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The Jewish Century Yuri Slezkine PB £11.50 |
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This masterwork of interpretative history
begins with a bold declaration: The Modern Age is the Jewish Age -
and we are all, to varying degrees, Jews. The assertion is, of
course, metaphorical. But it underscores Yuri Slezkine's provocative
thesis. Not only have Jews adapted better than many other groups to
living in the modern world, they have become the premiere symbol and
standard of modern life everywhere. Slezkine argues that the Jews
were, in effect, among the world's first free agents. They
traditionally belonged to a social and anthropological category
known as "service nomads," an outsider group specializing in the
delivery of goods and services.Their role, Slezkine argues, was part of a broader division of human
labor between what he calls Mercurians-entrepreneurial minorities -
and Apollonians - food-producing majorities. Since the dawning of the
Modern Age, Mercurians have taken center stage. In fact, Slezkine
argues, modernity is all about Apollonians becoming Mercurians - urban,
mobile, literate, articulate, intellectually intricate, physically fastidious, and occupationally flexible.Since no group has
been more adept at Mercurianism than the Jews, he contends, these exemplary
ancients are now model moderns. | |
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The Essntial
Klezmer
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An introduction to a
musical form in the midst of a renaissance. The book
documents the history of klezmer from its roots in
the Jewish communities of medieval Eastern Europe to
its current revival in Europe and America. It also
includes descriptions of the instruments and their unique
sounds. | |
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| This thoughtful,
groundbreaking anthology offers a range of writers from former not
girls to judeo-pagan witches to young Orthodox mothers. These
intelligent, funny women take on issues of circumcision,
intermarriage and the stereotype of the Jewish American Princess,
they chronicle searches for faith, detail intolerance and defy
expectations. They are women who weren't just raised Jewish," women
who light Shabbos candles, and women who are rabbis, sex educators
and teachers. The diversity of the voices is astounding; the writing
is brilliant, and often touching. With a preface by Susannah
Heschel, and a glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew terminology, Yentl's
Revenge is destined to become a classic-the definitive portrait of
"Generation J," an earth-moving generation of women who have changed
the very meaning of what it is to be Jewish. Emily Wages muses on
the assumption that a woman wearing a kippah (yarmulke)-and thus
Judaism itself couldn't possibly be open minded or left-wing. Ophira
Edut helps us to see that old body image dybbuk in a new,
bootyshakin' light
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In an L. A. Delicatessen, a
groupe of Brooklyn natives gets together to discuss basketball, boxing,
the weather back east, and the Jewish gangsters of yesteryear. Meyer
Lansky. Bugsy Siegel. Louis Lepke, the self-effacing masterind of
Murder, Inc. Red Levine, the Orthodox hit man who refused to kill on
the Sabbath. Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, who
looked like a mama's boy but once buried a rival
alive. These are just some of the vibrant, vicious characters Rich cohen's father reminisced
about and the author evokes to pungently in 'Tough
Jews'. | |
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| "If Salt Has
Memory" comprises essays, memoir and fiction by Jewish writers in
exile from many lands - contributors include the former leader of
the Tupamaros guerrillas in Uruguay, a French philosopher from
Tunisia, political activists from Zimbabwe, Iran, Argentina and
writers from Yemen, Bosnia, Cuba, Poland and South Africa. The
anthology is particularly strong on Jewish writers in exile from
Iraq - several essays are translated from Arabic - Iran and South
America.Contributors include: Andre Aciman: author of "Out of
EgyptEli Amir": author of "Farewell, Baghdad"; Ariel Dorfman: writer
of the play "Death and the Maiden"; Moris Farhi: author of "Children
of the Rainbow"; Naim Kattan: author of "Farewell Babylon"; Sami
Michael: author of "Trumpet in the Wadi"; Gillian
Slovo: author of the "Orange
Prize short-listed Ice Road"; George Szirtes: winner of the TS Eliot prize for
poetry and other writers published internationally. This book is not
directly connected to the Holocaust, but reveals another layer of Jewish exile - political
and literary refugees from many lands.
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"Go forth and multiply" was the first commandment in the Bible. From King David to adult movie star Ron Jeremy, Jews have prided themselves on their liberal attitudes towards all things sexual. But what do we really know about the relationships bteween Jews and Sex? This collection of original essays starts to answer that question. | |
