Bibliograph

The chosen wars, how Judaism became an American religion, Steven R. Weisman

Type

Label

The chosen wars, how Judaism became an American religion, Steven R. Weisman

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-303) and index

Illustrations

platesillustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The chosen wars

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1015258822

Responsibility statement

Steven R. Weisman

Sub title

how Judaism became an American religion

Summary

"[This] is the important story of how Judaism enhanced America and how America inspired Judaism. Steven R. Weisman tells the dramatic history of how Judaism redefined itself in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries--the personalities that fought each other and shaped its evolution and, crucially, the force of the American dynamic that transformed an ancient religion. The struggles that produced a redefinition of Judaism illuminate the larger American experience and the efforts by all Americans to reconcile their faith with modern demands. The narrative begins with the arrival of the first Jews in New Amsterdam and plays out over the nineteenth century as a massive immigration takes place at the dawn of the twentieth century. First there was the practical matter of earning a living. Many immigrants had to work on the Sabbath or traveled as peddlers to places where they could not keep kosher. Doctrine was put aside or adjusted. To take their places as equals, American Jews rejected their identity as a separate nation within America. Judaism became an American religion. These profound changes did not come without argument. The Chosen Wars tells the stories of the colorful rabbis and activists, including women, who defined American Judaism and whose disputes divided it into the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox branches that remain today. Isaac Mayer Wise, Mordecai Noah, David Einhorn, Rebecca Gratz, and Isaac Lesser are some of the major figures in this wonderful story"--Dust jacket

Table Of Contents

Introduction: Jews in America : a part but apart -- Coming to America -- Let harmony ascend -- Rebellion in Charleston -- The German immigrants -- German rabbis in America -- The turbulent Isaac Mayer Wise -- A fistfight in Albany -- The "two Isaacs" -- Jews in the Civil War -- Prosper and divide -- Reformists and radicals -- The Trefa banquet -- New divisions -- Epilogue: An American religion

Target audience

adult

Classification