A forceful study of the relationship between Jews and the state. Ginsberg (The Captive Public, 1986) contends that Jews have frequently sought the protection of the state as a response to the hostile attitudes and actions of their neighbors—but that when Jews achieve power within the state, they often become the victims of new animosities. Moreover, sometimes ``the embrace of the state proved to be fatal.'' With the exception of an opening look at Jews and the state in Europe and the Middle East, Ginsberg focuses here on American history, showing how Jewish groups have used both the federal and state governments to end discrimination and to provide themselves with access to educational and employment opportunities. Though Jews constitute only 3% of the nation's population, they comprise, by the author's measure, more than 25% of its elite journalists and publishers, more than 17% of its heads of major voluntary and public-interest organizations, and more than 15% of its top-ranking civil servants. The importance of Jews in these fields, Ginsberg says, have made them easy targets of anti-Semitism from both the left and right. Particularly intriguing is the author's analysis of the current conflict between Jews and blacks— a conflict that's unavoidable, he believes, because both groups are dependent upon the public economy for opportunity and status. Ginsberg feels that the anti-Semitic rhetoric adopted by some members of the African-American community ``sometimes serves as a weapon through which blacks can intimidate their Jewish rivals and supplant them in public positions and as the beneficiaries of public funds.'' Although Ginsberg's arguments—well-documented in statistics and footnotes—are compelling, they don't always convince: e.g., that Jewish activists were at the forefront of the anti-Vietnam movement because they didn't want domestic funds that benefited them to be diverted abroad. Provocative and intriguing—but not without flaws.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-226-29665-2
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Univ. of Chicago
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
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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