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A review by jessicadmj
Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know about the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History by Joseph Telushkin
4.0
This is a wonderful reference source for converts or the "Jew-curious." My local Reform temple recommended this for my conversion, and I found it a very informative text. It's basically a series of short articles about the Bible, Jewish history, practices, and beliefs. Although I commend Rabbi Telushkin for his ability to summarize Judaism in such a way,
I'm docking a star for his Islamaphobic attitude throughout the book. At other points, Telushkin's prejudices come through in a negative way. I found it questionable that Telushkin used the n-word at a few points, although some may say the context of these uses are important. He was saying that Jews should understand the history of Jews being called "Christ-killers" just as black people should know the history of being called the n-word. Except he actually spells the word out. Additionally, Telushkin gives an air of being an anti-feminist.
Otherwise, I'd highly recommend the book for anyone's Jewish library.
I'm docking a star for his Islamaphobic attitude throughout the book. At other points, Telushkin's prejudices come through in a negative way. I found it questionable that Telushkin used the n-word at a few points, although some may say the context of these uses are important. He was saying that Jews should understand the history of Jews being called "Christ-killers" just as black people should know the history of being called the n-word. Except he actually spells the word out. Additionally, Telushkin gives an air of being an anti-feminist.
Otherwise, I'd highly recommend the book for anyone's Jewish library.