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The Wondering Jew: Israel and the Search for Jewish Identity
A celebrated Israeli author explores the roots of the divide between religion and secularism in Israel today, and offers a path to bridging the divide Zionism began as a movement full of contradictions, between a pull to the past and a desire to forge a new future. Israel has become a place of fragmentation, between those who sanctify religious tradition and those who wish to escape its grasp. Now, a new middle ground is emerging between religious and secular Jews who want to engage with their heritage--without being restricted by it or losing it completely. In this incisive book, acclaimed author Micah Goodman explores Israeli Judaism and the conflict between religion and secularism, one of the major causes of political polarization throughout the world. Revisiting traditional religious sources and seminal works of secularism, he reveals that each contains an openness to learn from the other's messages. Goodman challenges both orthodoxies, proposing a new approach to bridge the divide between religion and secularism and pave a path toward healing a society torn asunder by extremism.
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Published November 10, 2020
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About the author
Micah Goodman
12 books53 followersMicah Goodman is the author of four best-selling books in Israel including Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism. He is president of Beit Midrash Yisraeli–Ein Prat, and a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 9, 2022
Admittedly, I think I’m punching a little above my weight class with this one. I know most of the names and concepts, but am uncertain about fitting them all in a row. Luckily I read this book with my synagogue’s Israel book club, and am piqued by our shared discussion.
In my breakaway group, we talked a bit about who we think this book is for. Goodman quite blatantly desires to manifest an Israeli-centered Judaism in Israel, and yet we read a translation of the book that was published by an American press. I think some of us felt turned off by his dismissal of Diasporic Judaism as well, particularly American Judaism, as we are, by and large, American Jews in this book club. To me, it feels impossible to create the closed-off bubble he purports to anyway. There’s no Judaism of the last 2,000 years without a foothold in Diaspora, going back to Babylon.
Though we did also reflect a bit on a line of the book that reflects a distinctly Israeli Jewish reality: “In Israel, there are four components of Jewish identity that the Israeli Jews breathe through the air: their location, their nationality, their calendar, and their language.” Undoubtedly all of these create a unique, “non-Diasporic” vantage point.
Our rabbi popped into our breakaway group near the end of our discussion, and referenced learning from Goodman in a personal setting. Despite his dismissal of American Judaism (one of our members analyzed his words as thinking American Jewish expression to be “trivial,”) he’d taught American Jewish scholars, felt some rapport, and there’s even a line in the book: “The dialogue between the Jewish communities of Israel and the Diaspora are vital. The two sides complement each other. Israeli Judaism safeguards the continuity of Diaspora Jewry, and Diaspora Jewry enlivens and revitalizes Israeli Jewry.”
But this feels a little throwaway to me, since Goodman specifically eschews talking about “Diaspora Jewry,” like the Reform and Conservative movements, which, to be fair, are not as big in Israel as they are in the U.S. (and he otherwise completely writes off, say, Jews from interfaith families.) He’s looking for a hyper-modern, Israeli-led quest for the middle ground between religion and secularism. And he’s found it, it seems, through his work with Beit Prat, where he primarily teaches post-army Israeli youth a mixture of Jewish and (solely?) western scholars of religion and philosophy/literature. In it, he’s making a new society, to interpret his words, of religious Israelis who open their minds to new viewpoints, and secular Jews who dare to seek for answers in a traditional framework.
He also goes back in time to discuss early, secular Zionists who tried to eschew all religion, and then the reality of the modern state having to give outdue influence to an increasingly rigid ultra-Orthodox minority. In discussing some of the rigidity of many Orthodox sects, he has to go back to the Enlightenment, when the Orthodox movement was started in reaction to Reform. Judaism has always been changing, from the time of the Talmudists grappling with texts, but the Reform movement of the time was the first to make change a significant priority. In response, the new Orthodox movement put barriers around religious thought and practice that hitherto did not exist in our debate-rich tradition.
