World Jewish News
A Book of Famous Biblicist "On Being a Jew" Published in Russia
16.01.2009
Work of the known biblicist, Harvard and Bar Ilan University professor James Kugel "On Being a Jew" has been published in the Russian language.
The book appeared in the Chase Collection series, which is a project of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, designed to introduce the Russian readers to research, historical works, polemics and essays of prominent contemporary authors.
The book "On Being a Jew" is written in the form of a dialogue between two Jews - an old banker and a young poet. The author tells of the problems and challenges of contemporary Jewry, in fact, the work is a fun and accessible exposition of the foundations of Judaism.
Both characters of the story - an old Orthodox banker and a young assimilated poet - are Jews. They speak about the past of the Jewish world, the modern Israel, the Torah, the Orthodox and Reformists, the reasons to follow the commandments, and why people pray in the synagogues with their heads covered.
The format chosen by J. Kugel does not provide for a detailed and comprehensive study of selected topics - this is a common, but nevertheless not a superficial look at the modern Judaism and modern Jewish Diaspora.
|
|