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A review by floofymoose
Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know about the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History by Joseph Telushkin
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Extremely informative, I'm not converting via the Orthodox or Conservative movement but I really appreciated how much context this book gave for a lot of questions I had that otherwise I haven't been able to find. I think probably every prospective convert should read this just to have better context. Telushkin does a decent-ish job of representing the major movement's perspectives on various topics.
That being said I didn't appreciate some of the homophobia and I'd even argue anti-blackness (or at least only talking about Black-Jewish American relations in a very narrow way... There is way more to it than what was discussed here. Maybe discussing how the passover story is so essential to both groups? And how literally the term ghetto comes from Jewish quarters originally and then was used to then become a racialized term in the US against Black people, even while historically Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods and Black neighborhoods were often side by side). There's also a pretty consistent thread of islamophobia throughout (like, could he at least try to explain why the Al Aqsa mosque is important to Muslims?). Obviously there are (very valid) jabs at Christianity throughout too but those felt more respectful and balanced.
Also, while I really appreciated a lot more detailed historical context about the I/P conflict, that part definitely felt a bit one- sided, as one might expect and as I've kind of already alluded to. That being said I did appreciate that section as I now have the terms and language to further seek out other perspectives.
I probably will recommend this book to others just because (at the moment) I'm not aware of any other book that's as comprehensive and informative. But it shouldn't be the only book one reads, by far. The way I see it is that it's a great place to start from, but seeking further context/perspectives is essential.
That being said I didn't appreciate some of the homophobia and I'd even argue anti-blackness (or at least only talking about Black-Jewish American relations in a very narrow way... There is way more to it than what was discussed here. Maybe discussing how the passover story is so essential to both groups? And how literally the term ghetto comes from Jewish quarters originally and then was used to then become a racialized term in the US against Black people, even while historically Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods and Black neighborhoods were often side by side). There's also a pretty consistent thread of islamophobia throughout (like, could he at least try to explain why the Al Aqsa mosque is important to Muslims?). Obviously there are (very valid) jabs at Christianity throughout too but those felt more respectful and balanced.
Also, while I really appreciated a lot more detailed historical context about the I/P conflict, that part definitely felt a bit one- sided, as one might expect and as I've kind of already alluded to. That being said I did appreciate that section as I now have the terms and language to further seek out other perspectives.
I probably will recommend this book to others just because (at the moment) I'm not aware of any other book that's as comprehensive and informative. But it shouldn't be the only book one reads, by far. The way I see it is that it's a great place to start from, but seeking further context/perspectives is essential.