This is an argument—reclaiming debate and open thought as Jewish tradition—that I’m at least nominally familiar with and which personally speaks to me. I found Goodman’s characterization of secularism as solely individual-based to be a little too sweeping. Other members of my reading group talked about the various boxes he tried to force people into, and how it didn’t always work. The book is, after all, an attempt to fit philosophical concepts into a mere 190 pages (with the remaining 25% of the volume, roughly speaking, given over to footnotes and acknowledgements and an index.) Too much philosophy is also not quite my bag.
But I appreciated the time given to parse the mindsets of such thinkers as Adad Ha’am and Bialik and others. These sections merit re-reading and probably some note-taking! There’s also a nature focus throughout the text that I found intriguing, maybe a little frustrating. The idea of monotheism, aka Judaism, taking God out of nature, and how that ultimately led to the embrace of reason (one of those assertions that is too sweeping and simplistic for me. I can’t imagine there’s only one path that leads to scientific advancement.) But later, in the afterword, Goodman turns things on their heads, and bemoans secular society’s lack of connection with nature, how “technology” (by which he largely means the Internet) has alienated us from the real world. This ends in a “middle ground” solution of everyone learning to turn their phones off one day a week—for the sake of reconnecting to an unalienated life, if not Shabbat and religious community specifically. I agree with my book club members that this feels like a pat and simplistic ending to the book, a grasping attempt to try and turn his philosophy into action. When, personally, it seems to me he’s achieving that much better in his work with Beit Prat, at least how it appears on the page. No need for grand pronouncements!
In my breakaway group, we talked a bit about who we think this book is for. Goodman quite blatantly desires to manifest an Israeli-centered Judaism in Israel, and yet we read a translation of the book that was published by an American press. I think some of us felt turned off by his dismissal of Diasporic Judaism as well, particularly American Judaism, as we are, by and large, American Jews in this book club. To me, it feels impossible to create the closed-off bubble he purports to anyway. There’s no Judaism of the last 2,000 years without a foothold in Diaspora, going back to Babylon.
Though we did also reflect a bit on a line of the book that reflects a distinctly Israeli Jewish reality: “In Israel, there are four components of Jewish identity that the Israeli Jews breathe through the air: their location, their nationality, their calendar, and their language.” Undoubtedly all of these create a unique, “non-Diasporic” vantage point.
Our rabbi popped into our breakaway group near the end of our discussion, and referenced learning from Goodman in a personal setting. Despite his dismissal of American Judaism (one of our members analyzed his words as thinking American Jewish expression to be “trivial,”) he’d taught American Jewish scholars, felt some rapport, and there’s even a line in the book: “The dialogue between the Jewish communities of Israel and the Diaspora are vital. The two sides complement each other. Israeli Judaism safeguards the continuity of Diaspora Jewry, and Diaspora Jewry enlivens and revitalizes Israeli Jewry.”
But this feels a little throwaway to me, since Goodman specifically eschews talking about “Diaspora Jewry,” like the Reform and Conservative movements, which, to be fair, are not as big in Israel as they are in the U.S. (and he otherwise completely writes off, say, Jews from interfaith families.) He’s looking for a hyper-modern, Israeli-led quest for the middle ground between religion and secularism. And he’s found it, it seems, through his work with Beit Prat, where he primarily teaches post-army Israeli youth a mixture of Jewish and (solely?) western scholars of religion and philosophy/literature. In it, he’s making a new society, to interpret his words, of religious Israelis who open their minds to new viewpoints, and secular Jews who dare to seek for answers in a traditional framework.
He also goes back in time to discuss early, secular Zionists who tried to eschew all religion, and then the reality of the modern state having to give outdue influence to an increasingly rigid ultra-Orthodox minority. In discussing some of the rigidity of many Orthodox sects, he has to go back to the Enlightenment, when the Orthodox movement was started in reaction to Reform. Judaism has always been changing, from the time of the Talmudists grappling with texts, but the Reform movement of the time was the first to make change a significant priority. In response, the new Orthodox movement put barriers around religious thought and practice that hitherto did not exist in our debate-rich tradition.
