In this Book
- Coming to Terms with America: Essays on Jewish History, Religion, and Culture
- Book
- 2021
- Published by: Jewish Publication Society
summary
Coming to Terms with America examines how Jews have long “straddled two civilizations,” endeavoring to be both Jewish and American at once, from the American Revolution to today.
In fifteen engaging essays, Jonathan D. Sarna investigates the many facets of the Jewish-American encounter—what Jews have borrowed from their surroundings, what they have resisted, what they have synthesized, and what they have subverted. Part I surveys how Jews first worked to reconcile Judaism with the country’s new democratic ethos and to reconcile their faith-based culture with local metropolitan cultures. Part II analyzes religio-cultural initiatives, many spearheaded by women, and the ongoing tensions between Jewish scholars (who pore over traditional Jewish sources) and activists (who are concerned with applying them). Part III appraises Jewish-Christian relations: “collisions” within the public square and over church-state separation.
Originally written over the span of forty years, many of these essays are considered classics in the field, and several remain fixtures of American Jewish history syllabi. Others appeared in fairly obscure venues and will be discovered here anew. Together, these essays—newly updated for this volume—cull the finest thinking of one of American Jewry’s finest historians.
In fifteen engaging essays, Jonathan D. Sarna investigates the many facets of the Jewish-American encounter—what Jews have borrowed from their surroundings, what they have resisted, what they have synthesized, and what they have subverted. Part I surveys how Jews first worked to reconcile Judaism with the country’s new democratic ethos and to reconcile their faith-based culture with local metropolitan cultures. Part II analyzes religio-cultural initiatives, many spearheaded by women, and the ongoing tensions between Jewish scholars (who pore over traditional Jewish sources) and activists (who are concerned with applying them). Part III appraises Jewish-Christian relations: “collisions” within the public square and over church-state separation.
Originally written over the span of forty years, many of these essays are considered classics in the field, and several remain fixtures of American Jewish history syllabi. Others appeared in fairly obscure venues and will be discovered here anew. Together, these essays—newly updated for this volume—cull the finest thinking of one of American Jewry’s finest historians.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Notes about the Cover
- pp. xi-xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xv-xvi
- Introduction
- pp. xvii-xxvi
- Part 1. Straddling Two Civilizations
- Part 2. The Shaping of American Jewish Culture
- 8. Jewish Publishing in the United States
- pp. 144-159
- Part 3. When Faiths Collide
- 15. Church-State Dilemmas of American Jews
- pp. 261-280
- Source Acknowledgments
- pp. 281-282
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 337-376
Additional Information
ISBN
9780827618794
Related ISBN(s)
9780827615113
MARC Record
OCLC
1261302143
Pages
464
Launched on MUSE
2021-07-24
Language
English
Open Access
No