JUDAISM IN A CHRISTIAN WORLD

Judaism, having survived centuries of theological hate, crusaders' pogroms, and most recently the Nazi holocaust, has given more than ample evidence of an extraordinary physical durability. But has it escaped physical destruction only to meet a more painless, but no less effective, end by assimilation into the mainstream of Western (i.e., Christian) civilization? Dr. Gordis points out that, having resisted all efforts at extermination, Jews are now in grave danger of being ""acculturated"" out of existence, and his book is a plea for the preservation of the Jewish religious, cultural, and intellectual heritage in the midst of an omnivorous Christianity -- a preservation which, paradoxically enough, may well be predicated on the existence of an authentic Judaeo-Christian tradition which has been the nemesis, and has become the hope, of understanding between Jew and Christian. Judaism and the Christian World by its nature will appeal primarily to the Jewish reader, and for that audience it will be an eloquent and often moving plea to retain what has made Judaism great through the centuries. Dr. Gordis is known to non-Jewish readers as an eminent biblical scholar and interpreter of the Jewish contribution to Western culture, and his reputation will assure some interest in the book among general and religious readers. In any case, Judaism and the Christian World is to be highly recommended as a thoughtful and highly provocative appraisal of, and prognosis for, the situation of Judaism in the modern world.