This is an argument—reclaiming debate and open thought as Jewish tradition—that I’m at least nominally familiar with and which personally speaks to me. I found Goodman’s characterization of secularism as solely individual-based to be a little too sweeping. Other members of my reading group talked about the various boxes he tried to force people into, and how it didn’t always work. The book is, after all, an attempt to fit philosophical concepts into a mere 190 pages (with the remaining 25% of the volume, roughly speaking, given over to footnotes and acknowledgements and an index.) Too much philosophy is also not quite my bag.
But I appreciated the time given to parse the mindsets of such thinkers as Adad Ha’am and Bialik and others. These sections merit re-reading and probably some note-taking! There’s also a nature focus throughout the text that I found intriguing, maybe a little frustrating. The idea of monotheism, aka Judaism, taking God out of nature, and how that ultimately led to the embrace of reason (one of those assertions that is too sweeping and simplistic for me. I can’t imagine there’s only one path that leads to scientific advancement.) But later, in the afterword, Goodman turns things on their heads, and bemoans secular society’s lack of connection with nature, how “technology” (by which he largely means the Internet) has alienated us from the real world. This ends in a “middle ground” solution of everyone learning to turn their phones off one day a week—for the sake of reconnecting to an unalienated life, if not Shabbat and religious community specifically. I agree with my book club members that this feels like a pat and simplistic ending to the book, a grasping attempt to try and turn his philosophy into action. When, personally, it seems to me he’s achieving that much better in his work with Beit Prat, at least how it appears on the page. No need for grand pronouncements!
October 30, 2022
This was a nice little read. Had some interesting philosophical points. Essentially tried to explain how judaism in Israel has its own strain of thinking because its a majority Jewish country.
November 6, 2023
A fascinating examination of the complex nature of Jewish identity. In particular, Goodman is focused on the various strands of Judaism and Jewishness that are within Israeli culture. Though primarily focused on Israeli Jewishness, it is rooted in the long intellectual and religious traditions of the Jewish People: from Beit Hillel in the Second Temple period to Maimonides to the 19th and 20th century religious and secular thinkers. I very much appreciate the insight Goodman brings into Jewish and Israeli thought; sharing with the reader many ideas that normally are not accessible (because they are in Hebrew).
The main idea Goodman starts with is that within Israel—and because its Israel, the Jewish national homeland—there are new ways of being Jewish developing. Just as older forms developed in response to the tensions and conditions of the world they were in, being Jewish in Israel is evolving and responding to pressures and tensions in Israel. These include the interaction of tradition and modernity; community and individualism; authority and liberty.
Many know that Israel seems to be divided into two camps: religious and secular. Goodman argues this oversimplifies things. Within each camp there are further divisions, divisions that mirror each other in the other camps. That is, there is a more strident, religious camp that holds fast to the religious laws and traditions as expressed in orthodoxy. This is mirrored in the secular camp by the strident secularists who reject and forswear religious tradition and learning. But as well, each camp has what Goodman calls “alternative” movements. There are religious Zionists who are interested in the more open and dynamic aspects of modern life. This is mirrored by the secularist Zionists who are interested in connecting to the richness of Jewish tradition. The religious are not secularizing: they are not compromising or losing faith. And the secularists are not becoming religious: they want to enrich and deepen their secularism by connecting with the ideas and texts of the tradition.
His main argument is that these alternative threads are, or are potentially, forming a more balanced, middle way of Israeli Judaism.
Goodman argues that that these threads, the alternative and mainline ones, have long pedigrees in Jewish history and roots his analysis in those traditions. This history deals with, in its own ways relative to its time period, the problems and tensions of tradition and modernity; community and individualism; authority and liberty. As such, there is much to learn about how these alternative stands in contemporary Israeli society might deepen and expand: enriching Israeli society, but also Jewish culture worldwide.
