People of the Book: Thirty Scholars Reflect on Their Jewish Identity

In David Rosenberg's recent Communion, a number of writers reflected upon the ways in which the Hebrew and Christian biblical writings have influenced their lives and writings. Here Rubin-Dorsky and Fishkin have collected the voices of Jewish scholars as they articulate the ways in which Jewish identity and the world of the academy intersect. Divided into four sections, the collected essays reflect the manner in which the authors' Jewishness has prompted them to work for the transformation of the world inside and outside the academy as well as the methods they have used to explore and understand the relationship between their Jewish identity and their scholarly disciplines. For example, we hear literary critic Susan Gubar's eloquent meditation on the foundational character of her Judaism for her own feminist critical practice, and Eunice Lipton's elegant exploration of the crossroads where Judaism and art history meet. In a final section, scholars engage in critical self-reflection of the literary works of Jewish writers from Henry Roth to Woody Allen. Rubin-Dorsky and Fishkin have woven a beautiful tapestry from the colorful voices of Jewish scholars struggling to incorporate their Jewish identities into their work. (July)