Faith or Fear: How Jews Can Survive in a Christian America
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"In an erudite and fascinating way, Elliott Abrams explores the immense but amazingly under-appreciated changes in Christian attitudes towards Jews as well as the failure of communication between orthodox and more secular Jews, arguing that American Jewry can only survive as a "religious" community. This provocative yet surprisingly readable book will foment discussion throughout the land."--Edward I. Koch, former mayor, New York City. (Judaism) Library Journal Neoconservative writer Abrams (Security and Sacrifice, Hudson Inst., 1995), who had a controversial career in politics as a former assistant secretary of state in the Reagan administration, is now the director of a Washington, D.C., think tank. Like Alan Dershowitz in his The Vanishing American Jew (LJ 3/1/97), Abrams is concerned with the loss of Jewish identity in an attractive, amorphous American culture. While both seek a revitalization of the Jewish spirit, Dershowitz sees belief in a deity as just a part of Jewish cultural renewal; Abrams believes that the only way for Jews to survive is by renewed religious faith. Dershowitz scorns the Orthodox methods of separateness, while Abrams believes Jews should emulate some of them. Abrams also argues for the benefits of a school voucher plan and heeding the influence of evangelical Christian groups. Libraries that ordered the Dershowitz tome may want to buy this one for comparison and contrast. Recommended for libraries serving a Jewish clientele.Paul M. Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Library, Ill.