And this can move beyond the Jewish world as well. The lesson is that if one is religious, they can enrich their faith with modern ideas and ideals without losing their religion; and if one is not religious, they can enrich their connections and community by exploring and learning about their traditions without having to submit to the authority of the tradition. This helps, as Goodman argues, to balance many of the tensions and values of modern life. That is, at least, the hope Goodman leaves us; and it is one I share. As a secular Jew, who loves learning about the tradition but is not likely to be observant, many aspects of Goodman’s discussion appealed to me deeply. Lastly, it is wonderfully written: clear and approachable even while condensing and articulating complex theological, philosophical, and sociological ideas.
The main idea Goodman starts with is that within Israel—and because its Israel, the Jewish national homeland—there are new ways of being Jewish developing. Just as older forms developed in response to the tensions and conditions of the world they were in, being Jewish in Israel is evolving and responding to pressures and tensions in Israel. These include the interaction of tradition and modernity; community and individualism; authority and liberty.
Many know that Israel seems to be divided into two camps: religious and secular. Goodman argues this oversimplifies things. Within each camp there are further divisions, divisions that mirror each other in the other camps. That is, there is a more strident, religious camp that holds fast to the religious laws and traditions as expressed in orthodoxy. This is mirrored in the secular camp by the strident secularists who reject and forswear religious tradition and learning. But as well, each camp has what Goodman calls “alternative” movements. There are religious Zionists who are interested in the more open and dynamic aspects of modern life. This is mirrored by the secularist Zionists who are interested in connecting to the richness of Jewish tradition. The religious are not secularizing: they are not compromising or losing faith. And the secularists are not becoming religious: they want to enrich and deepen their secularism by connecting with the ideas and texts of the tradition.
His main argument is that these alternative threads are, or are potentially, forming a more balanced, middle way of Israeli Judaism.
Goodman argues that that these threads, the alternative and mainline ones, have long pedigrees in Jewish history and roots his analysis in those traditions. This history deals with, in its own ways relative to its time period, the problems and tensions of tradition and modernity; community and individualism; authority and liberty. As such, there is much to learn about how these alternative stands in contemporary Israeli society might deepen and expand: enriching Israeli society, but also Jewish culture worldwide.
And this can move beyond the Jewish world as well. The lesson is that if one is religious, they can enrich their faith with modern ideas and ideals without losing their religion; and if one is not religious, they can enrich their connections and community by exploring and learning about their traditions without having to submit to the authority of the tradition. This helps, as Goodman argues, to balance many of the tensions and values of modern life. That is, at least, the hope Goodman leaves us; and it is one I share. As a secular Jew, who loves learning about the tradition but is not likely to be observant, many aspects of Goodman’s discussion appealed to me deeply. Lastly, it is wonderfully written: clear and approachable even while condensing and articulating complex theological, philosophical, and sociological ideas.
April 19, 2023
This was a well-written and well-argued philosophical work for a very limited audience... secular Israeli Jews.
The author begins by trying to piss off Orthodox Jews. He almost succeeded with me. He talks a lot about orthodoxy as practiced in Israel which is decidedly different from that practiced in the USA mostly because in the USA, being Jewish is a choice one makes and one must work hard to maintain one's Judaism here. In Israel it is done through legislation. Therefore, a jew does not feel "different" in Israel and it is very easy to maintain one's Judaism in terms of the mechanics of it: plenty of places to pray, easy to get kosher food, etc. But this was done by legislation and it is maintained through Orthodoxy. (Primarily Ashkenazi and Sephardic Orthodox Jews).
The author calls for taking away political control from the Orthodox and creating a secular observant Judaism of some sort. He talks real pretty.
It will never happen even if he could wave a magic wand and make Orthodoxy go away. Secular Jews simply don't have the time, energy or inclination to build the kind of meaningful secular framework that the author is calling for. Only a civilization of philosophers would even have a chance of building and maintaining something like what the author is calling for and even then I doubt it would last long. I'm thinking of communism which began as a philosophical idea imposed on a populace. It never worked in its pure form. Even today in a composite form people still have to be bullied into compliance.
In essence the author seems to want to do what the Orthodox are doing right now in Israel... imposing a certain point of view on everyone whether they like it or not. The difference is that the author would be very understanding if you didn't want to comply and I suspect talk you to death until you did comply... or send you to a reeducation camp.
