As American Jewish religious life grapples with modernization, two recent works offer divergent responses to its practical challenges. Rabbi Jeshaia Schnitzer's "New Horizons for the Synagogue" envisions a new counselling role for rabbis, presenting five case histories that demonstrate therapeutic applications within religious contexts. Yet his framework reveals significant theoretical gaps, particularly in reconciling traditional Jewish values with modern counselling approaches. Most notably, Schnitzer's proposal to embrace "matriarchal values" of acceptance and empathy raises unresolved questions about their compatibility with Judaism's foundational "patriarchal values" of law and responsibility. Simon Glustrom's "When Your Child Asks" takes a different approach, addressing the shift toward child-centered religious practice by equipping parents to handle children's theological questions while deepening their own religious understanding. Through critical analysis of both texts, it becomes clear that while they exemplify the practical orientation characteristic of American religious literature, their effectiveness varies. Schnitzer's contribution, though innovative, requires stronger theoretical grounding, while Glustrom's handbook successfully navigates the transformed landscape of Jewish family religious education in modern America.