Full name: Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry

Author: Samuel G. Freedman Year: 2000 Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Religion, Non Fiction Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Goodreads Amazon ISBNs: 9780684859453 9781416578000 0684859459 1416578005

Fundamentalist vs. secularist, denomination vs. denomination, liberal vs. conservative -- in the last forty years, American Jews have increasingly found themselves torn apart by their diversity. In this chronicle of the evolution of American Jewry, Samuel G. Freedman illuminates the forces that have undermined the traditional peaceful coexistence among the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist branches, and secular and unaffiliated Jews. Examining recent headline-making stories as well as less publicized controversies, Freedman discusses the vitriolic battles that have arisen over intermarriage, standards of conversion, the role of women in religious ritual, the Middle East peace process, and the secular influence on religious life. As he weighs the arguments of both extremes, Freedman comes to the controversial conclusion that the Jewish-American community is headed for a Reformation, a permanent fracture of one faith into many.