I'm developing and it brings the tradition alive in a way that most other textbooks do not. It honors the diversity of Judaism throughout history and the modern world, and is interspersed with images and stories that convey what the author is teaching in a clear, illustrative way. Professors will want to pair this book with slightly more targeted readings and/or exercises, but it's a great entry point into Jewish cultures, beliefs, and practices.

[gideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of very interesting information. i appreciated the diversity of communities represented & it did help me think further about some things ive been struggling with. however! the conclusions that are drawn sometimes seemed wild or downright uncomfortable to me, especially in the later parts of the book. it's weird bc on the one hand it provides a very broad overview of many kinds of judaisms without centering one as correct, but on the other hand i think someone unfamiliar with judaism who read this as an intro would come away with some skewed perspectives and strange understandings. also there were some things that were just ahistorical or unconfirmed that were presented as fact

[OvercommuniKate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disliked the 2 column format.

I was very fascinated by the concept of "social identities and the seeming ease with which some can become undone" and I felt we never really got an answer to this. I guess that's the point if this is meant to be used as a textbook.

[Corvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as part of an Intro to Judaism class

[Danielle]

An well rounded introduction to Jewish history. For Judaism class