The God I Believe In: Conversations about Judaism

By Joshua O. Haberman

Rabbi Haberman invited 14 leading figures in Jewish life, including novelists Cynthia Ozick and Chaim Potok, philosophers Emil Fackenheim and Yeshayhu Leibowitz, editor Norman Podhoreyz, scientists... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0029317169
• ISBN13: 9780029317167
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 263 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 1.0" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Pleasurable learning

These conversations on Jewish religious faith and history are very readable. They bring together Jews across the religious spectrum from Adin Steinsaltz and the Bostoner Rebbe all the way to those who have no faith in a personal God. There are moments of insight and revelation. It is always of course possible to ask why Haberman did not select others. I myself would have preferred to read a work in which the same kinds of questions were asked to people of strong faith in G-d. And this because I myself am interested in the strengthening rather than the undermining of my own religious faith. In any case I believe readers who take an interest in Judaism can learn from this book. Rabbi Haberman who undertook this work at the age of seventy should too be complimented for her own courage and devotion in doing so.

beach reading

The editorial reviewers described the book's basic format, and I won't duplicate their work. A few thoughts:1) Haberman bends over backwards not to interview representatives of his own Reform movement. I counted six Orthodox Jews, three Conservatives, one Reform, and no Reconstructionists. (And a few people with no real affiliation).2) Among the nonrabbis, I sensed that all the interviewees were either much more observant (e.g. 100% shomer Shabbat, keeping kosher) than I or much less so (attending shul twice a year). 3) Generally an easy read: a good book to read if you want to get a sense of the diverse views of modern Jews about various issues, but not a useful source of in depth information or analysis.