Overview

What is the essence of Judaism in the 21st century? The Jewish people must form a response to one of the most dramatic periods in their long history. As their collective culture is transformed and revolutionized, necessary questions are asked—and answers are needed. In the blink of a historical eye—less than three hundred years—the Jewish people endured cultural upheaval, political persecution, widespread secularization, declared emancipation, a horrific annihilation in Europe, the rise of a thriving community in the United States, the liquidation of communities in the Islamic world, and the establishment of a Jewish national homeland. The culmination of such hardship and rejuvenation is a storied Jewish identity, one that has been forced to express itself in and out of the diaspora. Amid such drastic change, remembering what makes Jews who they are is of paramount importance. In Why Am I a Jew?, seasoned writer Shmuel Rosner connects how, in the 21st century, a new relationship to Jewishness arose from the perils of history, transforming an already resilient people into an innovative one. Jews are faced with a new existential situation, tasking them to shape their image while advancing toward an unknown Jewish future. This is a moment in which the question of what it means to be Jewish becomes a critical one. Now more than ever, ask—and receive answers.

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Shmuel Rosner is a Tel Aviv–based researcher, columnist, and editor. He is a longtime Senior Fellow at The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), and a weekly columnist for The Jewish Journal in LA and Maariv in Israel. He has written regularly for The New York Times, The Jerusalem Post, Slate, Commentary, and his work has also appeared in Foreign Policy, The New Republic, The Jewish Review of Books, and others. Rosner’s previous book is #IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution (2019).

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