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I wouldn't know about that because it is the only book I have read about Judaism.
When I first got it, it said the author Max Dimont had also written "The Incredible Jews", so I expected "Jews, God, and History" to have a great deal of pro-Jewish bias.
However, I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't sense much bias. A few times, he bragged about what the Jews had accomplished, so I took that part with a grain of salt.
I especially liked his discussions of middle-eastern history and anti-semitism. Heck, I loved the whole book.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, but that's irrelevant to the topic.
It's a poor reference in terms of learning about Judaism.
Since some of you have negative feelings about the book, I did some web searches and read some of the comments about it.
I did not find any negative comments. The reviewers, who seemed to know what they were talking about, praised the book.
What is the problem with the book? Does it not give a good summary of Jewish history?
Why are you pushing for this book so hard, particularly if it's the only book on Judaism that you've read?
And I've already stated why this is a poor book: His explanation of Jewish thought leaves much to be desired, and much of his historical information has been proven to be inaccurate. He presents truly unorthodox views (from both religious and academic standpoints) with absolutely no citation or foundation.
As for reviewers "who seem to know what they're talking about", I really couldn't care less. I was able to find poor reviews, also seemingly well written, on every site I looked at.
Aaagh... Why not to start with a rabbi? He sure will guide you in the right direction. Blood is already in you. You'' just follow the voice.
Thank you all for the suggestions! And ukrkoz- I would love to meet a rabbi. Unfortunately I just don't know where to start. Like I said, I live in NYC where there are thousands of rabbis/synagogues/points of origin. The issue is being that it is such a large city, with so many different sects of Judaism represented, I just don't know where to start. I surely could just walk in somewhere and talk to them, but to be completely honest I'm really shy and have trouble with that sometimes. Do you suggest I just find a synagogue and walk in? Do I ask to speak to a rabbi? Do I call and set up a meeting?
Also random question- I know my mom was given the Hebrew name Rachel (but that's not her legal name), but I was never given one. Who is it who gives the name? My grandmother calls me Berura, but that's not my legal name. Would that essentially make it my Hebrew name?
Thank you all for the suggestions! And ukrkoz- I would love to meet a rabbi. Unfortunately I just don't know where to start. Like I said, I live in NYC where there are thousands of rabbis/synagogues/points of origin. The issue is being that it is such a large city, with so many different sects of Judaism represented, I just don't know where to start. I surely could just walk in somewhere and talk to them, but to be completely honest I'm really shy and have trouble with that sometimes. Do you suggest I just find a synagogue and walk in? Do I ask to speak to a rabbi? Do I call and set up a meeting?
Also random question- I know my mom was given the Hebrew name Rachel (but that's not her legal name), but I was never given one. Who is it who gives the name? My grandmother calls me Berura, but that's not my legal name. Would that essentially make it my Hebrew name?
I'd call and set up a meeting. Explain to the rabbi your situation and what it is you're wanting to do.
And I'd meet with one from each group. You might not like the conservative synagogue, but love the orthodox. Or vise versa.
Typically, you would have been given a Hebrew name at birth. Converts choose our own when we go before the beit din. And knowing your mom's is important; Hebrew names follow a pattern of [your name] son/daughter of [parent's name]. So, if we use Berura (which is "peace" in Hebrew) as an example, your name would be Berura bat (daughter of) Rachel.
Thank you all for the suggestions! And ukrkoz- I would love to meet a rabbi. Unfortunately I just don't know where to start. Like I said, I live in NYC where there are thousands of rabbis/synagogues/points of origin. The issue is being that it is such a large city, with so many different sects of Judaism represented, I just don't know where to start. I surely could just walk in somewhere and talk to them, but to be completely honest I'm really shy and have trouble with that sometimes. Do you suggest I just find a synagogue and walk in? Do I ask to speak to a rabbi? Do I call and set up a meeting?
whether you just walk in and observe, walk in and talk to congregants, walk and talk to the rabbi, or call to set up a meeting, is going to depend on what you feel comfortable with. None of those approaches would be inappropriate, in my opinion.
I would think that being in NYC would make this easier, but I can also see why the range of choices is overwhelming. I'm not sure how to give you a recommendation for where to start without expressing my own bias - I am Conservative/Masorti - the advantage of that would be that its traditional enough to give you some flavor for traditional Judaism, but liberal enough that they don't (as a movement) hold the other major forms of Judaism to be illegitimate, so they will be cool with your desire to explore further.
A fairly friendly, welcoming Conservative Shul in NYC that I know is the Kane Street Shul in Cobble Hill, if you are in North Brooklyn.
based on your posted location, you are close to Kane Street - the other nearby Conservative Shul is Park slope Jewish center. The closest Reform shul is Garfield Temple- whose building is also the home to AltShul, an independent minyan, a prayer group somewhere between Conservative and Orthodox, of a type popular with "millenials". There is a modern orthodox shul in Park Slope whose name I forget, and you are in between two chabad houses (One on Vanderbilt close to downtown brooklyn, and one in Park Slope)
so thats a grand total of 7 communities to check out - maybe thats less overwhelming?
based on your posted location, you are close to Kane Street - the other nearby Conservative Shul is Park slope Jewish center. The closest Reform shul is Garfield Temple- whose building is also the home to AltShul, an independent minyan, a prayer group somewhere between Conservative and Orthodox, of a type popular with "millenials". There is a modern orthodox shul in Park Slope whose name I forget, and you are in between two chabad houses (One on Vanderbilt close to downtown brooklyn, and one in Park Slope)
so thats a grand total of 7 communities to check out - maybe thats less overwhelming?
Thank you so much! You are correct, all of the locations you listed are near where I'm located. I'm planning to stop by one of them this week to see if I can set up a meeting to speak with the rabbi.
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