The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia

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Title:

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia

From Abraham to Zabar's and Everything in Between

Author:

Butnick, Stephanie

Leibovitz, Liel

Oppenheimer, Mark

Tablet

Subject:

Reference

Religion & Spirituality

Nonfiction

History

Description:

Named one of Library Journal’s Best Religion & Spirituality Books of the YearAn Unorthodox Guide to Everything Jewish Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew-ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta,balagan, bashert, and bageling. Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld, listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see “Latkes”). Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It’s a lot.

Publisher:

Artisan

Date:

2019/10/01

Digital Format:

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Download EPUB file

Kindle

Language:

English

Summary

Named one of Library Journal 's Best Religion & Spirituality Books of the Year

An Unorthodox Guide to Everything Jewish

Deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent, this unputdownable encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew- ish covers culture, religion, history, habits, language, and more. Readers will refresh their knowledge of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the artistry of Barbra Streisand, the significance of the Oslo Accords, the meaning of words like balaboosta, balagan , bashert , and bageling . Understand all the major and minor holidays. Learn how the Jews invented Hollywood. Remind themselves why they need to read Hannah Arendt, watch Seinfeld , listen to Leonard Cohen. Even discover the secret of happiness (see "Latkes"). Includes hundreds of photos, charts, infographics, and illustrations. It's a lot.

Author Notes

Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer are the hosts of Unorthodox , the most popular Jewish podcast on iTunes.

Stephanie Butnick is the deputy editor of Tablet and has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal . She has a bachelor's degree in religion from Duke and a master's in religious studies from NYU. She lives in New York with her husband and their cat, Cat Stevens.

Liel Leibovitz is a senior writer for Tablet and the author of several books, including, most recently, A Broken Hallelujah , a spiritual biography of Leonard Cohen. He has a PhD in video games from Columbia, a fact that makes his seven-year-old self very happy. He lives in New York with his wife and their two children.

Mark Oppenheimer is the former Beliefs columnist for the New York Times and the author of The Bar Mitzvah Crasher: Road-Tripping Through Jewish America . He has a PhD in American religion from Yale and lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife and five children.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

The authors describe this new reference work as a guide to being Jewish ; it explores Jewish life, culture, community, family, history, religious practice, and more. No dense, scholarly tome, this volume is pure fun, although serious topics are included. The book includes expected entries: ""kashrut"" introduces Jewish dietary laws; ""Rosh Hashanah"" describes the holiday, how it is observed, and the foods that are traditionally consumed as part of the celebration. At the other end of the spectrum are the entries ""Miami Beach"" (defined as ""the other other Promised Land"") and ""yachting"" (""no clue""). The entry ""Chinese food and Jews"" is a must-read. While many entries discuss the importance of food in Jewish life, the lack of an entry for prune Danish is surprising. Biographical entries for important or famous Jews in the arts and other fields are selective: Barbra Streisand is included here but not Beverly Sills. Nonetheless, a reference work is rarely as readable as this one is. Informative and irreverent, welcoming and witty, it is enthusiastically recommended for large public libraries.--Christopher McConnell Copyright 2019 Booklist

Library Journal Review

This delightfully irreverent romp through Jewish history and culture is the outgrowth of Tablet magazine's podcast, Unorthodox, and considers itself the updated version of The Jewish Catalog (1973). As with Catalog, podcast hosts and coauthors Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer claim this chronicle is not a comprehensive or exhaustive survey of all things Jewish. To that end, the biblical hero Judah Maccabee is "one kickass priest," Jewish Community Centers are places "where Gentiles play racquetball," and Long Island is "the other Promised Land." Culturally, the authors make a convincing argument for Jews as "mediators of black music" and even responsible for the beloved Christmas tunes "White Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Bernie Madoff finds reference only under the generic moniker, shonde, or one who brings shame to the community, where he keeps company with Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner. On a more serious note in a compilation filled with humor, brevity is the signature mark of that which requires mention, but not glory--Adolf Hitler, Nazis, and Auschwitz's Arbeit Macht Frei ("work sets you free") merit a single sentence each. VERDICT A welcome update on Jewish history and culture that is mostly just plain fun.--Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Summary

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Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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