Product Description

Norman Solomon's succinct book is an ideal introduction to Judaism as a religion and way of life. In addition to answering questions such as Who are Jews? and How did Judaism Develop?, this Very Short Introduction outlines the basics of practical Judaism-its festivals, prayers, customs, and various sects. Modern concerns and debates of the Jewish people are also addressed, such as the impact of the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel, the status of women, and medical and commercial ethics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43586 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Dr Norman Solomon is a freelance writer and journalist, and a regular contributor to the Jewish Chronicle. He is a Fellow in Modern Jewish Thought at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. His previous publications include Judaism and World Religion and he contributed to The Oxford Companion to the Jewish Religion.

Customer Reviews

Intelligent and interesting
I have read many of the very short introduction series and have found them thorough, interesting but not too heavy. This has proven the same with Solomon's book. As a intellectual blank on Judaism prior to reading this book it ahs proven an able step in developing a solid knowledge of the subject. Solomon is able to explain a lot about Judaism without going too far into scripture itself. This is undoubtedly a plus when reading it in a obstensibly secular vein such as myself. A very good read.

Solomon's good judgment
It must be a daunting prospect for a scholar, having to condense a vast store of knowledge into one of these little books, deciding what to include and what must go, but Solomon judges this well. He emphasizes the diversity and continuing evolution of Judaism, correcting common misconceptions about how ancient or orthodox certain aspects of Judaism are. He also lays special stress on the importance of the Holocaust and of the existence of a modern state of Israel in shaping contemporary Jewish thought.

There are plenty of basic facts - descriptions of festivals, etc - included here, as you would expect. It also raises a great many issues and cites a number of authors, making this an excellent place to begin a more detailed study, if you wished.

Solomon writes well, with a light, sometimes even humorous touch, where appropriate. He was a lecturer at Oxford when this book was first published in 1996, but is now retired, I believe. A revised edition wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps he is too busy working on his Penguin Classics Talmud, which is due out soon and should be worth reading. He is not to be confused with the American activist of the same name, although Amazon does exactly that, so that if you click on either author, you get a list of books by both of them. Take it from me, they are very different!

Patchy in Places
I love these Very Short Introductions to, they are invariably spot on in finding a way into what can be some tricky issues or ideas. This one however, did not live up to expectation. It did help me out in giving me a reasonable grounding in understanding the basics of Judaism, but I felt that the author had a bit of an axe to grind about what he perceived other people thought of as 'the jews'. this is totally understandable given the long history of persecution that the Jewish people have endured from practically all other quarters of the earth, but I felt it was a little inappropriate here. These books are short and have to fit a great deal into their few pages. I would have appreciated a little more about the nuts and bolts of what is a complex set of religious beliefs and a little less, dare I say it, axe grinding. Having said that, the end section in particular, showing ways to interpret Jewish Law was fascinating, I was only disappointed that not all of the book lived up to this level of interest and information.