As I said before, he does make a good point that in the USA Jews work hard to maintain their Judaism. I just don't see how he could possibly make the same thing happen in Israel without secular mind control police... very likely worse than some of the Orthodox knuckleheads I meet on occasion.
I hope I was clear. Like I say, I almost abandoned this book in the first 10 minutes, but I hung in there. I doubt I will read this book again.
The author begins by trying to piss off Orthodox Jews. He almost succeeded with me. He talks a lot about orthodoxy as practiced in Israel which is decidedly different from that practiced in the USA mostly because in the USA, being Jewish is a choice one makes and one must work hard to maintain one's Judaism here. In Israel it is done through legislation. Therefore, a jew does not feel "different" in Israel and it is very easy to maintain one's Judaism in terms of the mechanics of it: plenty of places to pray, easy to get kosher food, etc. But this was done by legislation and it is maintained through Orthodoxy. (Primarily Ashkenazi and Sephardic Orthodox Jews).
The author calls for taking away political control from the Orthodox and creating a secular observant Judaism of some sort. He talks real pretty.
It will never happen even if he could wave a magic wand and make Orthodoxy go away. Secular Jews simply don't have the time, energy or inclination to build the kind of meaningful secular framework that the author is calling for. Only a civilization of philosophers would even have a chance of building and maintaining something like what the author is calling for and even then I doubt it would last long. I'm thinking of communism which began as a philosophical idea imposed on a populace. It never worked in its pure form. Even today in a composite form people still have to be bullied into compliance.
In essence the author seems to want to do what the Orthodox are doing right now in Israel... imposing a certain point of view on everyone whether they like it or not. The difference is that the author would be very understanding if you didn't want to comply and I suspect talk you to death until you did comply... or send you to a reeducation camp.
As I said before, he does make a good point that in the USA Jews work hard to maintain their Judaism. I just don't see how he could possibly make the same thing happen in Israel without secular mind control police... very likely worse than some of the Orthodox knuckleheads I meet on occasion.
I hope I was clear. Like I say, I almost abandoned this book in the first 10 minutes, but I hung in there. I doubt I will read this book again.
August 8, 2024
***.5
A fascinating look at the philosophical underpinnings of the various approaches to Judaism in modern day Israel.
He starts with the biggest divide, the secular Zionists and the religious Haredim (ultra-orthodox), both of which he considers to be modern inventions. The early Zionists rejected their religion in order to embrace modernity, and the Haredim rejected modernity in order to preserve their religion. To Goodman, both approaches are deeply flawed, and the rest of the book builds up to what he considers to be the best compromise.
Along the way, he discusses various other Israeli Jewish communities, including the Religious Zionists and Masorti (traditional) Sephardic/Mizrachi Jews. However, as the book is written for a primarily secular Israeli audience, he largely ignores American Jewry, including the reform, conservative, and reconstructionist movements that are prevalent in the US but barely exist in Israel.
Throughout the book, historical figures are cited extensively to support his thesis, from the ancient disagreements between Hillel and Shammai, through the middle ages with Yehuda Halevi vs Maimonides, and then more intensively with the attitudes of the early Zionists towards Judaism (e.g. Ahad HaAm, A.D. Gordon, Bialik, etc.) and many others. It definitely helps to at least have heard of these thinkers and preferably be somewhat familiar with their work in order to understand the context, otherwise it gets a bit abstract at times.
Unfortunately, rather than synthesizing all of the disparate ideas and narratives into a cohesive vision, the book instead devolves into a tedious rant against digital technology (e.g. phones, computers, video games) which he considers "digital noise". Terrorism, occupation, corruption, political rancor, economic stagnation, or any number of other challenges facing Israel these get even a single mention. No, it's Facebook and Fortnite that are the real threats. Give me a fucking break.
A fascinating look at the philosophical underpinnings of the various approaches to Judaism in modern day Israel.
