Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities

What does it mean to be a Jew in the twenty-first century? Exploring the multifaceted and intensely complicated characteristics of this age-old, ever-changing community, Judaisms examines how Jews are a culture, ethnicity, nation, nationality, race, religion, and more. With each chapter revolving around a single theme (Narratives, Sinais, Zions, Messiahs, Laws, Mysticisms, Cultures, Movements, Genocides, Powers, Borders, and Futures) this introductory textbook interrogates and broadens readers’ understandings of Jewish communities. Written for a new mode of teaching—one that recognizes the core role that identity formation plays in our lives—this book weaves together alternative and marginalized voices to illustrate how Jews have always been in the process of reshaping their customs, practices, and beliefs. Judaisms is the first book to assess and summarize Jewish history from the time of the Hebrew Bible through today using multiple perspectives. Ideal for classroom use, Judaisms provides a synthetic and coherent alternative understanding of Jewish identity for students of all backgrounds; focuses on both the history of and potential futures for physical and ideological survival; includes an array of engaging images, many in color; offers extensive online resources including notes, key terms, a timeline of major texts, and chapter-by-chapter activities for teaching.