Good stuff, lacking only a center to pull it all together.
Wide-ranging exploration of modern American b’nai mitzvah customs and practices.
Journalist Oppenheimer, raised as a secular Jew, never became a bar mitzvah—a “son of the commandment”—himself (the colloquial phrase, “to get bar mitzvah’d,” is an incorrect usage of the term), and he wants to find out what he missed. Although he originally intended to research the practices of one Westchester congregation for a year, the board of directors put the kibosh on that project, so he took to the road across America in search of the essence of the bar/bat mitzvah experience. Here, he begins in New York, and the predictable excesses are found: the ceremonies where often bewildered teenaged guests far outnumber regular congregants, the extravagant black-tie parties, etc. On the other end of the spectrum is a highly observant congregation in New Haven, peopled by idealists, with services led by congregants rather than rabbis. Oppenheimer also visits that lynchpin of many children’s b’nai mitzvah year: the tutor. Ostensibly just the woman who teaches children how to chant their torah portion, in fact a focal point for that child’s Judaism. Exploring the dominant presence of the ceremony today, Oppenheimer turns up some interesting tidbits that point to the strength of the tradition that has risen to real prominence only in the last 30 or 40 years. Even Noam Chomsky, well known for his unrelenting secularism and anti-Zionism, was forced to join a synagogue congregation when his daughter insisted on becoming a bat mitzvah. Although the book does feel as if it’s casting about for an organizing thesis, the author highlights a lot of interesting bits and pieces, including this one at the close: apparently influenced by the bar mitzvah, at least 1,200 churches have demanded a coming-of-age ceremony for young teenagers.
Good stuff, lacking only a center to pull it all together.Pub Date: May 15, 2005
ISBN: 0-374-10665-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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