A Dream of Zion: American Jews Reflect on Why Israel Matters to Them
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As anti-Israel sentiment spreads around the world-from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to former President Jimmy Carter-it has never been more important for American Jews to share their feelings and thoughts about Israel, and foster a connection to Israel in the next generation of Jewish and Christian adults. This inspirational book features the insights of top scholars, business leaders, professionals, politicians, authors, artists, and community and religious leaders covering the entire denominational spectrum of Jewish life in America today-and offers an exciting glimpse into the history of Zionism in America with statements from Jews who saw the movement come to life. Presenting a diversity of views, it will encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to think about what Israel means to them and, in particular, help young adults jump start their own lasting, personal relationship with Israel. Publishers Weekly Similar to last year's What Israel Means to Me, this collection of short essays edited by Salkin (Being God's Partner) unabashedly puts American Zionism on display, as contributors describe their personal connection to Israel. The section heads reflect the roles Israel has always played for diaspora Jews: a part of their Jewish identity, a refuge from oppression and a religious center. The authors range from the usual suspects like the Anti-Defamation League's Abraham Foxman and politician Henry Waxman to historian Jonathan Sarna and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, along with rabbis and prominent deceased Jewish-Americans like Supreme Court justices Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter. The essays express a variety of feelings about Israel. Some, like theologian Arthur Green, feel discomfort with the occupation of the West Bank: "Without a two-state solution, I believe, Israel is impossible, and will not survive." Not surprisingly, most express sentiments closer to those of Jewish scholar Lisa Grant: "My experiences of and in Israel touch me in profound ways-emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually." This collection will mainly appeal to readers who feel similarly attached. (Nov.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Publisher's Note xvIntroduction xxiIdentity & Heritage: My Ancestral Home Reborn Is an Essential Part of My Identity 1Rabbi David Wolpe 3Sylvia Barack Fishman 6Matthew Brooks 9Samuel Bak 11Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar 14David M. Suissa 16Stephen Joel Trachtenberg 17Peninnah Schram 20David Silverstein 22Rabbi Gordon Tucker 25Shira Dicker 27Rabbi David Ellenson 29George S. Blumenthal 32Susan Weidman Schneider 35Howard Schwartz 37Alan Mittleman 40Lisa D. Grant 42Arthur Kurzweil 44Debbie Friedman 46Rabbi Alan Silverstein 48Bethamie Horowitz 51Wayne L. Firestone 53Barbara B. Balser 54James J. Katz 57Michael Bogdanow 59Refuge: A Refuge from Anti-Semitism, a Place of Safety 61Shulamit Reinharz 63Abraham H. Foxman 66Rep. Henry A. Waxman 67Thane Rosenbaum 69Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin 71Senator Russ Feingold 72Harold Grinspoon 74Alvin H. Rosenfeld 77Nat Hentoff 79Assemblyman Dov Hikind 80Stephen M. Flatow 81Samuel Heilman 83Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz 85Danny Maseng 87Michael Walzer 89Faith & Covenant: A Living, Vibrant Part of My Religious Faith 93Lynn Schusterman 95Ari Spungen Bildner 99Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield 101Aryeh Lev Stollman 103Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis 105Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin 108Ari L. Goldman 111Rabbi Mordecai Finley 113Peter Himmelman 116Shara Yurkiewicz 118Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson 120Lydia Kukoff 123Jane Friedman 125Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz 127Marshall J. Breger 128Rabbi Janet R. Marder 130Tikkum Olam: A Light Unto the Nations-Hopes for Repairing the World and Dreams of a Better World 135Dr. Marc D. Angel 137Jonathan D. Sarna 139Shoshana S. Cardin 142Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf 144Danny Siegel 146Rabbi Sharon Brous 149Arthur Green 151Rabbi David A. Teutsch 154Steven Bayme 155Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff 158Aaron Press Taylor 160Rabbi Avraham Weiss 162Stanley P. Gold 166Rabbi Goldie Milgram 168Ariel Beery 170Rabbi Stanley M. Davids 174Steven M. Cohen 176Rabbi Moshe Waldoks 180David M. Gordis 182Rabbi Robert B. Barr 184Richard Elliott Friedman 186Rosanne Miller Selfon 188Elliot Ratzman 191Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein 193Peter Edelman 195Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz 197Laurie L. Patton 199Dr. Robert Wexler 201Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro 202An American Historical Perspective: The Words of the Fathers and Mothers 205Emma Lazarus 207Richard James Horatio Gottheil 209Rabbi Kauffman Kohler 210Oscar Solomon Straus 211Louis D. Brandeis 212Felix Frankfurter 214Solomon Schechter 216Rabbi Milton Steinberg 217Judah Magnes 219Rabbi Felix Levy 220Edward Jacobson 221Abba Hillel Silver 222Rabbi Stephen S. Wise 224Rabbi David Polish 226Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn 228Bernard M. Baruch 230Emanuel Celler 231Albert Einstein 232Arthur Hertzberg 233Morris Abram 236Daniel J. Elazar 237Max M. Fisher 238Lillian Hellman 239Harpo Marx 239Abraham Joshua Heschel 240Joachim Prinz 243Marie Syrkin 244Rabbi Joseph Baer Soloveitchik 245Central Conference of American Rabbis 246Glossary 252Suggestions for Further Reading and Sources of Current Information 255Index of Contributors 258Credits 261
