How to Get More Out of Being Jewish Even If:: A. You Are Not Sure You Believe in God, B. You Think Go Ing to Synagogue is a Waste of Time, C. You Thin

by Gil Mann

Book Overview

Tackling some of the most pertinent questions Jews ask themselves every day, this book examines the relevance of the Jewish religion and its traditions in the modern world. Culled from interviews with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965170918
• ISBN13: 9780965170918
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Leo & Sons Publishing
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Are you a serious Jew?

The author, Gil Mann, does not call Jews who are not committed "bad Jews." Instead he looks at whether someone is a "serious Jew." There are three interlocking circles (kind of like the interlocking Olympic circles) which represent different aspects of Judaism. The three are "ethics, spirituality and peoplehood" (remember the acronym ESP). Becoming more involved in any of the three will make someone a more serious Jew and, such involvement in that one sphere may lead to becoming more serious in either, or both, of the others.Mann did interviews with individuals and with focus groups. Most of the chapters in this book are done as a dialogue between himself and an individual who is a composite. I bought this book for a teenager who thinks Judaism, or more specifically, religion in general, is a lot of nonsense. I hope this book will help this young person to see the richness in Judaism and the value of being a "serious Jew."

a perfect introduction to understand who we are

I read this book one year ago, and I still remember it as a perfect introduction to judaism. As a non religious jew, I always felt aside the society but also aside the jews. This book helped me to put religion and everyday life together, and more important, motivated me to read more about my religion. I would also recommend after this book the excellent "The Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism" by Dennis Prager.

How to Get More Out of Being Jewish Even if:

I am the president of a small synagogue and this book really hit home for me. It put into words things I have been wrestling with all my adult life. All serious Jews would benefit from reading it, in fact, you might not know you are a serious Jew until you do read it. Thanks to Gil Mann, the author.

A Noteworthy Effort

Gil Mann has successfully taken several hot topics and presented them in a manner that is reader friendly, insightful and intriguing. Reader friendliness is evident from the start; the book is written in interview format. Each chapter highlights a different person discussing a specific topic from the title. I read it in two days, and enjoyed the reading.I also enjoyed it because it was insightful. After reading several of Mann's interpretations of Judaism, I spent time reflecting on his words. His comments lead me to both forgive myself and to rethink the way I'd been thinking about religion, community and spiritualism.And that, to me, is very intriguing. He presented his insights in a clear and simplistic manner. While I don't agree with everything he said, I do feel that he inspired the participants of the book into questioning themselves, and me into doing the same.I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they're a BAD Jew for not believing in God, not wanting to waste time in synagogue, and for hating talmud torture. (His words, not mine, although I agree!)