The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between

by Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, Mark Oppenheimer

Named one of Library Journal ’s Best Religion & Spirituality Books of the Year

An Unorthodox Guide to  Everything  Jewish

Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew- ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta, balagan , bashert , and bageling . Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld , listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see “Latkes”). Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It’s a lot.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Judaica, Reference

320 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything from AEPi to Zuckerburg.

[SheReaders Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best book I’ve read all year. Borrowed a copy from the library but will for sure buy one to keep. Also, would make a great gift for a wedding, high school grad going to college, or just to leave out on the bar while you host a Shabbat dinner. I learned, I laughed, and I loved being Jewish. What an absolute delight.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar's and Everything InBetween" is not exactly the truth of the book's contents. It is more an idiosyncratic list of people, places, things, and food, most of which add definition to the word "Jewish".

The book was compiled by a group of three; Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibowitz, and Mark Oppenheimer. I don't know how they divided up the work; no section or definition is assigned an author. I'd say the words chosen to be defined are from a liberal angle, but then most Jews are liberals. It's fun reading and you don't have to sit down and read it at one time. It is just right for picking up and choosing a letter - say, "L" - and having fun with the words. Though I normally read books in the Kindle version (as I did this one), I think this book might be fun to read in the paper version. In any case, or any version, I think most people, Jewish or not, would enjoy this book!

[Maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do with coffee-table size books!? Read them anyways, I guess.. Been watching a lot of the Nanny so I wanted to learn more Yiddish + Jewish history + culture and here it was

[Erika Dreifus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, fact-filled, and absolutely fabulous.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for the people who have basic questions about being Jewish because it provides a foundation in all things Jewish. It's like an encyclopedia, but it's really funny too. You could dip in one page at a time or go from start to finish. To me, it's so important to show people that Jews don't just have a sad history, we have culture and traditions and a sense of family.

This book is written in a way that feels like a smart, witty friend is explaining the basics to us. The book is such a great resource for people who want to understand what's it's like to be Jewish. I think everyone's who's Jewish should own this book. And it would be an excellent gift for every bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah. Being Jewish is not about how often you go to a temple or how much you observe the religion; it's just part of who you are. For so many people, it's so much more than a cultural thing; that's why a cultural reference guide like this is so perfect.

To listen to my interview with the author. go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/ste...

[Rebecca Cynamon-murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Jew who was raised as a Presbyterian, reading this book is like getting a hug from a giant curmudgeonly uncle, who is interrupted by your wonk-ish cousin asking you something slightly prying in a charming way. Then, your sweet grown niece breaks in and says something totally brilliant. You know, like being home.

[Ellen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally wasn't going to add this to my "read-this-year" list because of it being a reference book, but I learned quite a bit that I, as a goy, didn't know about before (the Warsaw Uprising, which I will be reading more about; the legacy of Jewish folks in the garment and pop music industries; what the holiday of Sukkot entails). I'll probably check out the Unorthodox podcast too.

[John Matthew IV · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, great book. If you love Unorthodox you will love this book. And everyone should love Unorthordox.

This book is the perfect blend of humour and seriousness as it covers all things Jewish.

It is also the perfect bedtime read. You can read as much or as little as it takes to prepare you for sleep.

p. 60: Cholent: slow-cooking meat-and-potato stew
p. 156: This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation
p. 170: The Guide for the Perplexed
p. 170: The Book Of Knowledge
p. 186: Nachman of Breslov
p. 192: Art and Ardor
p. 198: The Illustrated Pirkei Avot: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Ethics
p. 211: The 613
p. 248: Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, oldest in the US
p. 255: The Essential Talmud
p. 263: Leviticus 19:28: No tattoos
p. 294: Yahrzeit candle
Contributors: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

[Ryan Fohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good blend of information and irreverent humor. Very much like the podcast, which I have been a fan of since the beginning. I learned so much from this book that I now enjoy the podcast more. I find Jewish life so interesting because it is exotic to my experience and at the same time surprisingly central to America’s culture. America wouldn’t be the home I love without the contributions of the Jews. The book has a beautiful design and layout. Although the ink on the cover is rubbing off! (What I did there is called “kvetching”) No entry is too long, and there are subjects I will explore more, like the amazing history of Israel. Some of the entries on prayers and writers are too bare bones and not very interesting as a result.

