Profiles in American Judaism

by Mark Raphael

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060668024
• ISBN13: 9780060668020
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

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Does Judaism have denominations similar to those found in Christianity? The answer to this perplexing question could clarify many enigmas for the students of Judaism, be they Jewish or Gentile. Marc Lee Raphael, a Reform rabbi and currently Professor of History and Director of the Melton Center for Jewish Studies at Ohio State University, provides insight into the labyrinth of American Judaism through his study of the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist traditions. To a certain extent, the gamut of Jewish beliefs and practices ranging from the non-Zionist, separatist Satmar Hasidim on the right to the agnostic, Polydox Reformers on the left rivals the polarity within Christianity. But, on the other hand, there is a certain spirit of communality among the majority of Jews encompassing support for Israel and a fear of anti-Semitism which suggests that unity rather than sectarianism is a characteristic of Judaism. Utilizing a variety of primary sources, the author traces the evolution of the various movements in Judaism from their European antecedents through their latest developments in America, analyzing ideologies, institutions, and personalities. From: theologytoday... website.