A comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, multi-authored guide to contemporary Jewish life and thought, focusing on social, cultural and historical aspects of Judaism alongside theological issues. This volume includes 38 newly-commissioned essays, including contributions from leading specialists in their fields. This book covers the major areas of thought in contemporary Jewish Studies, including considerations of religious differences, sociological, philosophical, and gender issues, geographical diversity, inter-faith relations, and the impact of the Shoah (the Holocaust) and the modern state of Israel.
General Introduction ; 1. Demographic Issues ; HISTORICAL ISSUES ; 2. Enlightenment and Emancipation ; 3. Persecution ; 4. A National Home ; 5. Post-Zionism ; ISSUES OF RELIGION AND MODERNITY ; 6. Modernist Movements ; 7. Traditionalist Strands ; 8. Humanist and Secular Judaisms ; 9. Jewish Renewal ; LOCAL ISSUES ; 10. American Jewry ; 11. Israeli Jewry ; 12. French Jewry ; 13. British Jewry ; 14. Jewry in the Former Soviet Union ; SOCIAL ISSUES ; 15. Survey ; 16. Jewish Identity ; 17. Fundamentalism ; RELIGIOUS ISSUES ; 18. Prayer and Worship ; 19. Authority of Texts ; 20. The Future of Jewish Practice ; THEOLOGICAL ISSUES ; 21. Survey ; 22. Revelation ; 23. Covenant ; PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES ; 24. Survey ; 25. The Problem of Evil ; 26. Jewish Ethics in a Modern World ; HALAKHIC ISSUES ; 27. Survey ; 28. Halakhah and Israel ; 29. Contemporary Issues in Halakhah ; GENDER ISSUES ; 30. Survey ; 31. The Changing Role of the Woman ; 32. Sexuality ; JUDAISM AND THE OTHER ; 33. As Others See Jews ; 34. Jewish-Christian Relations ; 35. Jewish-Muslim Relations
