Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals - Hardcover

Robinson, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671034804 ISBN 13: 9780671034801

Publisher: Pocket Books, 2000

Synopsis

This is a guide which tells you everything you need to know about being Jewish in a user-friendly way. It explains what Jews do, what they believe and why. The guide answers such questions as - What happens at a synagogue service? What do the prayers and rituals mean? What is the Jewish calendar? and many more. Looking at birth and circumcision, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings and mourning, this guide illuminates the Jewish life cycle at every stage.

About this title

Review:

Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals is a brief but comprehensive layman's handbook to Jewish prayer, worship, festivals, customs, history, language, philosophy and ideology. Its author, George Robinson, returned to synagogue after a 20-year absence and found himself utterly confused about the basics of his religion, despite having attended Hebrew school. He looked far and wide for a reference work that would help him get his bearings but did not find one; so he wrote it himself. Robinson's background as a journalist proved to be an asset in this project, which shows evidence of much detective work, the results of which are plainly described and clearly organised. Robinson is sensitive to the many perspectives of contemporary Judaism without being mealy-mouthed. His work is a triumph of diplomacy and clear thinking; his overview of Hebrew Scripture, and his excellent Kosher primer, would be worth the price of this book in themselves. --Christine Buttery

Review:

“Ambitious and all-inclusive.” (The New York Times Book Review)

"An invaluable one-volume compendium." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Extraordinary....Robinson deserves our gratitude for his major contribution." (The Jerusalem Post)

About this edition

• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0671034804
• ISBN 13: 9780671034801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 672