He starts with the biggest divide, the secular Zionists and the religious Haredim (ultra-orthodox), both of which he considers to be modern inventions. The early Zionists rejected their religion in order to embrace modernity, and the Haredim rejected modernity in order to preserve their religion. To Goodman, both approaches are deeply flawed, and the rest of the book builds up to what he considers to be the best compromise.
Along the way, he discusses various other Israeli Jewish communities, including the Religious Zionists and Masorti (traditional) Sephardic/Mizrachi Jews. However, as the book is written for a primarily secular Israeli audience, he largely ignores American Jewry, including the reform, conservative, and reconstructionist movements that are prevalent in the US but barely exist in Israel.
Throughout the book, historical figures are cited extensively to support his thesis, from the ancient disagreements between Hillel and Shammai, through the middle ages with Yehuda Halevi vs Maimonides, and then more intensively with the attitudes of the early Zionists towards Judaism (e.g. Ahad HaAm, A.D. Gordon, Bialik, etc.) and many others. It definitely helps to at least have heard of these thinkers and preferably be somewhat familiar with their work in order to understand the context, otherwise it gets a bit abstract at times.
Unfortunately, rather than synthesizing all of the disparate ideas and narratives into a cohesive vision, the book instead devolves into a tedious rant against digital technology (e.g. phones, computers, video games) which he considers "digital noise". Terrorism, occupation, corruption, political rancor, economic stagnation, or any number of other challenges facing Israel these get even a single mention. No, it's Facebook and Fortnite that are the real threats. Give me a fucking break.
March 12, 2021
This is a marvelous survey Jewish intellectual history as it relates to the Zionist idea, and beautifully tied into modern social science and the studies of religion and happiness as well as current trends in Israeli society and culture. It ties a lot of ideas together! Highly recommend. Worry you not it is also, amazingly, a quick read.
Goodman has a magical way of juxtaposing two ideas to highlight a schism; for example, "It was also psychological: the original antireligious sentiment had been against Jews who were too passive (the exilic ultra-Orthodox); the new antireligious sentiment was against Jews who were too active (religious settlers)." Brilliant, simple dialectic contrasts are peppered throughout the book and I think it is this skillset that makes this a special book and Goodman one of the leading storytellers of our time.
It is a nice history of the Zionist idea, explaining the founding philosophies of Berdyczewski, Brenner, Bialik, Ahad HaAm, AD Gordon, Rav Kook and many others and how their ideas have manifested themselves through the current generation of modern Israelis. Goodman explains these thinkers with simplicity for the casual reader without blunting their power or complexity.
It is also a bit of a theological work -- or at least it explores some ideas of religiosity and perhaps the distinction between belief and belonging as it relates to Jewish peoplehood.
Lastly, it is an optimistic book and a social commentary about a new kind of Israeli that is emerging from the fusion of all these philosophies and traditions to maybe finally find a happy synthesis and way forward filled with both meaning and connection to the tradition.
Goodman has a magical way of juxtaposing two ideas to highlight a schism; for example, "It was also psychological: the original antireligious sentiment had been against Jews who were too passive (the exilic ultra-Orthodox); the new antireligious sentiment was against Jews who were too active (religious settlers)." Brilliant, simple dialectic contrasts are peppered throughout the book and I think it is this skillset that makes this a special book and Goodman one of the leading storytellers of our time.
It is a nice history of the Zionist idea, explaining the founding philosophies of Berdyczewski, Brenner, Bialik, Ahad HaAm, AD Gordon, Rav Kook and many others and how their ideas have manifested themselves through the current generation of modern Israelis. Goodman explains these thinkers with simplicity for the casual reader without blunting their power or complexity.
It is also a bit of a theological work -- or at least it explores some ideas of religiosity and perhaps the distinction between belief and belonging as it relates to Jewish peoplehood.
Lastly, it is an optimistic book and a social commentary about a new kind of Israeli that is emerging from the fusion of all these philosophies and traditions to maybe finally find a happy synthesis and way forward filled with both meaning and connection to the tradition.
