There is a saying that it's hard to be a Jew. In this deeply moving memoir, Fink, a cofounder of Tikkun magazine, shows that it's equally hard to become a Jew. Fink's tale is filled with sad ironies. Having confronted, as a child and a teenager, anti-Indian and other racist sentiments in her Waspy, northern California family, she converted to Judaism only to discover the existence of Jewish chauvinism. Married to Michael Lerner, with whom she founded Tikkun, and thus solidly ensconced in the progressive, supposedly feminist, part of the Jewish community, she had to face sexism from the journal's predominantly male editorial board. And, having to suffer incomprehension and rejection from her family because of her conversion (one aunt, invited to Fink's housewarming, smashed the new mezuzah she had nailed to her doorpost), she also found that she had to overcome a shocking degree of suspicion and mistrust of converts within the Jewish community. But most affecting in this memoir by a woman whose ingenuousness lends both fragility and strength to her narrative, is Fink's description of her spiritual journey—of her attraction to Judaism; her sense of dislocation after converting, unsure of the solidity of her Jewish identity but no longer belonging in the Gentile world; her growing dissatisfaction with certain aspects of Judaism (especially its patriarchal nature) as she grew more familiar with it. Her marriage to Lerner did not survive these conflicts, and for a while, Fink became alienated from Jewish life. But eventually the author crosses what she calls her Red Sea—a difficult passage to a distant shore, one in which she fears she might drown. Fink rediscovers the Jewish roots of her spirituality in the mystical tradition and in the Jewish renewal movement. This an instructive look at the conflicts, internal and external, of a convert's life. But most impressive is Fink's commitment to finding the true meaning of Jewish prayer and practice.
Pub Date: March 12, 1997
ISBN: 0-465-08200-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Basic Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
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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