What I learned: so so much. What pareve means on a food label. Tel Aviv “the city of spring” is named after a 1902 novel! Dr Ruth was a sniper! Bamba plus ramen noodles is delicious! Lots of separate Yiddish and Hebrew words for the same thing. When someone says “the Torah” they could be referring to the first five books of the Bible or the Bible and the Mishnah and the Talmud and the works of the Maimonides plus some later stuff. So it’s a lot more to study than I realized.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As a new fan of Unorthodox (I started listening in September 2019) I was so excited to hear the hosts were releasing a book. The entries in this encyclopedia were fun, witty, and so undeniably Jewish. I shared many of the entries with my chevruta partner and we enjoyed discussing the topics together. My favorite entries were ‘food,’ ‘sweater,’ and anything describing a Yiddish word. The last entry in the book is Zyklon B, which the book describes as “an unfortunate entry to end this book.” I think there is a certain irony to the ending. Despite Zyklon B’s existence, the Jews survived and we now have a 305 page encyclopedia describing the many facets of Judaism. Am yisrael chai!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It should come as no surprise that I think books make great presents for Hanukkah, birthdays or as a way of saying, “I’m thinking about you.” That’s because you can find a book suitable for everyone. (Yes, even non-readers might like comic strip books or graphic novels or books of photographs – you get the idea. You just have to be creative.) Below are a few gift ideas that include a picture book, a short story in book format for young (and young at heart) readers, a new encyclopedia that’s definitely for adults and something for the literary scholar.
See the rest of my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Tonya Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read, as in I didn't know how to pronounce many of the words. I probably should have listened to it but I would have missed out on so many wonderful pictures. I read this because I was curious. I knew some of the history of the Jewish people and Hollywood and the Mafia connection through books I've read. And of course the events of WWII. But my goodness, a wonderful book. I'm not much into politics. I could have just skipped over those sections, but I didn't. But overall, I learned something new today.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, and humorous in the specific way that is also very Jewish. This is a great book (encyclopedia, rather) for Jewish converts to learn deeper into our culture/ways/history/language, disconnected Jews to reconnect, Jews who simply enjoy literature for-jews-by-jews, and gentiles who are just curious. There's a ton of information packed into the pages from cover to cover, so it's really easy to miss something, which gives the opportunity to go back in later and learn something new. It's well worth the money. I have a really hard time putting it down each time I pick it back up.

[Jesica DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly hilarious and factual historical and contemporary walk through Judaism from A to Z. Mesmerizing details and laugh out loud antics required me to read this in one sitting as I could not put it down. The team behind 100 Most Jewish Foods has returned raising the bar yet again on how we learn about and celebrate this dynamic culture, religion and tribe. A must have for every gentile and Jew.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I started reading this and was about to give up on it but then I gave it another go and I was glad I did. This A-Z guide to Judaism covers holidays, major characters, phrases and more. I really enjoyed the humor put into this book as well as the different words and phrases that I learned from this book.

[Mrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that authors show some respect to religion, or at lest did not show despise to it. Book in general is well written, pleasant to read, gives enough information to claim some knowledge for those who were completely ignorant on everything Jewish. Too much pop culture references for my MO taste, but that's the way we are.

[Lydia Bestul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved encyclopedias & this one has a lot of valuable information & laughs. It’s a good book for Jews & would make a good gift but some of the entries may be confusing to someone unfamiliar with Judaism.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the entries are cute and fun, and some are really helpful and gave me information I didn't have.

[Mica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting with lots of eye winks and humor!

[Antoinette Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the very least, I’ll refer to this often but I'm pretty sure I’ll just reread it cover to cover.

[Patrick H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'd have to a true nebbish not to love this book.

[Arnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun guide to all things Jewish. Smart, accurate, wonderfully opinionated. Great for the more casual Jewish reader or for those who are already in deep.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well not all of it, but I've read many of the articles. It's an encyclopedia and not meant to be read cover-to-cover. What I've read is both interesting and accurate.

[Bruce Egert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not mirthful, most helpful

So many topics, so much information. Oy vey!!!! Great source of info for the well informed or someone who wants a primer on Judaism. Bravo!!!

[Laura Karns Zoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun view of all things Jewish and also educational. Great reference. Love the podcast hosted by the authors

[Hesper Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long read, but it's full of personality and offers a useful look into modern Judaism!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥🔥

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource. Mostly to skim for new finds because they define mostly things I know and often in a very clever way.

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and witty. Makes for a good coffee table book.