October 28, 2023
The philosopher Micah Goodman seeks here to address a tension that strains not just Israel or Diaspora Jews but really all of Western Civilization. Secular modernity frees the individual from constraints but can veer into corrosive skepticism. Melancholy, loss of meaning and even childless societies follow. The religious response, for Goodman very much including Orthodox Ashkanzic Judaism, is an unnaturally insular turn that calcifies, or, worse, leads to fanaticism.
Drawing on thinkers like Ahad Ha’am, A.D. Gordon, and Berl Katznelson, Goodman calls for a middle way and sees some evidence of one developing in contemporary Israel, with some religious Jews opening to the world and some seculars deriving meaning from aspects of religious tradition even if they do not accept its theological underpinnings.
A provocative thesis but one that the recent sociological book #IsraeliJudaism, by Shmuel Rosner and Camil Fuchs, suggests may have some grounding in reality.
4 stars.
Drawing on thinkers like Ahad Ha’am, A.D. Gordon, and Berl Katznelson, Goodman calls for a middle way and sees some evidence of one developing in contemporary Israel, with some religious Jews opening to the world and some seculars deriving meaning from aspects of religious tradition even if they do not accept its theological underpinnings.
A provocative thesis but one that the recent sociological book #IsraeliJudaism, by Shmuel Rosner and Camil Fuchs, suggests may have some grounding in reality.
4 stars.
January 26, 2023
I gave it four stars because as usual Goodman gives a clear analysis of the dysfunctions of Israeli society. My only hesitation four stars instead of three is that I found it a bit repetitive and I had a hard time accepting the English term "Religious Zionist" as as the religious side of the religion-secular divide. To me Religion Zionism is more of a political definition and much of what he credits to Religious Zionism is more Haredi than modern Orthodoxy. I understand the point he was making, I just wish he could have found a less fraught English term.
April 21, 2025
An exploration of what being Jewish IN ISRAEL is like, for the most part.
I am still learning about the whole complicated topic of the various types of Jewish people and the hows and whys of their seperate Jewish beliefs. The author seems to be writing a different book near the end where internet/social media use by children is brought up at length. If I read it a second time, it's not a long read, I might understand a few more parts. Can't say it ever got interesting though.
I am still learning about the whole complicated topic of the various types of Jewish people and the hows and whys of their seperate Jewish beliefs. The author seems to be writing a different book near the end where internet/social media use by children is brought up at length. If I read it a second time, it's not a long read, I might understand a few more parts. Can't say it ever got interesting though.
June 20, 2025
A tightly written and enjoyable intellectual history about Judaism and Jewish identity in Israel. It canvasses many streams of thought in only a few pages. I thought that Goodman's proposed solution for Israeli society (to remove some political control from the Orthodox and forge a secular, semi-observant Judaism) was fascinating but needed more development - it came across as slightly simplistic, or maybe just under-baked. 3.5 stars.
May 8, 2022
An excellent and necessary read, this especially resonated with me because I literally have been wondering for quite some time about how and where we have gone so far off the path of values of past wise ones, and how Judaism will develop and hopefully flourish in Eretz Yisrael now that we have the opportunity to develop our own society again.
August 18, 2024
I really liked this book. The massive breadth of scholarship that Goodman draws from is so impressive. He paints a very neat picture of the history of Judaism and religiosity and its current state of affairs in Israel. At times, it was too neat and became a bit contrite but overall a very enjoyable, thought provoking read rife for discussion.
December 6, 2020
As always, impressive ideas and deep thoughts, at the same time, easy to digest.
December 25, 2020
Current situation of secular and religious Jews in Israel with historical perspectives and insightful understanding
April 22, 2023
Read 40%.
January 9, 2025
Shows how the different strains of Jewish thought developed and led to the identities we see in Israel today. Pretty solid writing.
March 6, 2025
4.5, rounding up because it was a fantastic and fresh history of ideas
June 2, 2025
An important read for all modern Jews.
November 28, 2023
I really think people of all faiths could benefit from this book. Goodman poses some questions on religion and secularism that aren't peculiar to the Jewish experience. One of the sharpest minds out there.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews