BEST JEWISH WRITING 2003

For its third annual anthology of the best Jewish writing, Jossey-Bass has installed a new editor, Arthur Kurzweil. He is well qualified for this task, having served as director of the Jewish Book Club and as editor-in-chief of Jason Aronson Publishers, a company that specializes in books of Jewish interest. He casts a wide net for this judicious selection of articles, short stories, poetry and book excerpts. The material is grouped thematically, covering topics such as Israel, current issues, religious education and practice, Jewish spiritual thought, Kabbalah, the Holocaust, 9/11 and anti-Semitism. There are also sections of poetry, fiction and Jewish humor. Kurzweil presents an impressive list of prominent authors and allows them to speak for themselves. Among the better-known writers are Elie Wiesel, Alan Dershowitz, Arthur Waskow, Blu Greenberg, Carol Diament, Adin Steinsaltz, Arthur Hertzberg, Cynthia Ozick, Irving Greenberg, Avi Weiss, Edward Koch, Marge Piercy and Herbert Gold. What is remarkable about the roster is its comprehensiveness—all shades of Judaism and of political opinion can be found, thus fully demonstrating the editor's objectivity in making his choices. Yoel Jakobovits contributes an excellent essay on stem cell research, in which he considers the ethical issues arising from this cutting-edge technology. In a sprightly introduction, Kurzweil denies any claim to such objectivity, asserting that decisions about what to include were highly subjective. Objective or subjective, he has done readers a fine service by bringing together a stellar, diverse collection for their enjoyment. (Sept.)