Book Reviews
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This book review collection from Conservative Judaism examines eight significant works in Jewish studies and American Jewish life. The reviews employ critical scholarly methodology to assess contributions ranging from Eugene Borowitz's analysis of American Jewish self-deception to Gershom Scholem's comprehensive study of Messianic concepts in Judaism. Key findings include Borowitz's thesis that American Jews are "modern Marranos" who disguise their authentic Jewishness, and Scholem's demonstration that Jewish Messianism originated as a catastrophic theory following the Temple's destruction in 70 C.E. The collection also evaluates works on Jewish mysticism, prayer traditions, Kafka's relationship to Yiddish theater, contemporary American Jewish identity, death studies, human rights in Jewish thought, rabbinical biography, and Jewish radicalism. Methodologically, the reviewers combine textual analysis with historical contextualization and theological assessment. The reviews reveal both scholarly achievements and limitations in contemporary Jewish scholarship, particularly noting issues with source accuracy and ideological bias in several works. Overall, the collection demonstrates the diversity and complexity of modern Jewish intellectual discourse, highlighting tensions between traditional Jewish values and contemporary American culture, while emphasizing the ongoing vitality of Jewish scholarship in addressing fundamental questions of identity, community, and religious meaning in the post-Holocaust era.

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Published 1974
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